Brands are flocking to content marketing these days.
They’ve heard the good word and know the benefits content can have for your brand. From search traffic to conversions content is the avenue to your success online these days. But questions abound when you think about starting content marketing initiatives. Where do you start? Check out the best in class, the brands kicking butt and taking names. Here are a few of the big brands that produce stellar content today and as a result see a huge influx of visitors from search and social media.
Comcast
Comcast, a cable and internet provider has long been a brand that we’ve looked at to help show us the marketing way. Their @ComcastCares account was one of the first to start using Twitter as a tool to reach out to customers for example. Have you seen some of their content lately though? Pretty good examples of how you should be taking content seriously.
- Youtube – Comcast uses video to help bring awareness around their services, topics important to their customers and important news. They’ve even gotten Ryan Seacrest to provide a tutorial to the Olympics. Think about how you can use video to promote your brand.
- Help Center – Comcast has an in depth help center which provides quick links to troubleshoot your HDTV, schedule your DVR, or even specific information about equipment for HD. Think about the types of content your site should be producing that helps your customers. Frequently asked questions pages, resource centers, etc… are all great examples.
- Interaction – Provide content that your customers are going to engage with and interact with. Comcast has the luxury of being in an industry that is founded on entertainment. Their effective use of Xfinity TV GO and other areas on their site where you can engage with the tv shows you love is one to take notice of.
Dove
Dove, a skincare company has also been very public with their content marketing efforts. The #beautyis campaign right now and prior campaigns like Real Beauty have made strides online and are great to examine. Their videos have captivated audiences of all ages. The heartfelt videos produced evoke emotion and reactions after seeing them. Did you know their Real Beauty Sketches video received over 27 million views in its first ten days?! Just as in the Comcast example think about ways you can integrate video into your content efforts. Also think about the ways in which you can evoke emotion in your content marketing strategy.
Dove has also picked up on recent trends and integrated them into marketing. One example is the recent “Selfie” campaign. The word selfie has had negative connotations but Dove worked to dispel the negativity around this concept and used it to help redefine beauty. What recent hot topics are items you can pick up on and use to influence your marketing?
Whole Foods
Here in the U.S. if you’re not lucky enough to live near a Whole Foods you should know about their amazing content marketing strategies. Whole Foods, an organic grocery store has been a huge proponent of email marketing with a purpose. They use e-mail to get in front of customers in a few ways:
Drive traffic and awareness around healthy eating tips and resources
Promote online ordering from each of their local stores
Publish recipes for their customers with coupons and links to deals in store
Segmentation of e-mail lists by focusing content to geo areas or based on your interests
Promote in-house events such as wine tastings and culinary demonstrations
Drive awareness around causes
Each department has a place in the newsletter to share content around their products
The vast amount of content shared in their e-mail newsletters is mind boggling. Not only do I receive a recipe and the week’s deals I also get customized information about local events in my area. More and more brands are taking the time to examine your preferences and interests and cater content to you that appeals to you. The one-size-fit-all approach is slowly dying in the content world thankfully!
These are just a few examples to help you see the best in class in content marketing. While each of the above companies have huge content marketing budgets even the smallest of the small can find ways to integrate content marketing into the overall inbound marketing picture.
How are you using content today? Share with us in the comments below!
This post was written by Kaila Strong
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