When you hear the countless arguments in favor of content marketing, you might wonder what the fuss is all about. Sure, plenty of statistics support making quality content the focus of your digital marketing content. But without examples to concretize this abstract concept, it’s difficult to implement.
Fortunately, plenty of marketing thought leaders around the web have embraced content marketing as well, and are publishing blog posts that serve as ideal case studies for what makes the concept so successful. Here are 5 Brilliant Marketing Examples from Today’s Dominating Influencers, and what we can learn from them.
1) Rand Fishkin – What Do Attendees Want from Marketing Conferences?
Affectionately known in the industry as the Wizard of Moz, the founder of the world-famous SEO agency has long been a thought leader in all things digital marketing. That skill shines through in this blog post, in which he analyzes the results of a personal survey he ran on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Why the content works: In the post, Fishkin combines multiple forms of content marketing. A personal analysis of crowdsourced content is an ideal way to make the audience feel engaged while showcasing your own brand of thought leadership. In addition, his blog post is personally relevant given the fact that Fishkin is perhaps best known for his own presentations at major marketing conferences.
2) Neil Patel – The Beginner’s Guide to Generating Sales Through Social Media
A top ten marketer according to Forbes Magazine, Neil Patel uses his personal website to share valuable thoughts for marketers and gain consulting clients. The founder of marketing resources like KISSMetrics and Crazy Egg, all of his blog posts tend to be worthy read for aspiring and adept marketers, but this one is particularly valuable.
Why the content works: It tackles one of the most confounding marketing issues in the digital age. Everybody loves social media, but reliable monetizing the network seems to be almost impossible. This in-depth guide helps even novice marketers get tangible results from the platform, using plenty of fun visuals and informative examples in the process.
3) Mari Smith – Facebook Live: Top Tips and Predictions
When Facebook itself partners with you as its leading marketing expert on the platform, you know you’ve become a credible and well-known authority. Mari Smith, an independent consultant who has helped companies big and small succeed on the world’s largest social media network.
Why the content works: You won’t find a more comprehensive, accurate, and to-the-point explanation of live streaming on Facebook. Smith grabs one of the biggest buzz topics in the industry, and delivers a thorough explanation of its benefits, ROI, and tips to success. She even looks forward, delivering a set of predictions of where social media live streaming may go in the future. It’s a perfect example of taking a hot topic in your industry, and delivering a definite guide for your audience.
4) Michael Brenner – Personalization is The Future Of Content Marketing
The Founder and CEO of Marketing Insider Group, Michael Brenner knows about the important of content marketing. In fact, it’s how the agency has raised its profile in prestigious publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Guardian. In this blog post, he looks into personalization as a budding content marketing necessity.
Why the content works: Brenner’s content stands out because of its actionable nature. He doesn’t just state that marketers need to personalize in order to succeed, but offers a number of tips on how they can get there. He neatly ties in his own agency’s services as a way for businesses to improve their efforts, leading naturally from informative and educational content into a promotional CTA.
5) Shama Hyder – How to Increase Your Company’s Blog Traffic by 2587%
The “Zen Master of Marketing” (Entrepreneur Magazine) is the founder of Marketing Zen, an agency specifically designed for the digital age. Its website playfully tosses around colloquial terms that appeal to the digital generation, matching perfectly with Hyder’s sense of modern culture and its integration with digital marketing efforts.
Why the content works: look no further than the headline. Every business even a bit interested in content marketing wants those results. At the same time, it’s specific enough to not be a clearly false claim, and pique interest instead. As it turns out, the post curates a variety of other high-credibility blogging guides, and adds up their value propositions into one big guide. By the end, the reader gets a perfect idea of how to maximize your blogging efforts.
Learning From the Experts
All of the above examples have two things in common: they provide easy-to-read guides to relevant topics in content marketing, and they are free to read for anyone interested in the topic. The second part is especially worthy of note.
Each of the examples goes into enough detail to hide behind a paywall, or at least behind a sign up form. That each thought leader decided to publish it for free instead shows just how confident they are in their services, and how important showing credibility through high-quality content truly is.
You won’t get there by tomorrow. But over time, you can develop a content marketing strategy that positions you as a thought leader in your industry, just as the above have become go-to resources for marketers around the globe. Learning from experts like the above is a great start to get you there.
