As marketing efforts grow tremendously this year, content is playing a huge role. Content includes everything from text to videos and if used well can accelerate your brand’s growth. With that mind, what better way to your content marketing than taking a look at some companies that are doing it right!
Textual Content/Blogs
Content marketing starts with great textual content and here are a few brands that know how to use text the right way!
- Maybelline
Maybelline is one of the world’s biggest cosmetic brands and they still strive to help their customers out as much as they can. Their blog is beautifully executed at every step from design to social integration. The blog offers make-up tips, latest trends, how-to articles and upcoming products. The blog makes it easy for users share their content with it’s array of social media buttons next to each article. Other than blogs, they also have videos explaining looks and trends. They have a separate page for #Maybelline where they feature fan images that are related to the hashtag. This is a great way to engage with your audience and is fun all around.
- General Electrics
GE’s content marketing spans across different platforms and it’s efforts are admirable. Their online magazine, GE Reports, is the perfect place learn about what’s happening within the company. The magazine details all the crazy/amazing research that they do. These posts regularly go viral on social media, especially Reddit, for the great information they provide. The blog covers various areas that GE operates in including technology, education, medicine and many more. Occasionally, they also interview people in various fields to get their perspective on matters. All of this makes for an interesting read. They’re also great at visual marketing, check out their Instagram account to see what I mean!
- Denny’s
Denny’s is a diner chain from the US. Their blog is a great example of using humor for content marketing. The blog is a random, hilarious collection of food-related musings from themselves and their readers. It has become a pretty famous blog and deservedly so. Denny’s not only posts hilarious things filled with puns, they also interact with their brilliantly. They even defend their puns against naysayers.
- Lyft
Lyft combined brand storytelling and audience engagement by inventing #WhyILyft. The hashtag can be used to share stories of both customers and Lyft drivers. Combined with beautiful photographs, these stories take brand storytelling to a whole new level. It also increases trust among customers as drivers are humanized with real stories and riders share their honest experiences.
- Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s social media channels, especially their Twitter and Instagram, are hugely popular. With their witty posts and comebacks, the Mexican fast food chain has gained over 1.2M followers on Twitter and over 800,000 on Instagram. They are also a big fan of puns and give shout outs to loyal supporters regularly.
Visual Content
Visual content is becoming a must have for all brands. Here are a few companies that are already pros at it:
- New York Times
One of the biggest publications in the world, the New York Times, took journalism to a whole new level by allowing readers to experience news in 360 degree, VR. You can use Google cardboard on your smartphone or view modified versions on your desktop. Their VR app was launched in 2015 and implies all new possibilities for content marketing.
- Nike
Nike has a hugely successful content marketing strategy. Typically, their ads are filled with celebrity athletes but they’ve switched their strategy up by focusing on everyday people. Their YouTube channel, NikeWomen, is a prime example of this. The channel’s series, “Better For It – Inner Thoughts” highlights the struggles of women along their fitness journeys perfectly and has garnered millions of views. It also has 2 other hugely popular series that you can check out!
- Marriot: Two Bellmen
Marriot created an Emmy winning short film, named Two Bellmen, to promote their hotels. The film was created by their in-house content studio and has over 5 million views. It is a comedy action film about 2 bellmen in one of their hotels and it’s success has even inspired a sequel. The sequel was released earlier in 2016.
- Red Bull
Red Bull is known for their high octane action sports videos that cover BMX, skiing, snowboarding and many other sports. Their reach has now spread to different niches as they cover entertainment, events and mainstream sports. Red Bull’s videos are know world wide and for good reason, they regularly post stunning POV videos on social media of races and tricks. Red Bull gained popularity by showcasing sports that weren’t mainstream by targeting the action sports niche. They also have well-written content on their site to keep you addicted for hours.
- GoPro
GoPro is one of the world’s most popular camera makers. They produce versatile that can be mounted on most surfaces and are extremely portable. Their Instagram account has over 8.9 million followers thanks to them showcasing their users’ best pictures and videos. They have a Photo Of The Day everyday, where they pick their favorite user submitted image. This is yet another example of combining engagement and content marketing as it keeps your audience motivated to participate while still showcasing your brand/company.
If you’re unsure of this, there are several GoPro Alternatives that you can try as well.
Podcasts
Podcasts are probably the toughest form of content marketing as each podcast requires a lot of thought, planning and balanced execution. Here are some podcasts that know how to mix knowledge and marketing into a perfect blend:
- GE: The Message
GE has been mentioned earlier but their content marketing is on point. They do everything from content to videos and even their podcast, The Message, is brilliant. The podcast mainly covers sci-fi but it managed to go top of the iTunes chart on Thanksgiving. Let that sink in, branded content beat out popular non-branded content like Serial and other top podcasts on a major holiday. Andy Goldberg, GE’s CCO had this to say :
“I don’t consider it advertising, it’s a science fiction story to connect listeners with what the GE brand is about, without selling the GE brand”
- Tortuga Backpacks: Power Trip Travel Podcast
Tortuga Backpacks are carry-on backpacks with a ton of features, they also have other travel and leisure products that are widely known. Co-founders Fred Perrotta and Jeremy Michael Cohen host the weekly podcast where they combine travel and entrepreneurship. This is a rare combination and it’s really doing well with listeners. The podcast started with the history of how the backpack company came to be and how it currently works. This is combined with a healthy dose of travel tips to help out users.
- Bon Apetit Foodcast
Bon Apetit is a food and culture magazine and if you like food or cooking, you can binge on their podcast for days. They interview chefs, celebrities and a bunch of other people who have something to say about cooking. The podcast covers a wide range of topics and is authentic to it’s listeners. What better to market your magazine than giving users cool interviews and valuable tips to learn from.
I’m sure there are way more examples that we could look at for your company. The bottom line is, content marketing is a two-way street – you have to give information to entice prospects. All the brands mentioned above do this expertly, which is why they’re so successful. If you’re looking for a little help with your content marketing endeavors, we could always help out with a bit of content!