Discover the basics of content marketing by learning from Red Bull, GoPro & others
2016 brings so many challenges for marketing departments and getting the content marketing basics right should be one of the top priorities. In-bound marketing channels like content marketing, provide brands with a great opportunity to speak to their target audience, provide valuable insights into their company philosophy and showcase the talent of those on the team.
In fact, every marketing department & marketing person should be totally aware of the content marketing basics needed to drive a brand forward and build authority.
Today I am going to run through some content marketing basics. My goal is to help shift your mindset to really embrace the idea of content as one
of your best lead generation tools.
The origins of Content Marketing
Content marketing has been around since 1895 when John Deere launched their magazine. The magazine was known as The Furrow.
In it, John and his team provided some of the best tips to help farmers become more profitable on the land.
The Furrow was not successful as a result of plastering ads about their tractors. Instead, their content marketing strategy was to be as helpful as possible. John Deere wanted to maximise their customers’ efficiency. They wanted to make sure their clients were successful. And if you were not a John Deere client, they wanted to show you what you were missing.
Wikipedia tells me this magazine now reaches 1.5 million readers in 40 countries. Pretty amazing right?
If John Deere talked about how good they are, the longevity of the magazine would have been very short-lived.
Content Marketing examples
So to get the content marketing basics right, let’s give a brief description of what it is through examples.
Red Bull’s content marketing efforts
Red Bull create some of the most viewed content online simply due to the fact their content is action packed, engaging, tells an incredibly inspiring story and leaves you wanting more.
Some of the most successful content marketing campaigns in the world are run by Red Bull. They truly do take it to the next level and have raised the bar extremely high for others to follow.
You may recall Felix Baumgartner’s freefall from the edge of space, some 128,000km above the Earth’s surface? Here it is for those who may have missed it.
Or what about this guy who managed to fly from Mt Everest to set the record for the world’s highest base jump. I mean truly, Red Bull have taken content marketing and the ability to get your attention to whole new levels.
GoPro and Content Marketing
On a similar vein to Red Bull is GoPro. GoPro have truly revolutionised the ability for action sports people and adrenaline junkies to get their message heard and all of it is done on a GoPro.
GoPro inspired YouTuber’s to create a suite of ‘People are Awesome’ videos that are truly remarkable. Check out the one below.
From the guys climbing huge skyscrapers with no harness, and yes my palms are sweating right now, to the surfer’s carving up some of the biggest waves on the planet, GoPro is winning the content marketing battle.
Don’t believe me that your palms will be sweaty watching the skyscraper climb? Then watch the video below.
What about Ted X talks, Hubspot, LinkedIn, Doritos, Nike and Rand Fishkin’s Whiteboard Friday? When it comes to content marketing basics, you might as well learn from the best.
Each of these companies embodies the true meaning of content marketing, which is to create and distribute engaging and thought provoking content in order to boost their authority and motivate people to take action with their products and services.
Top 20 Ted talks to truly inspire you and your team
Below is a playlist of the top 20 most-viewed Ted talks. They truly are inspiring with so many fantastic lessons. Another example of content marketing done correctly.
Focus your content marketing efforts on your target market
The best content marketers are solely focused on providing incredible content for their target audience. Your job is to find your customers’ missing link and provide educational, informative or entertaining content that helps them solve those missing links. By doing this you are well and truly on your way to winning the content marketing challenge.
What other inspiring companies do you know who are leading the way when it comes to content marketing basics and content marketing in general?
