How To Diversify Your Content Marketing Mix

What’s one mistake many B2B content marketing teams make every year? 

Investing in a single content type and channel.

Many B2B companies write blog posts with the goal of ranking on Google. Although this is a good approach, content marketing goes beyond blog posts. 

Each marketing campaign you run and every piece of content you publish can result in a return on investment (ROI), but only if it’s well-executed. Companies that see the largest ROI from their content share one common characteristic: 

They diversify. 

Diversifying content entails covering a wide range of topics, posting in a variety of styles, and syndicating across multiple social media channels. Diversifying your campaign increases the likelihood of keeping your audience engaged and reaching a wider audience.

Despite what you might think, customers demand various writing styles, content topics, and publishing formats. How will you reach a broader market if you only publish content where your audience spends most of their time? 

Growth requires you to step outside your comfort zone.

Why Content Diversification is Key for a Successful SaaS Blog 

The content you create in SaaS needs to tell potential customers about your features and how your software will simplify their lives, solve their problems, and help them achieve their goals.

This is where valuable, relevant, and interesting content comes in.

Diversifying your content will allow you to: 

• Reach and attract a wider audience 
• Increase audience engagement
• Find the best places to publish various types of content
• Identify the types and styles of content that are working for your brand 

Content marketers usually identify their ideal customers, discover which channels they spend the most time (LinkedIn, X [formerly known as Twitter], Facebook, etc.), and then market to them through those channels. 

Now that you understand what it means to diversify your content let’s break down what actually gets diversified in your content mix 

What Gets Diversified In Your Content Mix? 

A successful diversified content marketing strategy must be original, well-researched, and outline a clear goal or intention for a target audience.

Your content should cover a variety of formats (ways in which your content shows up online), for example, videos, infographics, articles, and blog posts.

It should also cover a variety of topics  (the subject matter or idea being discussed), like creating a “how-to” video or a thought leadership blog post. 

Lastly, your content should be published through various channels, including your website, email, or social media. For instance, you could post your “how-to” video on YouTube. 

Let’s look at some examples of lack of diversification, average diversification, and great diversification.

Creating a thought leadership blog post with the sole goal of ranking in Google would be an example of a lack of diversification in your content marketing mix.

An average diversified content marketing mix would be posting this same blog post to your website, creating an X post, sharing the same (or similar) message, and then creating a video to share on YouTube, LinkedIn, or communities on Reddit. 

 A great diversified content marketing mix would be creating a thought leadership blog post to publish on your website. Before you create the post, you conduct keyword research so that you can rank on Google. Within the blog post, you include lists, infographics, definitions, and images. 

You then identify the key information from the blog post and break it down into a video to share on YouTube, a carousel to post on LinkedIn, a thread to post on X, a discussion topic to share in a Reddit community, and create a newsletter email campaign. 

If Google were to suddenly change its algorithm, but you’ve built a following on X, you won’t be affected. If X goes down and you have diversified to include emails as a content channel, you will still be able to reach your audience there.

If you post the same type of content every day, your customers might become bored after a while. Customers will stay interested in your content if you mix up the format and distribution channels. 

7 Ways To Diversify Your Content Marketing Mix  

If you are going to invest in your content strategy, you’ll want to ensure you’re getting enough value back from it. Value could consist of direct revenue, positive KPIs, or direct reader interaction.

Here are some recommendations to help diversify your content marketing strategy and maximize your return on investment:

1. Invest in non-blog content: 

By investing in more non-blog content, you can significantly increase the exposure of your branded content. It is the key to building relationships with your audience, increasing brand awareness, and building a loyal following. 

Creating a FAQ page or special, interactive “tutorial” pages explaining how to use your products, or even writing case studies, could provide comprehensive answers to your customer’s questions. By embracing diversification, you can also unlock your content’s full potential.

Use Case Example: Foundation

Our Canva case study illustrates how diversifying content and investing in more non-blog content can increase revenue and growth. The study received 26,282 page views and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in the first seven days after it was published.

A few native pieces of the original content were adapted for distribution on social media and in online communities.  The content was promoted after the first wave of posts but in different formats and styles. 

We varied our strategy for each platform to keep the audience engaged. Before, during, and after the launch, we shared content on X and LinkedIn and sent email campaigns. However, the message was not covered the same across all platforms.

To keep the audience engaged, we varied our strategy for each platform. We used thought leadership, memes, influencer marketing, social media content, and SEO content for different content styles.

To diversify our approach and maximize profits, we used the potential risk and return of some content classes. This strategy resulted in 26K+ page views, a steaming hot pipeline, and an increase in Canva’s revenue.

To get more value out of traditional long-form assets like blogs and case studies, while adding another layer of engaging content for your audience, consider adding the following to your marketing strategy:

• Repurposed long-form content
• Video content
• Infographics and visuals
• Podcasts and interview series

   A) Repurpose existing content into other formats 

You can increase efficiency, save time, and reach a larger audience by repurposing previously created content. The process of repurposing content involves reusing existing content and presenting it in a new format to expand its reach and lifespan. For example, you might turn your latest blog post into a YouTube video or an X thread.

Note that the information should be presented in different formats. Let’s say you want to create a video from a blog post. What format will the video be in? Will it be live-action, or would animation be more appropriate given the subject? 

Use Case Example: Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a brand that uses a  repurposing menu to modify existing content for different channels.

How did they do this? Instead of creating the same content across all channels, they create native content for each platform. The content is easily adaptable to different channels, allowing Hootsuite users to choose the information they want from a variety of options.

They turned different stats into social graphics to get more eyes on the content. This Instagram post has generated over 12K views: 

Social media advertisers will be drawn to a graphic like this because it provides useful information. Hootsuite also does the same for LinkedIn, amplifying a more relatable message and format:

Keeping LinkedIn users’ best interests in mind, they chose an excerpt that generated over 300 reactions and comments.   

Regardless of your marketing budget, you should repurpose existing or new content pieces into formats that suit your primary distribution channels. You’ll see more traction, engagement, and potential conversions if you distribute those pieces consistently.

   B) Create more videos: 

Video content is more engaging, and people remember information from videos more than any other medium. Studies have shown that the average viewer retains 95% of a message when they watch it, as opposed to a mere 10% retention rate when reading it.

There is no doubt that YouTube is an important platform for publishing videos, but video content is becoming increasingly popular on other social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook.  TikTok has also gained a lot of popularity in the last two years. In terms of video content, TikTok is an icon and is quickly catching up to YouTube. 

As TikTok has only 1.5 million monthly users, compared to YouTube’s 2 billion, engagement is much higher there, and the platform continues to grow rapidly. In contrast, YouTube’s growth has been somewhat stagnant.

Use Case Example: Calm

A brand that does a great job at utilizing video content for its marketing strategy is Calm Calm grew its brand through YouTube SEO to increase organic reach. Calm relies more on YouTube than Google as a search engine. It’s no wonder YouTube generates over 50% of Calm’s organic social traffic:

Using high-intent niche keywords, the Calm team optimized YouTube content to boost ranking and visibility. Amazing results follow:

• More than 111,232,904 views on Calm’s videos 
• 713,000 subscribers who rely on the channel to reduce stress and sleep better

Calm is just one example of how video content has helped brands achieve these amazing results. The advantage of prioritizing video content speaks for itself. 

The use of video in marketing is a great way to reach a wide audience. Businesses can now create and share high-quality video content more easily than ever. Consider experimenting with a couple of video projects if you don’t already have video in your content strategy.

   C) Create more infographics or insightful images 

An infographic is a collection of charts, graphs, diagrams, or graphics that can be used to present complex topics, explain different concepts, or enhance articles. Using social media and other channels to share your infographics can be a great way to gain a larger audience and make your content more viral. 

Use Case Example: Foundation

Here’s an example of an infographic that was used to communicate a content growth framework.

 Diversification strategies require an understanding of a content growth framework. Before you diversify, you need to conduct research, create, optimize, and distribute. 

In this single infographic, you gain an understanding of all the different ways you can conduct research, create your content, distribute it, and optimize it. 

People want quick answers, so infographics are a creative and appealing way to get straight to the point. The fact that 65% of people are visual learners may explain why infographics work so well. 

   D) Launch a podcast or interview series 

Audio content is almost as valuable as video content, especially when it’s available to download. Podcasting is beneficial because:  

It can assist in building your brand’s authoritative presence. 

From the standpoint of your listeners, creating a podcast that touches on the subjects and trends that are significant and pertinent to your listener helps to establish your expertise in the field.

It can also help to expand your audience. Your business podcast can emphasize different products or services you provide while also showcasing your knowledge and expertise on various topics relating to your business. 

Your customers become more familiar and loyal to your business because you meet their needs, leading to more conversions and customer retention. Microsoft is a great example of a brand that is doing podcasting right. 

Use Case Example: Microsoft

Microsoft’s “.future” offers a thorough look at technology. There is a lot of discussion about technology trends, public health, automation, big data, and much more, as well as how our decisions as individuals and societies may affect the future. 

We often take Microsoft for granted or think they’re out of date. Due to their ubiquitous nature, people don’t realize how far they’ve come or how relevant they’ve become.

Over the years, Microsoft has continued to innovate quietly, deliberately, and strategically. You, too, can take advantage of the benefits podcasting offers and introduce your brand to your audience on a level they’ve never seen before. 

2) Get other people to contribute 

Collaborating can allow you to promote your content to new audiences and increase the likelihood of attracting new readers. It also allows writers to build a strong community that will only result in more opportunities to benefit from each others’ resources and advice.

Collaborating also helps with Google’s E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). 

E-A-T is one of many guidelines Google uses to rank websites based on their value to readers, indicating high-quality pages. 

In order to determine the quality of Google’s search results, evaluators considered:

• Content creators’ expertise.
• The authority of the creator, the content itself, and the website.
• Trustworthiness of the website, the creator, and the content.

Collaboration is important because Google wants more than just quality content. It wants material from an expert in the subject matter. 

Use Case Example: WebMD

WebMD hires certified medical experts to write for its website. Picture of the skin was written by a medical expert, Matthew Hoffman, MD, and reviewed by a practicing dermatologist, Stephanie S. Gardner, MD.

If you click on the author and reviewer’s profile, you’ll see how each brings 16 and 20 years of experience. Collaborating with experts allows WebMD to create educational pieces rooted in research and relevance. 

Make sure you work with specialists to build material that Google will trust rather than hiring ghostwriters to produce half-baked content on high-click key phrases. This could mean interviewing a scientist, paying a specialist to write a guest article, or collaborating with another business to publish top-notch findings.

3. Be present across the right social media channels 

Your business can show its human side by being active on social media. To show your brand’s personality, showcase your team members and their expertise, share insights into what makes your company run on a daily basis, announce company milestones and achievements, and publish relevant content. 

It also gives you more opportunities to interact with your clients, address any issues they might be facing, and create stronger bonds with them.

You can become more present across social media platforms by utilizing different distribution channels. You can use channels like LinkedIn, X, and Instagram for sharing and promoting your content assets.

Here are some pointers to help you choose the best distribution channels for your diversification strategy.

• Establish which channels your competition is using: By validating your competition’s usage of these channels, you can identify the channels that your ideal audience spends time on.

Observe the amount of content available through the distribution channels of your competitors. A few channels to consider are Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

• Examine the distribution channel engagement: Content may not engage your audience despite being available through a distribution channel. There are a variety of reasons why it can happen. Your Facebook content has a reach of 5.2%, according to Hootsuite. If you distribute organically to 100 ICPs, 52 will see it. 
• Similarly, research shows that LinkedIn is the primary social networking site for B2B decision-makers. Therefore, you may see high LinkedIn engagement if you’re posting what your audience wants to see.

• Examine the distribution channel’s competition level: The level of competition in a distribution channel hinges on many factors.  

• Was the distribution channel used early enough?  
• How often does your competition post content on the distribution channel?
• What are competitors doing to engage with the channel? 
• Are you able to identify what’s working and what’s not? 
• Is your brand’s market position or voice similar to your competitors’? Do they differ? Does this affect their engagement? 
• What kind of distribution assets can you create which will drive meaningful growth for your business?  

Making informed decisions about content distribution requires identifying your current situation and where you want to go. 

Wrap-up

The key to successful diversification is striking the appropriate balance. It’s more like riding a bicycle than a tightrope because you can always pick yourself up and try again.

Measuring and tracking each aspect of your content strategy diversification will ensure that you provide the best content across various channels and in the most appropriate format.

Experimenting with numerous content categories will help determine where to spend your money. You can attract new viewers and keep existing ones by providing different kinds of information.

Although they say content is king, variety is what makes life interesting.