As a content marketer, it can be hard to come up with ideas that consistently rock the numbers. The pressure of a successful campaign or an unsuccessful one can both lead to a creative block. And going through some of the best content marketing examples to date
When viewed from another perspective, however, idea generation does not seem hard at all. After all, content marketing means to create conversations around your brand and products that open the way to engagement and sales. Conversation generating topics are all around us.
Yet, there is still a struggle. It takes a trained eye to mine these conversation generating topics and to alchemize them or repurpose content into a great video, blog post, social media post, or a whole campaign. The inherent difficulty is clearly depicted here:
Content creation challenges about 37% of marketers. Which is why it doesn’t hurt to take help from some of the greats when the dry spell hits.
The list shared below contains some of the best content marketing examples to inspire you during dry moments when the block hits you. Go over these examples once, twice, thrice. Examine their brand positioning, the elements they used, the visuals and videos they created. Then, go back to your work desk and get marketing!
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The Best out there
- Paperboat
One of the most beloved brands in the Indian Food and Beverage industry, Paperboat has carved its own niche in the realm of storytelling.
Mixing childhood flavours with eye-catching aesthetics and a fine sprinkling of nostalgia, Paperboat leverages people’s emotions to connect with people and drive them to buy. They promote each flavour through a film, post-digital comics, and create illustrations that delight endlessly. A glimpse:
Who wouldn’t be hooked?
Lesson: storytelling and visuals are an irresistible content marketing strategy.
- Marvel
One of the hottest production companies ever to be conceived is Marvel. With its range of superheroes and villains fighting on Earth and obscure corners of the Universe, Marvel has captured the imagination of thousands of adoring fans worldwide.
There are many content marketing tips to be taken from Marvel. But, one of the best ones is this: make your content available in different formats.
Want a Marvel movie? Take your pick:
Want a Marvel comic? Take your pick again:
Want a Marvel show? You are still covered.
Choose any medium and it is guaranteed that Marvel will meet you there.
The company also doesn’t themselves to story-based content alone. They provide their fans with access to conventions and are constantly experimenting to meet the demands of the comic fan world.
Lesson: don’t stick to one format alone. Step out of your comfort zone and zero in on the other places where you can delight old customers and meet new ones.
- Hubspot
Speak of content marketing and how can Hubspot not feature?
One of the premier websites for content marketing tips, the blogging platform Hubspot is one of the largest and most visited B2B blogs. Experts constantly reference its posts, and content marketers, old and new, hang onto each slice of content that rolls out.
From its website:
And here is how Hubspot has nailed it:
- Adding additional, knowledge-filled resources like e-books at the end of blog posts that acted as extensions to the content marketing tips.
- Writing in-depth and well-researched articles that help with content marketing strategy.
- Creating videos for Facebook and using LinkedIn to drive traffic to them.
- Creating Inbound.org, an educational and content sharing hub where they promote their partnership and certification programs.
All of these are a part of Hubspot’s content marketing strategy that has established the brand as an authority figure in the content marketing space. #goals
Lesson: a healthy and regular blend of long-form and short-form content can help to establish you as the leading voice in your industry
4. Superdrug
Sometimes it’s good to use another high-traffic platform to drive people to your website ultimately. Superdrug employed this content marketing strategy wonderfully well.
The brand wanted to draw attention to body image issues. So, it asked 18 graphic designers from around the world to edit the photo of a model in Photoshop according to their country’s beauty standards.
Here is what happened when they published the results on Huffington Post and Buzzfeed:
- Around 1 million social shares.
- 3 million views of the original study.
- More than 700,000 page views within 5 days.
- International coverage in publications like The Telegraph, Business Insider, and the NYT.
- Celebrity backing of the campaign with unasked-for endorsements.
Lesson: it’s good to leverage other platforms to your advantage. Hunt out the top ones in your industry and play your A-game there.
- AARP
source
America’s biggest consumer magazine is circulated in 22 million households (that’s right), and more than half of the 37 million subscribers have read 3 of the last 4 issues.
What is their secret? An often overlooked part of a content marketing strategy.
They listen to their audience whichever way they reach them: social media, email, letters, and then use those conversations to generate ideas for future issues. Akin to the sculptor cutting away at the marble to reveal Michelangelo. It was already there.
Lesson: a long-term, sustainable content marketing strategy is to be like Michelangelo and listen to what your customers are saying.
6. Zomato
One of the most popular on-demand apps for the starving and thirsty, Zomato knows how to keep you keeping back for more even when you aren’t ordering food.
Its campaigns are visually simple but delivered with generous amounts of wit and humour that never fail to delight. Drawing on everyday elements that are present around us- Mother’s Day, movie references, catchy song lyrics- Zomato wields the power of wit and minimalism well. A well-crafted content marketing strategy? Check.
Lesson: incorporating everyday elements into your content marketing strategy can help your customers to relate and feel closer to the content and ultimately, your brand.
- Coca Cola
One of the most successful content marketing ideas ever to be conjured up was from the hallways of Coca Cola.
The company launched the Share a Coke campaign in Australia by plastering the 150 most common names on their bottles. Then they encouraged people to share those bottles with the people having those names.
The campaign was a resounding success and increased Coca Cola’s sales to 250 million bottles and cans over the summer. As a result, it spread to other countries as well and garnered similar attention and success there.
Lesson: Personalization always delivers, and can be found in almost all the viral content marketing examples. People love to be acknowledged and made to feel special. Make them feel special.
- Nestle
The global food brand does all it can to best serve its customers and meet them where they are. How? Through 2 of its initiatives: Ask Nestle and Very Best Baking.
Ask Nestle is a portal where the company collected and answered every question that they could be asked in 1 place so that customers didn’t have to wait for sales reps to reply or get lost in a sea of webpages.
On the other hand, Very Best Baking is a cook’s delight. You can find a variety of recipes under the sun, all sorted by skill level, occasion, and category. How easy is it to bake now?!
Lesson: get creative. Even something seemingly traditional as a FAQ page can be converted into a hub/ portal where your customer concerns are put at ease. Another medium like a blog can be used to add value to your reader, no matter their skill level or what they are celebrating.
Conclusion: what makes for The Best?
The best content marketing examples combine design with value, i.e. they are designed aesthetically, and they make people’s lives better.
Now, aesthetics do not have to be confused with professional Photoshop skills, nor does making people’s lives better have to mean directly solving a problem. Maybe your brand brings a smile to people’s faces, entertains them, feed them, or helps them to feel they are not alone. People will respond to this type of content marketing because it will be making their days better. So, be sure to learn and get inspired by the best content marketing examples
The best content marketing is the one that connects with people and converts them.
Also, the above list illustrates how the effectiveness of content marketing is independent of industry. Whether you are a financial corporation, a Hollywood biggie, a small business or a food outlet, you need to be generating the best content marketing ideas to stay in the game. It isn’t for those with Instagram accounts only.
The next time you are feeling a lull in your content marketing strategy and ideas, go over the list once to give your creativity a refresher. Which lesson could you pick up and incorporate into your own content marketing strategy that day? What is your audience asking for? What is your audience really asking for?
Who knows? Asking these questions might compel your Muse might hand you the Idea of a Lifetime that skyrockets your brand success.
