When it comes to driving traffic and boosting conversions, content is key to your digital marketing strategy.
Content marketing gives you the opportunity for optimal keyword placement and provides tons of information that search engines can scan to help you earn higher rankings.
All of this leads to higher visibility, brand awareness, and more traffic to your site.
About 60% of marketers value content as very or extremely important to their business success.
But only 27% of them feel their efforts are very or extremely successful.
That’s because content marketing isn’t easy.
It takes time, research, and focus to create meaningful material that resonates with an audience.
The good news is that content marketing is a huge category, so there are lots of ways to deliver the kind of quality content it takes to drive sales.
Here are 11 outstanding content marketing examples from individuals and organizations who have mastered the art of content marketing.
Follow their example to learn how to develop your own inspirational content that generates leads and earns sales.
Blogs With Impactful Content Marketing Strategies
1. GaryVaynerchuk.com
Gary Vaynerchuk climbed to internet stardom as the zany host of video blog Wine Library TV.
Now, he’s a two-time best-selling author and the co-founder of Vayner Media, a digital marketing agency that caters to some of the world’s biggest brands.
On his website, Vaynerchuk releases an authoritative blog article once every three to four days.
His posts lead with splashy cover images that draw the eye, and the compelling information covers everything from how-to guides to educational introductions for new services and products.
While many of his articles now relate to his marketing business, he still posts articles for his wine lovers.
As a result, he’s got a great mix of content to meet the various needs of his diverse audience.
His videos, podcasts, and useful articles (chock full of backlinks and helpful takeaways) attract prospects, engage readers, and entice them to convert to customers.
2. The Home Depot Blog
The Home Depot blog is a brilliant example of content marketing, and here’s why.
First, everyday people who enjoy and have experience with home improvement projects contribute as guest writers and post-project tips and ideas on the blog.
Not only are they relatable, but they also create content based on first-hand experience, so readers trust them.
In addition to providing useful content, the Home Depot blog posts are full of links to products in their stores that help readers complete the projects covered in the blog.
So they’re not just building a following with their content.
They’re crushing SEO with keywords, links, and a convenient user experience.
By leading readers directly to useful items on their company website, they drive sales and conversions on a daily basis.
3. Hertz Travel Blog
While most people know Hertz as a leading car rental company, the Hertz Travel Blog is an added value for their audience.
From experienced international travelers to the occasional leisure traveler, members of the Hertz blog target audience can find highly useful information to help plan their trips.
While some posts do mention car rental services, the bulk of their content ranges from insider tips for making the most of hotel stays to can’t-miss sight-seeing excursions for the traveler on a time crunch.
Articles and videos dive into immersive storytelling that engage their audience and appeal to their sense of adventure and preparedness.
Hertz makes sure their articles are highly sharable, always featuring large social media link buttons at the top of each post.
This makes it easy for readers to pass the information along to their own contacts, broadening the company’s reach and increasing brand awareness.
4. Cracker Barrel Blog
Cracker Barrel is known for its down-home cooking and old-fashioned mercantile complete with clothes, memorabilia, and retro treats.
Their audience is interested in anything from their food to their holiday décor, so it takes some clever messaging to appeal to their followers.
The Cracker Barrel blog is a simple layout that highlights a variety of articles to reach the needs of everyone they touch.
Their recipe articles feature links to branded food items people can purchase from the store.
Holiday decorating tips include products they sell and direct customers where to buy them.
Not only is their information helpful and useful, but it’s also great for SEO and search engine rankings.
Cracker Barrel’s blog presents lots of opportunities for visitors to convert and generate revenue for the company.
Social Media Content That Converts
5. American Red Cross #DoingMyPart
The American Red Cross developed a tool kit complete with messaging suggestions and image options for their #DoingMyPart social media campaign.
It encouraged people to post photos of themselves on their social media accounts doing things to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus while tagging their posts with the campaign hashtag.
While the organization thought people might post images of themselves washing their hands, wearing face masks, or donating blood, the campaign took on a life of its own.
People on Twitter began posting more creative ways they were helping in the fight against the virus, flooding the network with photos of themselves manning COVID-19 call centers and receiving vaccine injections.
By encouraging their followers to personalize corporate messaging and create user-generated content focused around a timely topic, the Red Cross boosted engagement, awareness, and conversions.
6. Starbucks SipSmileSpring
To promote their new spring line of drinks, Starbucks created an interactive game on their Instagram account called SipSmileSpring.
In the game, users control gameplay by simply smiling at the right time.
Not only is it a fun way for Starbucks to engage its audience but they encourage people to share the post, tag Starbucks and earn the opportunity for their video to be featured on the brand’s page, as well.
This builds brand awareness and engagement in a highly creative way.
Because of the idea’s novelty, the campaign earned over 79,000 views in the first two hours of going live.
7. Levi’s 7 Days 7 Ways
The renowned jeans brand used their Instagram page to create a social challenge called 7 Days 7 Ways.
Promoting sustainability and asking people to reject fast fashion, Levi’s asked people to style their favorite Levi’s jeans with a different look each day for a week.
They felt this would entice people to wear their jeans more frequently between washes and increase the lifespan of the product while helping the environment.
Followers posted pictures of their styles and tagged the company, raising brand awareness and creating a sense of community as they inspired others with fashion recommendations and social awareness.
Visual Content That Motivates Consumers to Buy
8. Pizza Hut
Focusing heavily on imagery in their marketing campaigns, Pizza Hut’s emails and social media posts are filled with tantalizing product photos.
Steaming hot pizza, cheesy toppings, and crispy crusts all appeal to the senses of its audience.
The photos create buzz on social media and earn them sales through mobile ads and email campaigns.
They do a great job of telling a story through the photos they post while generating interest and showing how their product is superior to their competitors’.
9. Kendra Scott
As a leader in women’s jewelry, home décor, beauty, and gifts, the Kendra Scott brand knows the importance of visual impact.
The company features beautiful product shots in its marketing campaigns that grab viewers’ attention and identify features that make the products unique.
Kendra Scott also uses photos to recommend product use, showing consumers how to wear their items to meet the latest trends and create unique looks to show off users’ individuality.
The pictures don’t even need words to convey their message, which is a sign of an effective visual content marketing campaign.
Effective Video Content Marketing Examples
10. Tasty
One frustration consumers have is when words fail to adequately describe a product or process.
Tasty is a network for food lovers where people can find recipes and learn cooking tips and tricks.
Their marketing focuses heavily on the use of well-executed videos of someone actually making a recipe.
Their upbeat, aerial-view videos offer a step-by-step demonstration of combining ingredients and cooking the food, eliminating any question about misinterpreting the recipe instructions.
The videos are extremely popular and offer a forum for people to leave comments and share feedback about the recipe, its ingredients, and the video itself.
More than a simple instructional video, Tasty’s marketing campaign educates and connects a community of like-minded people, making it an invaluable resource that people are happy to share with their own contacts.
11. Sunny Paige
Although they’re a small-town boutique, Sunny Paige uses Facebook live videos in a big way.
Each week, the business hosts a live session from their store to present their current featured items.
Staff members take viewers through the store and model clothing and accessories while explaining the key traits of each item.
Everything is conducted in a very laid-back, conversational way, as though they’re talking to their personal friends.
This builds trust among their prospects and generates interest in their products and their shop.
By including these live videos in their marketing strategy, Sunny Paige is able to address questions about fit, material, and price that build confidence among their viewers and encourage them to commit to a purchase.
Content Marketing Is a Must for Any Marketing Strategy
Whether you use blogs, social media, or videos, content marketing is a must for any digital marketing strategy.
It allows you to connect your audience to your products, positions you as an authority in your field, and helps to boost SEO efforts for better SERPs.
Think outside the box for fun, creative ways to set yourself apart from your competition while serving as a resource for your audience.
More Resources:
- Content Experiences Are the New Content Marketing
- 10 Content Marketing Skills You Need to Master (Plus Tips on How to Master Them)
- Content Marketing: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Image Credits
All screenshots taken by author, March 2021
SEJ: Premium Era
