Digital content is an umbrella term that is far wider than many people make of it. There are endless categories of online content, classified both by function and substance. 

This includes everything anyone posts on the Internet, from tweets and Facebook posts to articles and YouTube videos – it does not have to be for business purposes. Even your posts on any social media platform fall under the definition of digital content. It is any message, personal or organisational, communicated with the digital world.

Content creation, as fancy as the term might sound for many, is something every online publisher knowingly or unknowingly does. The abundance of content flooding the Web today returns to the fact that content creation no longer requires vast resources. 

That was when TV, radio and print press were the only exposure media. But today, with the Internet as the prime resource for any content creator, digital content has never been more economical. There is an endless amount of platforms for digital content today.

Digital Content: What Falls Under That Term?

A Complete Guide to Developing an Effective Digital Content Strategy

Quality digital content builds brands and drives growth. 93% of marketers say content marketing increased website traffic, and 70% say it improved conversions.

digital content what falls under that term

But creating content just to fill channels is not enough. You need an intelligent strategy that cuts through the noise to engage audiences.

Follow this blueprint for developing high-impact digital content tailored for today’s consumers.

Mapping Content to the Customer Journey

Align content to how users interact with your brand through each stage:

Awareness Stage: Blog posts, eBooks, infographics, and videos that attract potential customers by answering common questions and demonstrating your expertise.

Consideration Stage: Product pages, demos, free trials, and comparison charts help prospects evaluate your offering against competitors.

Decision Stage: Case studies, expert testimonials, ROI calculators, and free samples provide social proof and incentives to buy.

Choose the Right Digital Formats

Different content types suit different goals:

  • Blog Articles – Share expertise through long-form thought leadership.
  • Social Media – Tell brand stories and promote human connection.
  • Videos – Showcase products visually while building relationships.
  • Online Courses – Establish authority with educational content.
  • Infographics – Present complex data concisely and visually.
  • Podcasts – Deliver entertaining and engaging audio content.

Optimize for Maximum Impact

Follow best practices tailored to each format:

  • Engaging storytelling and conversational tone
  • High-quality design and production
  • Comprehensive but concise information
  • Seamless keyword integration
  • Consistent branding
  • Calls-to-action to convert readers
What Is Digital Marketing? Everything You Need to Know

Promote and Distribute Broadly

Getting content seen takes work. Leverage:

  • Social media engagement
  • Email campaigns
  • SEO optimization
  • Paid promotions
  • Influencer partnerships
  • Content amplification networks

Analyze Performance

Use metrics like dwell time, social shares, leads generated, and sales to benchmark what content performs best. Refine your strategy based on hard data.

The Future is Digital

Today’s consumers expect valuable digital content, and they are interested in multimedia message content that brings together different channels such as SMS, video, email, podcasts, and more. Use this guide to develop a data-driven digital strategy tailored to your brand and audience. To accelerate results, leverage our team’s expertise in creating high-converting digital content.

The Main Types of Digital Content

Entertainment

Both individuals and brands put out this type of content. That includes YouTube vloggers,, bloggers and Facebook pages (i.e., comic pages, life hacks, etc.). Aside from individuals who create such content for pure entertainment, many brands now create entertaining digital content to expose their brand to people online. 

That differs from marketing content, though. The difference is that this content does not call on customers to buy or subscribe to anything. It is merely to build a rapport with these people, be they actual customers or not.

man talking into a microphone filming a YouTube video - Digital Content
YouTubers have an increasingly large impact on their viewers’ buying behaviour due to the bond subscribers feel when they watch their favourite channels. Image source: Unsplash @mossiskz

This type of content has been growing insanely lately. Every day, new blogs and Facebook pages are set up for just that purpose. Especially on YouTube, content creation has been taking a very educational turn. Thousands of YouTubers are knowledgeable about some field and share that knowledge with their viewers. That includes pop science, philosophy, history, politics, cinema, technology, etc. 

Educational

Now, many brands have jumped on the bandwagon of educational content related to their products or services. An example of that is financial consultancy companies. A lot of them, through their blogs or YouTube channels, give basic financial advice to their followers. Another example would be if Apple decided to create content on its YouTube channel, teaching us some hacks to ease our iOS experience. 

There are countless examples of this, proving miraculous for many brands. The reason is that while many people view that content without buying the service, many end up trusting that brand after having benefited from their content for a while. It is a great way to position your brand as an authority in its category.

note taking from digital content
Setting up an educational page can build a large readership filled with people who share a common interest. This is more likely to translate into sales if your business is linked to the page. Image source: Unsplash @NickMorrison

Marketing and Sales

This type of content is created, of course, solely for business purposes. That can be for a brand, an individual trying to gain content exposure (e.g., a singer or an author), or some social campaign trying to direct people towards a cause. There has to be some commodity, service or content to sell to those who will read that content.

Conversion

Unlike marketing and sales content, which is predominantly emotional and intended to persuade, conversion content is intended to prompt a decision. That takes a more rational appeal than the former. In terms of business content, this is supposed to be the last stage in terms of sales. 

First, a brand releases content that familiarises people with it.  Then, the content that persuades them of their need for the product or service. Conversion content finally calls on them to take action and buy that product or subscribe to the service.

Despite the various purposes behind content creation, the forms of production tend to be the same. Be it business content or personal content.

Forms of Digital Content

Video

As of late, video content is becoming increasingly the conventional form of content creation. Most people and brands now, when deciding to publish their content, decide to do it through a YouTube channel or Instagram videos. The reason behind that trend is that video delivers messages in only a couple of minutes, that might take 15 minutes out of the viewer’s time on any other medium. That makes people too lazy to read also get in on that content.

Because the cost of shooting videos or creating basic animations is gradually decreasing, it has never been as feasible. There are YouTube channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that are run from production to publicity by some teenagers working from their rooms with a few free tools and some self-taught knowledge. Of course, having a budget behind the production is never a bad idea, but it’s no longer an essential requirement.

Digital Content
Editing and publishing your videos could be the most impactful and cost-effective form of content marketing for your business. Image source: Unsplash @sharegrid

Written Content

Perhaps this is the most basic and classic way of content creation, but it is still at the forefront, albeit with declining popularity. The reason that it does not grow obsolete is that people can view it with ease wherever they are. You’re not always somewhere you can watch a video, but you can always open an article on your phone, whatever its content.

And lately, in keeping up with the ever-increasing epidemic of laziness, the written content is moving towards constant shrinkage. We see this in many brands’ Facebook posts and mini-blogging websites like Twitter. On Twitter, for example, the message has to be conveyed in only 140 characters.

Even online media outlets like magazines or newspapers went with the trend. They now send newsletters with every story or event encapsulated in a few sentences. There are even newsletter services like the Skimm or the Hustle that compress stories as far as possible to deliver otherwise complex content through something you can read in a few minutes.

Written content also has an advantage when it comes to pushing content strategies. The viewer has to choose to watch a video, whereas there are many forms of written content that can penetrate the viewer’s space and try to catch their attention. 

For example, that happens with sponsored content on Facebook or Twitter. You would find a brand or public figure’s content shown naturally among your news feed content, and you might often pay some attention to it.

Audio

That includes podcasts, audiobooks, and audio streaming services like Soundcloud, Deezer or Spotify. There is a great advantage to the audio content in that it requires the least attention. You can just put your headphones on anywhere and listen to some podcast or audio lecture. 

That is at the same time its disadvantage. Since it requires the least attention, it is paid just that much. You can often find yourself after a few minutes listening to something gradually and even forgetting that you’re listening to it for a while. It is hard to say that it is highly popular. That is if we exclude music. You won’t find much audio marketing or sales content out there. That pretty much stayed with the radio.

two men recording a podcast - Digital Content
According to Podcast Insights, there are currently over 1,750,000 podcast shows and over 43 million episodes. Image source: Unsplash @AustinDistel

Visual Content

The popularity of visual content is at an all-time high now. When discussing visual content, we don’t only mean graphics and infographics. We’re also including memes and comics. That’s not only because they have proved to be among the most effective means of delivery on political and social issues. 

Memes were among the most critical propaganda tools in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. After having proven that effective, memes are often used now for business purposes as well. There are a lot of brands today that use them on social media to communicate their messages to followers while cracking jokes. 

Infographics are on the rise, too. They have almost replaced classic statistics graphs and even articles in many cases. People could wrap their minds around complex concepts or topics by looking at an infographic for five minutes.

There are, of course, many other types of content, but in broad terms, these are the main types and forms of digital content. Anyone who decides to become an online publisher today has to choose one of the aforementioned purposes and forms for their digital content.

For more information, get in touch with us today.

Content Marketing: The Power of a Story

Digital Content Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I publish new digital content?

A: Most brands aim for 2+ weekly blog posts, daily social media content, and 1 bigger asset (ebook, video) per month. Consistency and volume is key.

Q: What types of content should I focus on?

A: Identify what formats your audience responds to best based on analytics. Expand efforts in those high-performing areas.

Q: How do I distribute content effectively?

A: Use a mix of owned channels (email lists, social media), SEO (keyword integration), paid ads, influencer partnerships, guest posting, link building, and content amplification networks.

Q: How can I create more content efficiently?

A: Repurpose and update evergreen content. Have a team of contributors. Outsource content creation to experts.

Digital Content Conclusion

Simply creating digital content is no longer enough. You need an integrated strategy tailored to inform, educate, and convert audiences throughout their journey.

This guide provides data-backed tips for developing optimized, engaging content across formats and platforms. Focus on delivering actual value, not sales pitches.

With strategic digital content, you can build trust, strengthen branding, improve SEO, and drive measurable business growth—partner with our team to take your content marketing to the next level.

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