Have you ever played craps?  You know, the dice game impossible to miss in most casinos.  It’s exciting to watch and often attracts a crowd when someone is beating the house.

If you want to play, it can be intimidating.  According to some sources, there are approximately 60 bets that can be placed on the board.  When you step up to the table, ready to put your money in the game, it can be overwhelming. How do you know what to bet, how much, and what’s the smart choice?

Content marketing can be similarly overwhelming.

There are roughly one zillion different types of content.  Ok, I’m exaggerating that number. A little.  But to prove my point, CoSchedule does have a list of 113 different types of content your business needs.

The point; it’s easy to be swept up in the mentality that you have to compete by publishing a large number of content types to be successful.

Truth is, you don’t have to produce every content type.

You need to publish the content types your prospects and customer want. Usually, this list of ten content types will satisfy your audience’s needs:

1. Articles and blog post – single topic information about best practices, projects, company news, upcoming events, and other noteworthy ideas.
2. Video – educational, informative, and even live video content is accessible for your audience to consume and can be viewed across devices.
3. Visual – infographics, charts, and other information
4. Case Studies – in-depth stories of customer success and lessons learned
5. Webinars – live and recorded events that allow you to educate your audience
6. Email – nurturing and sales workflows
7. Presentations – live and online event content
8. Newsletters – ongoing and frequent touches of your audience
9. Social Media – posts, contests, quizzes and other engaging content
10. eBooks – detailed information on a single concept or idea

Your audience will let you know what content is important to them.  You should listen.  Monitor your social media and review Google analytics to understand what is resonating and what is falling flat.  You’ll probably find a trend regarding the content type and distribution channel that gives you a clear direction.

You should also keep in mind that your content should have a purpose.  If you are producing content that is pure fluff or too salesy, you will diminish trust and credibility, which are difficult to recover.

This article is part of the Valens Point Guide to Content Marketing Success.