Posted by Content marketing is the new buzzword. If you want to grow your business and boost your online visibility, you can’t ignore it. In a survey in 2020, HubSpot found that almost 70% of marketers were actively investing in this strategy.
Image via HubSpot
From blogging and podcasting to creating infographics and Ebooks, content marketing can take different forms. While content marketing has numerous benefits, the path to success for all brands will be different.
Depending on your goals, you should pick the best type of content to create. Before you begin, take a look at some of the best examples of content marketing to take inspiration from.
8 Best Content Marketing Examples and What You Can Learn From Them
Content marketing is a very broad subject. Any content that you create to promote your business — subtly or directly — counts as content marketing. Since it can be an ambiguous territory, we’re listing examples for each different content type.
1. Blog Posts
For brands, blog posts account for the lion’s share of a brand’s content marketing strategy. According to a Semrush report, they account for 86% of content marketing activities.
And there’s a good reason for it.
Companies that have blogs get 97% more website links. Furthermore, they get 55% more website visits. These statistics should make it clear that blogging is an effective way to attract more traffic, links, and leads.
The best part is that even small businesses that have a tight budget can make the most out of blogging.
But the big question is: What kind of blog posts should you create?
One of the most effective ways to capture your audience’s attention is to create educational content in your niche.
Strive to provide value to them and address their pain points. In a subtle manner, you can also touch upon how your brand or products can benefit them. However, keep in mind that selling your products shouldn’t be your goal.
For inspiration, take a look at Buffer’s blog. Their tools can help marketers schedule social media posts and manage their campaigns.
As you can see in the screenshot below, their latest blog posts are guides for social selling and building engaged communities. In fact, their blog features a separate section on guides and courses.
Image via Buffer
2. Infographics
Don’t have the time to write long blog posts? Infographics can be a great way to amplify your content marketing efforts. They are visual, engaging, and easy-to-consume.
Typically, they break down complex data and information and summarize it into an appealing banner. That’s what makes them very shareworthy and a great tool for link building.
You can also send them in emails to engage your subscribers or publish them on different social media platforms. As you can see, infographics have the potential to take your content marketing strategy to the next level.
Here is an example of how customer service software company, Zendesk created an infographic to start a conversation on customer loyalty and retention. Indirectly, it helps them promote their business and even get more backlinks.
Image via Pinterest
3. Videos
Did you know that people spend 16 hours every week watching online videos? It’s evident from this study that people enjoy watching videos. And it isn’t really surprising. They are visual and keep people engaged. If you do it right, videos can also help you educate and entertain your audience.
Not sure which type of videos you should create?
If you are introducing a fairly new concept, you can create explainer videos to demonstrate what you have to offer. To make them more engaging, you can also add animated characters. Here is an example of how Microsoft created an explainer video to explain how their Cloud system works in a simple manner.
Image via YouTube
In a little over a minute, their video explains the concept of hybrid cloud flexibility. They published this video on their YouTube channel to showcase how their platform enables businesses to innovate and grow.
On the other hand, you can also create tutorial or demo videos to show how your products work. If you want to win your audience’s trust, then video testimonials can do the trick.
The best part about video marketing is that you can experiment as much as you want. Plus, you can also distribute it on multiple platforms. You can post them on your site, social media channels, embed them on landing pages, or include them in your email marketing campaigns.
To maximize your video’s visibility on social media, make sure you use attractive thumbnails and catchy titles. It is also a good idea to leverage video SEO to get your videos ranked on search engines.You can use specialized SEO tools to get the most out of your efforts.
4. Podcasts
The premise of podcasts is simple — Record an interesting audio and upload it online for the world to listen to it. Not only is it easy to produce, but it can also be a great tool for marketing.
According to a study, 75% of people in the USA are familiar with the concept of podcasting. Furthermore, 37% of them listen to podcasts every month.
Regardless of the industry or niche you are in, podcasts can be a great way to connect with your audience. Indirectly, you can address their pain points and build an engaged community.
To produce a high-quality podcast, you just need two things — the right equipment and an interesting idea. After you are done with recording, you can distribute it via a podcast network.
Even though the process is simple, producing good podcasts requires a ton of planning beforehand. You can wing it sometimes, but it is not advisable to start recording without having a clear topic in mind.
One of the best examples of a brand leveraging podcast content marketing is American food brand, Blue Apron.
Their company sells fresh ingredients and recipe meal kits for home cooks. To reinforce their messaging and start a conversation around food, they came up with the podcast, “Why We Eat What We Eat.” It is an educational podcast that encourages people to make more healthy life choices.
Image via Spotify
5. Ebooks
Till now, we’ve only covered content formats that can help you communicate simple ideas to your audience. But what if you want to convey complex, long-form information? That’s where Ebooks can come in handy.
Beyond giving you an opportunity to provide value to your audience, it can also help in establishing yourself as an expert in your niche. This, in turn, can boost your perceived value and audience trust.
Ebooks are an especially popular content marketing tool for B2B brands for lead generation and getting more opt-ins. You can also send them as emails or post them on your website.
In fact, SEMrush has a whole section dedicated to ebooks on their site.
Image via SEMrush
6. Case Studies
Cast studies can directly demonstrate how you are helping other individuals resolve their pain points. While you can shoot video testimonials, case studies provide you with the opportunity to get into the finer details. A well-written case study lets a prospect follow a customer’s journey from the beginning to the end.
Typically, prospects who read case studies already have a nuanced understanding of an issue that they want resolved.
Just like SEMrush, Shopify has a dedicated section on their website to share case studies and customer stories.
Image via Shopify
7. Webinars
The COVID-19 crises saw the rise of webinars. With trade shows and events getting cancelled, businesses had no other option but to move on to webinar marketing.
The best part about webinars is that they are professional but engaging and interactive at the same time. You can use features like polls, live chat, and Q&A sessions to make your webinars more interesting.
When you host a webinar, there are multiple benefits you can reap out of it. You can reach a broader audience, generate new leads, and boost your authority.
Want some inspiration?
Take a look at how Kissmetrics uses a webinar’s registration page to collect email addresses from new leads. You can later send them more promotional content to move them along the sales funnel.
Image via Instapage
8. Memes
Memes are a relatively new content form used for marketing purposes. The biggest advantage of marketing memes is that you can get more eyeballs by using trending hashtags. While they are easy to create, you’ll need to know what’s trending to create funny branded memes.
Barkbox is one of the brands that is known for its clever usage of memes on social media platforms. Their Instagram page is filled with funny photos that are accompanied by witty captions.
Image via Instagram
Even a high-end brand like Gucci ran the #TFWGucci campaign on social media featuring memes for marketing. They used classical art paintings to create funny memes revolving around their brand.
Here is an example:
Image via Instagram
While creating memes, keep in mind that you need to get a sense of what is trending and somehow weave that into your brand values or mission. Don’t be shy of using puns to tickle your target audience’s funny bones.
Conclusion
When it comes to content marketing, the sky’s the limit for your creativity. You can explore different content formats and even try out different ways of presenting your content. Take inspiration from the examples listed above and start working on your content marketing strategy now! Ready, set, go!
Which is your favourite content marketing example from those listed in this article? Please share your views in the comments section.
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