There are many ways to provide value to your online audience. Downloadable content, for example, expands on or supplements the content that is already on your website.
Its addition to your site enables you to delve further into key topics, and ensures that your audience is getting the most value possible.
Just as it sounds, downloadable content is any content offered on your website that your visitors can download to their computers, smartphones, or tablets. There are many types of downloadable content, including:
- Printables
- Audio/video recordings
- White papers
- Step-by-step guides
As you might imagine, creating downloadable content for your website takes time and effort. However, it also offers an array of benefits. For example, downloadable content can be used to supplement the topics you cover on your blog. Providing these optional “extras” avoids overwhelming regular readers, while enabling you to provide extra value for your most interested audience members.
Perhaps most important of all, downloadable content enables you to add unique features to your website. You can embed video and audio clips within your posts that further explain your content, present the results of extensive research in the form of white papers, and much more.
When it comes to downloadable content, your ingenuity is the only real limit. However, it helps to have some idea of where to start. Therefore, let’s look at three ways to use this type of content effectively on your digital marketing website.
Provide Video and Audio Recordings of Your Blog Posts
While most people who visit your blog will likely rely on your written content, there may be others who would benefit from video or audio recordings. Providing multimedia options offers your audience a wider selection of ways to enjoy your content, which can increase your reach and impact.
Video and audio recordings also enable you to add further elements (such as additional visuals and explanations) without taking away from the core content of the main blog post. Plus, they can be downloaded and saved, so visitors can listen to or watch them later at their convenience.
To get the most from this type of downloadable content, we recommend that you:
- Choose your format carefully. Video and audio can both be useful, but you’ll want to choose the format that will provide your readers with the greatest value. Videos, for example, enable you to present more visual content, while audio recordings can result in a stronger personal connection.
- Understand your software needs. Podcast Generator is one way to offer both audio and video downloadable content on your website. Plus, there are plenty of other options, including Wavosaur and WavePad.
While there are many visitors who will want to download this content, you may also want to consider streaming it on your website. That way, interested visitors can view or listen to it right away. Podcast Generator enables you to do this, as will many similar tools.
Add Content Upgrades to Your Blog Posts
Popular websites such as HubSpot offer downloadable content upgrades on their most popular blog posts.
Content upgrades are offerings added to your blog posts that add an additional layer of value. By including upgrades in your most popular content, you make it possible for your readers to gain further insight into the topics covered (such as with white papers and field guides) or to take the next steps on their own (such as with step-by-step guides).
With such a vast array of upgrade options available, you have the ability to tailor them perfectly to your audience. To do that successfully, you’ll want to:
- Locate your most popular blog posts. It’s best to add content upgrades to your most visited posts first, as this will increase the number of people that they reach.
- Understand your audience and choose your upgrades accordingly. For example, a more hands-on audience will appreciate step-by-step guides and printables, while a more passive audience will find value in interviews and podcasts.
The most important consideration is that each upgrade needs to go above and beyond the regular blog content, to offer even more value. After all, you want to use content upgrades to supplement what you’re already offering, not as a replacement.
Incorporate Industry Interviews Into Your Content
Industry interviews are one of the best ways to increase the value of your content.
Industry interviews are question-and-answer dialogues that you have with experts in your industry or niche. There are many benefits to offering these interviews as downloadable content on your website.
Most importantly, an industry interview serves as an endorsement of your brand and website by the interview subject. In addition, you’ll get access to their preexisting audience, expanding your reach.
Another interesting benefit of interviews is that they offer extra value to your readers, while also opening them up to other viewpoints on the topic at hand. Before you add this type of downloadable content to your site, however, you’ll first need to:
- Use your networking skills. To find the best interview subjects, you’ll probably have to do a bit of networking within your niche. Use your connections on LinkedIn, Twitter, and similar platforms to find experts who will intrigue and inform your readers.
- Use the right software. Open-source software such as Podcast Generator enables you to easily offer audio and video interviews on your website, which your readers can stream or download.
To increase the value of these interviews, you can even ask your audience to help you come up with potential questions beforehand. This will create hype for the interview (as your audience will be waiting for its release), while also getting them involved in the process.
While downloadable content isn’t necessary to the success of your digital marketing website, it’s a smart way to offer additional value to your audience. It can be used to supplement your current content, such as blog posts and news releases, while offering a few unique benefits of its own.
Do you have any questions about downloadable content, or how to add it to your website? Let us know in the comments section below!