What are the content marketing ideas that can make a difference for your business? It depends, everything is connected to the basic strategy. That is to say the combination of targets and objectives that you want to achieve with a certain budget.
The topics of the post
- Create a corporate blog as Evernote does
- Use the images to show how Canva
- IBM case: solve the problems of a niche
- Microsoft: Leverage video and visual quotas
- Diversify video marketing like Volvo
- Thermomix and good cross-content marketing
- Combine infographics and digital PR for SEO
- Content marketing and podcasts with NASA
- The best content marketing ideas
Create a corporate blog as Evernote does
I want to start with an example of good content management. The corporate blog is the most obvious step when it comes to content marketing. But obviously, it’s not the only one. But it is the simplest and most immediate because it allows you to publish articles for the blog in order to intercept potential customers.
This is inbound marketing logic. And if there is a corporate blog that manages to create a virtuous experience this is the Evernote project. The line is simple: publish useful content to those who may need this reality. But there are not only technical articles, Evernote does not only talk about its own tool and useful tips to use it at its best: there are articles that inspire reader personas through productivity.
Use the images to show how Canva
The visual has an extra card to play to clarify all the steps required to do or activate something. But when you have a business like Canva to develop, you can’t leave it all to social screenshots. That’s why they thought of creating an account on dribbble.com, a community dedicated to creatives.
Here they have published a series of works done by their team. In this way, you use content to intercept not only the basic audience (for that, Facebook or Instagram is enough) but also professional design professionals.
IBM case: solve the problems of a niche
An interesting solution was put in place by IBM. In addition to the classic social channels, this giant has created a subdomain with a section of the portal dedicated to the community of programmers. You can find all of this at developer.ibm.com.
What is the interesting aspect? The third level domain is full of articles, code, resources for those in need of support Node.js, Java, Blockchain, and other topics. They also created a Github account to share source code.
Why is it among the best content marketing ideas?
Simple, identify a problem and solve it with a dedicated section of the site. Not with a corporate blog but with a real resource. Complete. Definitive.
Will this make IBM sell more? I don’t know, but it sure is a great job of brand awareness for a given community that is difficult to reach otherwise.
Microsoft: Leverage video and visual quotas
One of the most interesting content marketing cases: The browser you loved to hate, the campaign dedicated to Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer. To ease the tension linked to the use of this browser, hated by web professionals, Microsoft activates irony through Tumblr micro-blogging and YouTube videos.
Diversify video marketing like Volvo
A great example of video content marketing comes from this company that has a great vision: to create captivating, useful, and well-made visual content for three types of customers. There are three different targets within the sales funnel.
The first is the basic users, those who are not yet aware of the value of Volvo. And they let themselves be moved by emotion. KissAnime is talking about the top of the funnel, the beginning of the customer journey, and the first contact with the company.
n this case, the video that works is that of Van Damme‘s epic split, an example of successful viral marketing. No obvious technical information, just a great show that already highlights the qualities of these products.
Ideas for content marketing: from top to bottom of the funnel
However, Volvo is not limited to this and proceeds towards diversification of video content by producing products designed for a more specific target.
We move from the emotional message to the educational documentary, up to evaluating the publication of the middle of funnel content: the video dedicated to the product.
Those videos are well done but above all, they help those who need concrete information about the product. It is content designed for those who already have an idea of what is needed and must be convinced, led to the next step of the funnel.
That is to say what precedes conversion. By now the potential customer has become interested in the brand, is aware of the brand, and is inquiring.
Volvo proceeds fearlessly towards publishing content: case studies and FAQs represent the final point for a video funnel based on ideas for virtuous content marketing. The visual becomes a tool to excite and inform in different contexts, with an audience that increases awareness and need.
Thermomix and good cross-content marketing
How to do content marketing? I would take an example from the company that produces the Thermomix food processor. The reason is simple and you can find it by going to the official website: here a lot of online content to cook anything. But not only.
Is the target audience of this tool focused on the web? Not really, that’s why you can get the paper recipe book and magazine to flip through. Online and offline meet in a content strategy capable of going beyond the internet.
What idea can you take home? Don’t ignore the possibility of creating a magazine or investing in an offline platform to reach your target. In many cases, going out of the web to focus on print media can be a good idea.
Combine infographics and digital PR for SEO
Among the best content marketing ideas: create a good infographic and then use it to get backlinks. Namely hyperlinks from other blogs and themed websites. How to do it? The work of SEO and digital PR becomes decisive because it works.
How? Create the infographic, identify a list of blogs that might be interested in your work, and then contact them privately with an email. Suggest the presence of an infographic that could be used on the blog. Does it work?
Perfect, in any case, I recommend going to Google Image to do a reverse search after a few months. Searching for an image on Google you can check the possible insertion of the content in pages that have not placed the link.
Content marketing and podcasts with NASA
Does NASA need to advertise and activate a strategic content marketing editorial plan? Of course, maybe not to sell online but to make brand awareness and to create a different awareness around this name.
That’s why creating a podcast with interviews, extra content, and noises recorded in space can be a winning content marketing idea. At least to do effective brand-building work based on podcasts and other audio content.
Do you have to invest in this line too? It is not a fixed rule, you cannot necessarily be tied to this reality. But do you know how to make a podcast? It is not easy and it is not always necessary: consider the possibility of investing very carefully.
The best content marketing ideas
As you can imagine, having the best content marketing tools on your side is not enough to have good results. You need ideas that don’t always come out of nowhere: here you will find examples and ideas to activate an effective content marketing campaign. Do you agree? Do you have case studies and examples of content marketing?