When you hear “content marketing,” what do you think of? If you’re like most businesses, I work with, probably blogging that’s integrated social media marketing.

You know we had to talk about blog posts first. For many brands, blog posts make up the central part of their content marketing strategy. There’s a good reason for this: blog posts typically don’t take too long to write, they’re easily found by Google, users are happy to read and share them, and it’s a quick way to offer value at a relatively low cost.

Long-form content that is free and available online is a fantastic way to build thought leadership and increase subscribers. All you have to do is say “Subscribe so we’ll let you know when the next chapter of our guide comes out!”

Case studies are in-depth examinations covering a specific scenario or example, which should provide both knowledge and actionable information. They’re fantastic for several reasons: they allow you to establish thought leadership, are unique, and are highly shareable—because this is your data, someone else can’t just spontaneously have the same idea (cough, cough).

White papers are information-dense content that can offer solutions and data on a particular subject. The focus here is all on the details. They’re exceptional when you want to build thought leadership and respect within the industry, and can make great lead magnets.

E-Books seem a little daunting the first time you write them, but they’re great lead magnets and—if evergreen—can stay great lead magnets forever. While they do take more time and money to make, you can outsource the process to people who has experience with writing them.

Infographics allow you to pack a ton of information into one image in a way that is visually interesting and easily digestible. If you’ve got fifteen different statistics from a case study, for example, which would you rather see: an infographic with visual representations, charts, and graphics next to the stats, or just a bulleted list?

Template and Checklist downloads make exceptional lead magnets. They’re actionable; they’re a great resource that users will utilize repeatedly, and they don’t take a lot of time or money to make. Offer them in exchange for an email subscription sign-up, promote them at the end of your blogs and videos, and you’ll be golden.

Video isn’t always associated with “content marketing,” but it should be. It’s is dynamic, it’s engaging, and more users are watching video than reading text so we need to include it in our content marketing strategy. This is particularly true for both tutorials and product content; 4x more users would rather watch a video about a product than read about it.