This document provides an overview of various digital content channels for content marketing, including social networks like LinkedIn and Google+, custom social networks, geo-social networks, location-based content, online directories, emails, blogs, online video, podcasts, webinars, Twitter, magazines, digital media centers, apps and widgets, and e-learning. Each channel is described and pros and cons are listed to help marketers determine which channels may work best for their goals and content.

1. Content
Marketing
Overview of
Digital Content
Channels

2. Is the largest global professional social
network
Allows individual users to showcase
professional and academic experience
Allows connections for research prospects
and leads
Features Company Profile Pages

3. Google +
Heralded as the ‘Content Sharing
Platform’
Encourages ‘segmentation’ into
circles
Allows users to have groups of co-
workers, family, friends, baseball
fans, and fishing buddies.

4. Custom Social Networks
Provides tools to create
custom social networks for
enterprise, government,
special interest groups, and
other like minded individuals
 Ning, SocialGo, rSitez, and
Ingage are a few examples.

5. Geo-Social Networks
Location-aware mobile platforms that allows
users to check in to locations:
bars, restaurants, offices, sporting, and
cultural events
 Allows the user to see if network friends are
there, read travel tips, and take advantage of
special offers in the location

6. Pros:
1. Encourages users to review the
places they visited.
2. Allows them to explore
localities, encourage peer-to-peer
recommendations, and promotional
opportunities
3. Uploads photos of venues being
reviewed.
Cons:
1. Still relatively new
2. Adoption from users is still few
3. Majority of the subscribers are the
young, tech-savvy who own a
capable smartphone.

7. Mostly delivered to mobile
devices
Location
Operates only in the location
-Based of the gizmo
Content Although not necessarily
social, location-based
content can be tied to social
networks.

8. Location-Based Content
PROS: CONS:
 Has immediate  Only works on
contextual relevance smartphones and
 Can answer questions tablets
 Helps connect places to  Visitors may need visual
people and people to or onsite reminders like
the places they visit signage, leaflets, or QR
 Provides influences at codes
the right moment

9. Online Directories
There’s an online directory for just
about everything
 Ex: Wikipedia, Zagat.com,
Thomas.net
It is practically the listing of any
subject you can think of

10. Online Directories
PROS:
 There’s an online directory
for just about everything
 Inclusion can mean a boost
of search engine visibility
 Can make an organization
prominent in categories
other than their main
vertical
CONS:
 Practically, no cons!
 There is no reason not to
make an effort to be
included in a directory

11. Emails Emails can be powerful content
marketing opportunities
• Newsletters
• Press releases & event updates
• News alerts & product launches
Emails can also contain links
and drive traffic to other
content channels on your
website or elsewhere

12. CONS:
EMAILS  Inbox fatigue is hard to
beat
PROS:  Email strategies require
 Adhere to the email more
best practices and cost, creativity, and
policies, then you are efforts to roll out than
safe. other initiatives.
 Make sure that people
opted in to receive your
messages

13. BLOGS
Publishing platforms
Displays content in reverse-chronological
order
An all-in-one content management system
Majority of blogs are interactive
According to Wikipedia, there are 156 million
publicly accessible blogs on the Web

14. BLOGS
PROS: CONS:
 The hub of countless  Not for the unenthusiastic
organizations’ content or noncommittal
marketing efforts
 Needs constant updating
 Establishes thought
leadership  Requires more than keeping
 Increases media coverage the blog posts fresh
 Feeds into diff. social media  A derelict and an
channels abandoned blog can speak
 Can function as a customer volumes about the
service vehicle organization behind it.

15. Online Video
Video sharing websites where users can
upload and share videos
Uses a server that allows videos to be
embedded on blogs, web pages, and etc.
The frontrunner is YouTube, but Vimeo is a
strong contender
Videos can also be linked to Facebook or
your own website.

16. Online Video
PROS: CONS:
 Once created, video is  Requires an upfront
very easy to share business investment
 A video can be more  Requires better than
engaging than a photo or average video-editing
an article capabilities
 A well-tagged, labeled,  Requires a certain level
and transcribed video of technical know-how
boosts the websites to look moderately
visibility on search professional.
engines.

17. PODCASTS
Radio shows to go
A podcast is a digital audio file
playable on PCs, tablets, and
smartphones
Usually distributed via RSS feeds or
over Apple iTunes’ platform

18. Podcasts
PROS: CONS:
 A great way to connect to  Metrics of the podcasts can
people who rely more on be mushy
their handheld devices  People are better watchers
 Can continually reach the than listeners
audience e.g.  The real significance for
daily, weekly, monthly, and content marketing initiative
etc. hasn’t been proven yet.
 Perfect for people who
aren’t comfortable
communicating through
writing or on camera

19. WEBINARS
> An online presentation that
features slide-by-slide visuals
accompanied by the speaker’s
live audio presentation

20. CONS:
Webinars
 Suited only for highly
complex and instructional
PROS: and informational content
 Can reach a broad and  You have to be a comic
geographically disparate genius to pull off a webinar
audience  Requires an aggressive
 Basically a conference marketing effort to sell a
minus the webinar to audience
venue, refreshments, and
travel expenses
 Can be a good source for
lead generation

21. Twitter
A lot like blogging, but much smaller and
faster
Limited to 140 characters
Broadcasted in near real-time.
A lightning-fast channel that can be easily
indexed by search engines

22. Twitter
PROS: CONS:
 An excellent tool to  Sometimes 140
monitor conversations characters aren’t enough
around a brand or a to convey your message
service  A lot of people are still
 Directs people to deeper uninvolved in the
content on the Web channel
 Tweets can be retweeted
and can contain links

23. Like Posterous, this is also a micro-
blogging site.
Tumblr and Posterous are examples
of blog platforms suitable for
quickie posts of texts or photos

24. Magazines
Long-form content publication
E-books and white papers
Primarily to B2B marketers and
tech companies
Digital magazines can also work
for B2C marketing initiatives
Can be available in multiple
languages

25. Magazines
PROS: CONS:
 Only for lead generation  Marketers can be
and thought leadership disappointed if the
 Mostly in easily download requires too
accessible PDF formats much data
 Highly economical  Long form content is
compared to actual difficult to chunk down
content publishing  Only popular for B2B
 Can be implemented marketers
with richer metrics

26. Digital Media
Center/Press
Room
An area of website devoted
to the needs of the media
Content includes media
contact
information, archives, PRs,
events, awards, company
history, and etc.

27. Digital Media Center/Press Room
PROS: CONS:
 Makes journalist queries,  Requires
research and requests for commitment, time, and a
information easy and lot of resources
accessible.  Smaller content audience:
 Leads the searcher to the members of the working
source press, broadcast
 Can utilize other content journalists, and bloggers
channels like RSS feeds and
mailing lists

28. Apps and Widgets
Mobile applications for
smartphones, or tablets that
allow users to perform a
specific set of tasks or
access specific information
Widgets, however, are more
embedded on websites than
as mobile accessible
platforms.

29. PROS: CONS:
 For brands with a high  If it doesn’t work, it will be
degree of user abandoned
engagement, these can  Apps and widgets are
extend user loyalty domains of the younger
 Customized and portable audience
 Apps and widgets are now  B2B organizations are slow
becoming prototypical and are getting to the game
features of handheld later
devices nowadays
APPS & WIDGETS

30. E-Learning/ Online Training
PROS: CONS:
 Digital training can  Online trainings are not for
significantly reduce products that are simple to
customer service costs use
 Can create a feedback loop  It doesn’t guarantee an
that aids development of elimination of customer
products support
 Can help up-sell or cross-sell
additional products or
services.

31. Online Community
 A microsite that’s part of a larger
organization’s brand web presence
 Can host other content media
channels like Twitter, online forums,
and more
PROS:
CONS:
1. Engages passionate
1. No place to sell
audiences
2. Can leverage fans into
spokespersons and create
enormous goodwill
3. Loyal participants can be
awarded with administrative
duties

32. Visual Information
Pictures and graphics capture attention and
interest
Complex information can be interpreted
easily through graphics
Examples: Charts, diagrams, infographics,
maps, and other forms of content
visualization.
Virtually no drawbacks to images