Blogs may be 'easy' to write in that they need little in the way of resource or training to get words onto the page, but during 2011 in particular quantity has given way to quality and the best sites are flourishing while the fortunes of the majority of sites stagnate.
But what is quality?
Quality content is often more than just text, it uses images, video, data and sometimes sound to engage all the senses and give more impact to its story. The following are a handful of formats that go beyond the typical blog format to engage the target consumer more fully. Whilst they may take a bigger investment in time and skill, the returns can be far greater.
Presentations
I've no doubt that in any large business, there are any number of PowerPoint documents filling the desktops of your sales managers and executives. If these are presentations that are typically given to your customers, shoudln't you be trying to get them out to a wider audience?
Sites like Slideshare are an excellent way to post your presentations online, get them promoted to a wider audience, and then embed them back in your blog.
SEO Expert Rand Fishkin uses this example to show you how to brush up your presentations and also how he uses content from speaker events to get even more viewers.
Podcasts
Podcasts evolved from the early days of blogging, and add a lot more to your blog posts. The human voice adds the nuance to your posts that text can never achieve. A podcast can bring more personality to your word, and people, after all, buy from people.
If you're not hugely confident with the sound of your own voice, try interviewing someone who is for your first attempts.
It's worth investing in a reasonable microphone that will cut out background noise, but other than that the expense is minimal. Most computers will come with some adequate editing software. Once recorded, you shoudl investigate getting your podcast published to iTunes, which can give your audienece a chance to listen to your words whilst away from their computers.
Video
The obvious next step on from podcasting is video. Particularly if you have a physical product to show off, video can show off far more than static images ever could. With a little humour and creativity smaller brands can make a huge impression. One of the best examples of this is the Blendtec "will it blend" series where they ruin all manner of objects to show how toough their blenders are:
Distributing your video via YouTube and other video sharing networks such as Vimeo can gain further viewers.
Even if you don't have a physical product, or don't feel like putting your face on-screen how about recording a voiceover for the same presentations as above?
Which brings us on to...
Screencasts
Screencasts are most popular for demonstrating software products, but anything that can be demonstrated on a computer screen such as a presentation or a website can be used.
Tools like Camtasia make the task an absolute doddle and allow you to edit your video after the recording. This demo of the ShineEmail email marketing software was done in under an hour and is a key part of demonstrating just how fast and simple the tool is.
Infographics
Also known as "data visualisations", infographics prove that a picture can speak a thousand words. Going beyond death-by-powerpoint charts, infographics distil data into images, then add a dash of creativity to their presentation.
Whole sites, such as visual.ly have sprung up dedicated to the best of this format. Worth a look for some inspiration, if you have some interesting research to share, you can almost certainly gain more impact with a single, well executed graphic than a whole deck of charts.
This image is possibly the most effective way I've seen to date of demonstrating the sheer scale of the finincial crisis and bailouts in the US: