We know content is king. But when putting together a successful content marketing strategy, there are so many types of content to consider—from infographics, to whitepapers, to tweets—and each piece of content has a specific purpose in the content big picture. So, how do you choose which type of content to create?

It all starts by knowing what you want to accomplish. Defining your goals will help you determine what type of content to invest your time and energy in.

For our purposes today, let's look at the benefits of writing articles—one of the fundamental tools in your content marketing toolbox.

Writing articles is a great thought-leadership tactic. Through contributed articles, you can demonstrate your expertise, share an opinion, or engage in industry conversations. Articles give you ample space to present information on a subject compared with, say, a tweet that allots you only 140 characters.

Among the various places to consider as a home for your article are industry and business publications, your company blog, and LinkedIn Pulse. All three serve different purposes, and they have unique benefits to offer.

1. Contributing to an Industry/Business Publication

One option is to submit your article to an industry or business publication. Trade publications generally require articles to be vendor-neutral, and the publishing date will be at the outlet's discretion. There are some valuable, strategic benefits to contributing to these outlets:

• Reach a wider audience. Contributing to an industry or business publication offers you access to a wider audience. People who may have never found your company—let alone its blog—may come across your article in an industry or business publication. These outlets often have significant subscribership, and securing a contributed article with one of them gives you access to these readers.
• Increase your credibility. Industry or business publications have their own clout, having worked hard to establish their reputation as a credible resource to the industry. By contributing an article, you not only gain access to their readership but also benefit from the publication's credibility. Readers tend to trust articles from publications because they know editors are vetting the content before it's published. Therefore, if you are the author of an article published in a respected trade publication, your own credibility increases.

To summarize: although you may not have opportunity to talk directly about your company's products or services, contributed articles to industry or business publications offer other incentives—like raising your credibility and bolstering your thought-leadership reputation.

2. Contributing to Your Company's Blog

These days, many companies or organizations already have their own blog, and it's definitely a destination you'll want to consider, because there are great benefits to publishing your article there:

• It drives website traffic. A blog drives more traffic to your company's website, since that's where it lives. The content can bring new prospects to your site or keep current customers coming back as they discover that your blog offers meaningful insights. If your goal is to increase your Web presence and traffic, contributing to your own company blog is a great tactic.
• You control the message and timing. A blog also offers a greater control over messaging and timing. You are free to share what you want, when you want. Your company has control over its blog publishing schedule, so it doesn't have to wait for a magazine editor to post your story. There is even room to be a little promotional, but be careful not to toot your own horn too much. A blog should provide valuable, timely information to the reader, and not just be a product or service advertisement.