Some Stunning Examples of Content Marketing to Learn From

What is the key to persuasion in content marketing?  We feel emotion is the most critical element for persuasion. That is a hands-down fact in our minds. Is it a secret? We hope not, or we have had it wrong for all these years. But it seems like a hidden truth for many businesses. Or camouflaged. Certainly, Leo Burnett understands what is needed, though. Certainly something we should learn how to apply well. Take a good look at these examples of content marketing. They should definitely help your learning from examples of content marketing.

It is a simple concept. People don’t read ads, they read what interests them. So if you are going to generate content marketing campaign designs, you are going to have to create an interesting copy. And, oh, by the way, it must be more interesting than the millions of other advertisements out there. Now that is a daunting task, isn’t it?

Is your business using content marketing as a facet of your marketing strategy? It certainly is all the rage now, isn’t it? It seems marketers are falling all over themselves to increase budgets, increase volume, and in many cases, decrease value when you make content marketing killer mistakes.

Like any other business initiative, content marketing is a STRATEGY, not a tactic. And as such it should be planned and executed with well thought out processes and procedures.

Have you noticed that the world of marketing is changing? And rapidly. Traditional media vehicles are losing effectiveness as people communicate in new and different ways. Mass audiences are fragmenting into small segments. Developing a point of difference is harder than ever. These examples of content marketing demonstrate that many brands have certainly noticed.

Related: Secrets to Share on Lego’s Marketing Campaigns

In keeping with our objecting of showing great examples, we now turn our lens to several awesome content marketing examples. These are the ones that stand out to us.

Anthropologie’s DIY drink recipes

Anthropologie frequently features do it yourself cocktail recipes on their blog, like this one for a coconut cooler. The drink recipes work for two main reasons: they’re seasonal and timely (for example, summer refreshers or winter warmers) and they feature unique ingredients and flavors, mimicking the original style of Anthropologie’s fashions.

Like many examples of the best content marketing, these posts aren’t an obvious play for sales; Anthropologie doesn’t sell homemade bitters or simple syrup. Instead, the posts position Anthropologie as a trendy, knowledgeable friend who knows a thing or two about drinks—as well as clothes.

Wistia’s Learning Center Videos

It’s a simple concept, but Wistia executes to perfection: short, educational videos that teach viewers how to be better video marketers. Each short lesson is a microcosm of some concept within video marketing, including bulleted lists for easier retention of the subject matter.

I can think of very few brands that couldn’t create a video series like this for their products or services, with minimal resources invested. Check out this example video on concepting of fundamentals.

Birchbox’s Beauty Advice

Birchbox is a popular purveyor of monthly beauty boxes. The brand also runs an excellent content marketing program, with how-to videos of useful beauty tricks (for example, getting beach waves for short hair and how to look great post-flying).

They’re essentially running a full-scale beauty magazine without the mess of paper and addresses.

Callaway Golf’s YouTube Is a Hole in One

Callaway Golf scores on YouTube, with excellent content that isn’t overly salesy or promotional. Videos include how to hit a bump and run and vertical centers of gravity in golf drivers.

You don’t have to be a Callaway customer to benefit from this content, and next time you’re purchasing a golf club, you might just consider Callaway for their know-how and generosity.

Arcade Fire’s Fan-Sourced Gallery

One genius way to create content without much in-house effort: crowd-sourcing. Arcade Fire asked fans to submit their own photos of the band’s Reflektor tour, and in return, the fans’ photos could wind up on Arcade Fire’s Facebook page and website.

This was a win for both the band and fans, as the website benefited from new photography, and fans could earn a spotlight on their favorite band’s online properties.

Random House’s Literary Inspiration

I appreciate the way Random House takes readers into the digital era with their Pinterest account and corresponding content. Books have been around forever, but publishing companies are just getting started when it comes to e-books and online engagement. Take a look at a few of Random House’s Pinterest board titles:

• The Literary Imbiber
• What Would Jane Austen Do?
• Bookish Nooks
• Literary Tattoos
• Literary Wedding
• Best Book Covers

Random House doesn’t write all the articles or create all the images associated with these boards, but curating them for their fans in a one-stop book-lovers shop is a surefire win.

With such targeted and well-curated content, it’s no wonder they have nearly 1.5 million Pinterest followers.

Panera Bread Cozies Up to Pinterest

Pinterest is a great to build curated content because there’s so much readily available to re-pin and package into albums and stories that fit with your brand.

See what Panera Bread has done on Pinterest, curating both their own content (like this Break Bread album with several links to their blog) and content from outside sources (like this album with tips to take better care of yourself). It all fits in with Panera Bread’s cozy, familiar, healthy (but not at the expense of comfort) image.

Disney Shares Behind-the-Scenes Magic

The Disney Parks Blog features an entire category for behind the scenes posts. Disney fans love to see the making of the magic, so these blogs provide a welcomed glimpse into the beloved parks and cast members.

Many business leaders are uncertain about the future. What will great marketing look like in the years ahead? These brands’ content marketing efforts show the way. Their efforts work in many ways.

First, they break through the clutter. They tend to be visually arresting, surprising and beautiful. After engaging them once I wanted to read again.

There are no better means of influence or the power of persuasion than good copy. Hands down the best, in our opinion. And enhanced with a great dose of curiosity.

Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that the experiences are important to remember.

Second, it has solid branding; it is clear that these contents are solidly linked to the brands and the brand’s personality.

Third, they communicate a benefit. The entire content revolves around the brands’ commitment to people.  It is very clear that they have something special and remarkable that they want to share.

These campaigns have generated an astonishing amount of buzz and attention. They are engaging, well branded, and focused.

They touch deep emotions about loss and longing. And the content worked to build the brand; it made people feel proud of the brand and its values.

Stories and emotion are the future of great content marketing campaigns, aren’t they?

 So in summary, remember this:

It is not what content marketing does with the consumer; it is what the consumer does after digesting the content marketing. After looking over these campaigns, how much have you learned?

Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing strategies? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. 

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?

Do you have a lesson about making your content marketing campaigns better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

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