Content marketers constantly look for content that inspires and excites to make their campaigns more engaging. However, this is a lot easier said than done. Just think: We consume a lot of content every day, but not everything stays with us.
As a business owner, you probably look to content marketing as a way of establishing your brand and cementing your company’s voice. Luckily, after you create a website, you don’t have to do as much trial and error as content marketers to achieve success with your videos and images. Here, we highlight twelve content marketing examples and why they worked for each company. You just need to implement these winning marketing strategies in your brand’s content.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Unlike traditional advertising, which relies on direct sales pitches, content marketing aims to build relationships with potential customers by providing them with genuinely useful and informative content. This content can take various forms, including blog posts, articles, infographics, videos, podcasts and social media posts.
Learn more: Small business marketing
The goal of content marketing is to establish a brand as a trusted and authoritative source of information, thereby attracting a loyal audience and nurturing leads throughout the customer journey. By consistently delivering valuable content that aligns with audience interests, businesses can increase brand awareness, establish thought leadership and generate qualified leads.
12 top content marketing examples
01. Video content marketing example
Tasty uniquely films their simple cooking videos using the same formula to show quick and easy steps for following a recipe. They publish around 50 new videos each month, each with an eye-catching thumbnail, and their YouTube channel gets upwards of 50 million views a month.
What can we learn from Tasty? Be consistent—not only in your publishing frequency, but also in your content’s style and quality. Once Tasty gained popularity, it stuck with the same filming method for its videos. Rather than take the cutting-edge approach, Tasty decided, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So far, this approach has paid off.
02. Personalized content marketing example
Coke’s viral “Share a Coke” campaign started out in Australia, where Coke put the 150 most popular names on Coke bottles and asked people to share a Coke with someone with a name found on the bottle. The campaign then spread around the world, and Coke even launched a bottle personalization tool on its website.
What can we learn from Coca Cola? People love personalization. Simply printing names on their labels led to a campaign’s global success. When brainstorming your own content ideas, try and make it as personal as possible to encourage your audience to engage with your brand.
03. Image content marketing example
For its content marketing strategy, Rolex uses high-quality images that feel classic and timeless. Rolex's Instagram account and other social media pages stick exclusively to these images. Rolex not only uses strong photography, but they also have a consistent look and feel that its followers have come to expect from the brand.
What can we learn from Rolex? When it comes to image content marketing, invest in high-quality images and maintain regularity with both your photos’ content and aesthetics. When people can expect high-quality social media photos, they’ll associate your brand with the same traits. These images can also be used on your site for similar purposes, as these examples of types of infographics are testament to.
04. Influencer content marketing example
In 2018, Olay launched its “Face Anything” campaign, which used influencers from different industries to inspire women to remain true to themselves without fear of judgment. Olay chose nine influencers as the faces of its campaign, featuring them in videos and images on social media and around the web. Olay also included a few other Instagram influencers in its campaign, who used Olay products throughout a 28-day challenge and then uploaded branded content.
What can we learn from Olay? Partner with influencers to resonate with your customers, produce more content, and expand your reach. Influencers’ audiences generally perceive them as more trustworthy than faceless brands and take their recommendations to heart.
05. E-book content marketing example
Who better to teach users about marketing than the networking platform itself? LinkedIn promoted its “Secret Sauce” e-book for download to teach users how they could get success from the platform’s marketing strategy. This wasn’t the only guide LinkedIn released; in fact, it has a library of educational guides and e-books.
What can we learn from LinkedIn? Don’t be shy about self promotion. Educational content, such as e-books and webinars, can establish your brand as an industry leader. They're often a good ft for a B2B content strategy for this reason.
06. Blog content marketing example
Buffer had many successful strategies behind its blog. First, it curated a collection of guest posts, featuring unique voices and expertise from different fields. Not only that, but the backlinks generated from the guest posts also improved SEO and helped Buffer reach a wider audience. Buffer’s consistent publishing of new posts made it a reliable information source for its audience, while optimizing its authority for search engines like Google.
What can we learn from Buffer? Create a blog as part of your content marketing strategy to establish your authority in the industry and improve your SEO. Aim for long-form blog posts that offer rich information and real value to your readers, rather than clickbait. Make use of images and infographics too in your blog posts for maximum impact. Once your blog starts to grow, it's also worth checking out a topic cluster and pillar SEO strategy to help you organize your content and generate organic traffic at the same time.
07. Infographic content marketing example
An infographic about infographics from a company that helps produce infographics. NeoMam’s infographic launched all the way back in 2013, but the example remains relevant. Its “13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics” went viral and amassed thousands of backlinks and shares. The company released this timely infographic right as the content form gained popularity. Above that, the well-researched information and visually appealing design make this a strong piece of content.
What can we learn from NeoMam Infographics? Timing is everything. Research trending topics to see what people search for, and then make an infographic or another related content type. When a trending topic coincides with your industry, you’ve struck gold.
08. Email content marketing example
Looking forward to promotional emails can be a rare experience. Usually, the newsletters we’ve subscribed to and forgotten about clog our inboxes, but Warby Parker cuts through the noise. All the content, from its well-placed CTAs to its minimalist format, flows well in its clean, simple and straight-to-the-point emails. The company also uses every email opportunity, consistently sending out abandoned cart notifications, order follow-ups and other emails. Warby Parkers’ emails always have these same optimized elements, and the company sends them out at roughly the same time each week.
What can we learn from Warby Parker? It can be tough work to promote your business in a way that appeals to potential customers and stays true to your brand. But when done well, you’ll reap the benefits. Once you’ve found your voice, learn how to optimize it and take advantage of every contact opportunity.
09. Podcast content marketing example
When we talk about podcast advertising, we have to talk about Mailchimp. Thanks to the company’s quick ad spot on the early podcast hit Serial, the brand became an overnight success story. A joke about mispronouncing the company’s name led to tons of conversations about the brand on social media, and even memes that Mailchimp itself embraced.
What can we learn from Mailchimp? Even if you don’t start a podcast yourself, don’t discount podcast content as a way to reach your audience and increase brand awareness. Many Serial listeners hadn’t heard of Mailchimp before, so attaching the brand name to such a popular podcast helped launch the company into the mainstream.
10. User-generated content marketing example
Mejuri, the popular jewelry brand, has amassed almost 1 million followers on Instagram. Customers love Mejuri for its simple yet classic jewelry, but they may even love creating content for the brand more. Sure, the brand may sponsor some posts, but if you look at Mejuri’s feed, you’ll find almost all organic user-generated content. Customers love to feel appreciated and highlighted, and brands call it a win when a customer posts a photo with your products and recommends your brand to their followers.
What can we learn from Mejuri? Encourage your loyal customers to participate in your marketing campaigns. Share photos online or tag your social pages to engage your audience and also integrate them into your content strategy.
11. App content marketing example
Almost anything can qualify as content marketing, and Charmin took that a step further and released its own unique app. The Sit or Squat app from Charmin helps you find a clean bathroom. The app got over 100,000 downloads and though those who download it use it for practical reasons, Charmin benefitted from user engagement and brand awareness. The result was buzz around the brand, including social media conversations and user-generated content.
What can we learn from Charmin? Don’t limit yourself to the standard content marketing methods your competitors lean on. Charmin looked outside the box and created an app for its campaign, and the results paid off.
12. AI content marketing example
Today, many businesses today rely on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven chatbots for customer service. However, Sephora takes this marketing trend a step further and uses it to push products and make sales. Sephora’s chatbot offers users a quiz to narrow down their desired products, and then makes personalized product recommendations. Not only does this help Sephora shoppers, but it also allows the company to gather valuable data about its shoppers to use for marketing purposes.
What can we learn from Sephora? Don’t be afraid to use new or emerging technologies in your content marketing strategy. AI-driven product recommendations, in particular, provide value to your customers while maximizing sales.
Key takeaways for a successful content marketing strategy
The content marketing examples above have a lot to teach us. Remember these takeaways when crafting your own content marketing strategy:
Stay consistent. Your audience will come to expect a certain frequency and quality from your brand, so make sure you can deliver—whether posting on social media or a blog, or sending out an email newsletter.
Find what works for you and run with it. It could be your brand’s voice, the content you post or your aesthetic, but when an element resonates with your audience, stick with it.
Don’t be afraid to break the mold. On the flip side, taking risks often pays off, especially if trying to set your brand apart from your competitors approach content marketing creatively, like creating an app or using AI tools.
Branch out and engage. Whether partnering with influencers, asking for user-generated content, or getting guest posts on your blog, customers like hearing a variety of voices. Foster these relationships to reach new audiences.
Don’t forget about timing. Research the latest trends to release timely and relevant content, as social media users will more likely pick up, share and engage with it.