Although the benefit and importance of adopting content marketing has been widely touted by many companies, not many are have adopted it fully or even know how to. Moreover, very few companies are willing to be daring enough to stand out and be innovative with their content marketing campaigns. However, one brand – Four Seasons, is quickly becoming a trailblazer in the content marketing and social media marketing spheres. With their focus on digital marketing and innovative content, the company is reaping the benefits of good content marketing.
Unique opportunities via social media
Instead of just offering content on its social media channels, the Four Seasons has taken it a step further and is offering unique and fun experiences to customers and fans online. The experiences and opportunities offered by the company can be virtual or real and are completely novel. One of its popular offering on Twitter includes a wine tasting that anyone can participate in. Fourteen of more than 80 Four Seasons locations participated in the event last year. Twitter users could either get their own wines and taste them while reading and listening to expert analysis on Twitter or they could go to any participating Four Seasons hotel nearby.
Another popular experience offered by the Four Seasons was the hot chocolate bar located in Chicago and the opportunity to take part in the festival of floating lights in Thailand at the Thai Four Seasons. Apart from such fantastic and interesting offerings, the company also offers great content to users and customers. It has a whole blog called the “Have Family Will Travel” blog dedicated to family travel.
Some of the suggestions on this blog include the tour of the tenements in Shanghai and the annual Teddy Bear tea event held in its Boston location. Other blogs run by the Four Seasons offers cooking tips and recipes from some of the most famous chefs in the world.
The VP behind their marketing success
Susan Helstab is the person responsible for the company’s focus on and success in the digital marketing arena. She is the executive Vice- President of marketing and has become an avid adopter of technology although she was slightly suspicious at first. Unlike other large brands, the Four Seasons has allocated half of its overall marketing budget to online marketing. Under her leadership and guidance, the marketing team at the Four Seasons has taken more risks and has allowed the company to become one of the first few brands to offer interesting opportunities to customers to engage with the brand digitally.
New website to be launched
The company is now going to launch a brand new website that will contain user generated content – something that no other major brand has dared to try before. Helstab says that they are confident about the services that they offer to allow user generated content to be visible on its website. The website will contain feeds from review based travel sites like TripAdvisor, which will show unedited reviews and comments from existing clients and customers of the Four Seasons.