Hubspot’s 2020 Not Another State of Marketing Report found that 70% of marketers are investing in content. For many, content marketing is purely seen as writing blogs on a website. When in reality, it’s so much more than that; content comes in many different formats. Videos, podcasts, social media posts and newsletters—content is often what we first experience when checking out a new brand. It's also what helps pull in organic leads, improve brand awareness, increase customer engagement and so on.
We’ve packed this blog full of the best content marketing examples and tips to help inspire your next campaign into 2023 and beyond. If you’re looking to learn more about the different types of content marketing and how you can use them to drive website traffic, (and ultimately sales), then read on! In this article we’ll walk through:
We’ve talked a lot about the types of content marketing, but what better way to really understand what makes it great than with real life examples.
What makes a good content marketign campaign? It boils down to quality and relevance — your content needs to reflect your audience's interests, questions, concerns, and so on. But most importantly, it also needs to be able to reach your intended audience!
Here are, in our opinion, some of the best content marketing examples for 2020.
Netflix, the streaming service, knows exactly how to engage an audience.
Most people are generally avoiding something in their day, beit doing the dishes, folding the laundry, you name it. One simple question garnered so much attention and engagement from the Twitter world, while giving Netflix the opportunity to talk to their customers and give them a reason to go back into their app and stream something.
What we like:
With 3.9 million followers on Instagram, Doug the Pug has taken social media by storm. Doug’s owners and the people behind the Instagram account continue to find new and fun ways to engage with their audience.
What we like:
For many content marketers, the Animalz blog is a place we find ourselves frequently. One post in particular that’s resonated well with us lately is their article: This Is What Content Marketing Looks Like in a Crisis.
What we like:
We recommend subscribing to the Animalz content marketing newsletter to gain some valuable content insights.
Another great example of written content is Soapbox’s State of One-on-ones landing page because it’s a cool and interactive experience for people looking to get the main takeaways from a report. Remember: Data doesn’t have to be boring!
What we like:
To reduce chaos and increase ROI from your content, get our guide on Content Operations where we break down the people, processes, and tools you need to prove the value of content to leadership.
The design component of any content piece is crucial because it’s able to communicate your message in an entirely different way. As experts in design, we hold ourselves to a high standard here at Superside when it comes to how our content looks. So, if you’re looking for a great eBook example, check out our eBook, The Future of Design Operations, for inspiration.
What we like:
There are so many amazing high-production value video content pieces out there. However, as we mentioned earlier, you don’t need to invest a crazy amount of money to make video content succeed. You Suck at Cooking might be one of my personal favorite YouTube channels to date. It’s hilarious, while teaching you how to cook easy recipes at home (without breaking the bank to create the videos).
What we like:
If you’re wondering what makes a good content marketing campaign, the better question is who. The answer to that is Warby Parker.
At their peak, they were one of the most exciting ecommerce stores to come along and a big part of that is their awesome email marketing campaigns. When you think about it, email is such an important channel for a business like theirs to engage their audience. That’s because the majority of their sales and the buying habits of their consumers have shifted to the digital world. Email offers a great transactional experience while strengthening the Warby Parker brand.
What we like:
As a B2B marketer, my favorite podcast (for professional reasons) is The B2B Marketing Podcast. They do a great job with the content they create, which usually gives the audience one or two actionable takeaways after each episode. They’re also jam-packed with B2B content marketing examples. The only thing we would change about this podcast is that we would love to see the faces of all of the experts they interview as the preview image of each episode.
What we like:
If you’re asking yourself: Is content marketing effective? The answer is yes. However, you’ll need to pick the right types of content that fit your audience best. You'll also want to leverage the power of great marketing design to make your content stand out.
And, what is included in content marketing? Well, a lot of things. But we're here to help.
As you read through the types of content marketing below, always keep your audience in mind, because ultimately they’re going to help influence what content you produce (and how you share it).
From TikTok to Reddit, social media content is created and shared across all types of social media platforms. By leveraging things like Instagram polls, LinkedIn live, or Pinterest marketing, you can drive more leads, increase brand awareness and so much more. Whether you’re promoting content like blogs, or creating unqiue visuals specifically for social media, there’s a lot you can do to engage your audience.
Before you dive into the platforms you want to use and the type of content you’ll share, you need to determine what your goal is. If you’re not sure, here are a few to consider:
With all social platforms offering some form of data tracking, and using a tool like Google Analytics, you’ll be able to monitor and report on your performance.
When you’re looking to create social media content, here are a few types to consider:
We suggest trying out many types of content on social media in order to find out what works best for your audience. It could be an even mix of content, or maybe skewed more towards video and polls. There’s no right or wrong mix, just let the data help guide your strategy.
Although every platform is different, there are a few golden rules that you should follow when creating content for social media:
Blogging and other forms of written content are an effective way to drive leads through your funnel. Without getting too technical, Hubspot has a great and simple buyer’s journey document that can help you map out a journey phase for each piece of content you create.
For many content marketers, the main goal of the content they produce is to drive leads through the funnel, ultimately resulting in revenue for the company. When it comes to content, here are some common goals:
There is a long, long list of content that you can create that would fall under this bucket, including:
If you’re just starting out, try creating at least one of all of these. Over time, you’ll have a better understanding of the blog and written content that resonates best with your audience (and double down on those).
A Cisco study found that online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022 — 15x higher than it was in 2017. Whether this content is shared on social, embedded into a blog, or both, video is a great medium to engage an audience.
Just like written content, the goal really hinges on what you’re hoping to accomplish on a video-by-video basis. When it comes to video content, some goals can include:
The list is truly endless, but here are a few ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:
This is less of a best practice and more of a consideration. Although video can be more expensive, it doesn’t have to be. When you’re creating video content you don’t need a full production with all of the bells and whistles to be truly successful. The content within that video is what matters most.
Here’s what you WILL need:
Roughly 281 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2018. That number is expected to increase to over 347 billion daily mails in 2022. There is a lot of value in email marketing because people have already opted into receiving communications from you; they want to hear from you. So, how do you make the most out of email marketing?
What are you hoping to achieve with each campaign?
If you haven’t noticed a theme yet, the type of content you create will depend on the goal you’ve determined for each campaign that you run. To name a few email marketing content ideas:
Some general guidelines that we personally like to follow include:
The podcast world is so diverse. On one end, you’ve got the New York Times’ podcast: The Daily. On the other, you’ve got The Bachelor Happy Hour. People love podcasts. Many people listen to them while running, working and most commonly, while commuting.
If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, here are a few common goals people may have:
The type of podcast that a boutique beauty brand creates will differ from that of a large enterprise B2B company. Here are some ideas to help you start planning your own podcast:
TIP: With any single type of content, you can often repurpose it into something new. For podcasts, maybe that's a blog, or quote images to share on social media. Repurpose your content to maximize your efforts!
Each session features speakers from companies like Amazon, PUMA and Twitch Prime, tackling the intersection of marketing and design. Live Q&A, highly interactive with actionable tips!
If you’re just dipping your toes into content, it might feel like there’s a lot to learn (because there is). If you're just starting out in content, focus on simply trying a lot of things and seeing what sticks. You’ll continue to build on your content marketing knowledge as time goes on.
If you’re wondering, what are the best ways to do content marketing, here’s a basic list of things to help get you started:
While these are our must-haves for content marketing, this isn’t a definitive list of content types — there's just way too many to list! When it comes to content, it all boils down to your audience. They will ultimately determine what channels you market in and what types of content you create.
We hope you found these content marketing campaign examples and tips helpful! If you've got any questions or are looking for additional help, shoot us a message at social@superside.com.
Looking for someone to design your content for you? We've got you covered. Learn more about how our ad creative services can help you.
Cassandra King is Superside's Head of Content & Community. She’s a road trip aficionado, advocate for all things glitter, and can usually be found with a camera (or snacks) in hand. Find her on IG @casssandra.king.
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