2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group SIGN-UP NOW - DON'T MISS AN UPDATE ▲ SIGN ME UP! Get it now THE BEST CONTENT MARKETING EXAMPLES By Michael Brenner Posted January 9, 2017 In Content Marketing 593 SHARES 465 Last year we published 99 Amazing Content Marketing Examples. There were actually 106 examples there but “99+” felt better. This year, the list has almost doubled. So I’m giving up on counting them. (You can count them below:-) But if you are you looking for the best content marketing examples you’ve come to the right place! https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 1/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group Maybe you are still skeptical that content marketing is right for your unique business/industry/size/audience. Maybe you still think content marketing is just a buzzword. Maybe you are trying to learn from others by emulating what works for them. And maybe your boss needs some convincing. Nothing gets executive buyin like some solid fear-based examples of the competition being ahead of your company on the latest and greatest digital marketing trends. (And if you are looking for some help showing Content Marketing ROI, click here for your free download.) THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONTENT AND CONTENT MARKETING IS A DESTINATION YOU OWN! Content marketing is not a piece of content. it is not marketing with content like brochures. It is not a native ad. It is not a “viral video.” Content marketing means acting like a publisher, consistently creating content that our customers actually like to read and share. Content marketing is how build an audience and attract subscribers who opt-in to allow you into their already over-crowded email inbox. This is very di erent from advertising. Advertising means occasionally interrupting the content your audience actually wants, in order to sell them a product or introduce your brand. Many of us opt-out of unwanted advertising. Advertising is not something we typically want to read and share. Advertising is how publishers monetize their tra c. https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 2/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group So look to great content marketing examples like L’Oreal’s Makeup.com, Adobe’s CMO.com and our favorite industrywide content marketing example like American Express OPEN Forum. That site is the largest source of leads for their small business card division. Imagine you are the content marketing director for your company and you led the creation and management of a program that drove more leads and sales than any other marketing activity. With results you can rack and measure in business terms. It starts with an understanding that marketing is not about selling, but about the conversation we have with our customers. It continues with investing in content marketing, because the di erence between just content and content marketing is the destination. HOW TO BECOME A GREAT CONTENT MARKETING EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS? Let me break it down: De ne your content marketing mission and put someone in charge Publish content your audiences want Publish on a regular basis Publish content from a combination of named authors Cover a unique variety of topics that you have the authority to be an expert in Consider whether your content marketing will be more or less branded and “on domain” (the same as your company url) or o domain (a website you have to buy). Optimize your e orts on building subscribers Measure Content Marketing ROI based on your ability to reach, engage and convert new audiences for as little investment as possible https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 3/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group The best content marketing examples also combine utility with design. Headspace and Innocent in particular have created beautiful aesthetics which do not compromise on the information delivered. It might seem like a lot of work to produce content hubs like these, but this is not necessarily the case. If you are a content marketer – if you are producing articles, videos, blog posts and other content on a regular basis – you are already most of the way there. And check this out for more on what makes these content marketing examples great. Now, take a look at the list, get inspired, and know that you can become one of the best content marketing examples. THE BEST CONTENT MARKETING EXAMPLES The entries on our list come from a range of di erent categories. We have major nancial institutions brushing up against mindfulness and well-being apps, and globetrotting airlines rubbing shoulders with search engine marketing blogs. The message that this gives is clear. No matter what eld you are in, no matter what sort of content your users are interested in, developing a content marketing program to tie it all together is the only way to go. Think about what your users want to see, then think about how they want to see it. How are you going to deliver it to them? Which way is going to be the most e ective? I’m not picking winners here. For the purposes of this list, everyone is a winner. Instead, arranged in alphabetical order, are the best content marketing examples I have found. Get inspired and join my list next year! https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 4/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group 1. Acorn’s Grow 2. Adidas Group’s Blog o ers “Personal insights into our business in sports.” 3. Adidas’ GamePlanA provides stories for “creators, tackling work life with an athlete’s heart” 4. Adobe 5. Air B’n’B: The revolutionary accommodation solution provider have been lighting the way when it comes to content. 6. Aloha 7. American Express OPEN Forum: “Insights, Inspirations and Connections To Grow Your Business” -1 of the earliest and most-cited example of content marketing 8. Anthropologie: As stylish as you’d expect from these guys 9. AstraZeneca 10. AT&T’s BusinessCircle 11. Autodesk 12. Bank of America BetterMoneyHabits 13. Barney’s 14. Bayer 15. Ben & Jerry’s: The ice cream giant has been a master of brand identity for years now, and their web content shows the same commitment. 16. Betterment’s Resource Center “Information to help you lead a smarter nancial life” 17. Birchbox Magazine and Men’s Guide 18. Blackboard Blog 19. Bloomberg Enterprise Blog 20. Blue Apron 21. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama has this amazing YouBar that customizes your content experience 22. Bobbi Brown’s Everything Bobbi 23. British Airways: Connecting cities around the world with their travel hub services; doing the same for web users with their content hub. 24. Bu erApp Blog 25. CA 26. Canva: An unusual entry on our list, Canva is a digital design app. However, its website hosts a content hub with the sort https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 5/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group of smart organization and stunning design we would all do well to emulate. 27. CapGemini’s Content Loop (one of the best examples of how to convert visitors to leads) 28. Casper’s Pillow Talk but they also created . . . 29. Casper’s VanWinkles: “Exploring sleep with our eyes wide open” (one of my favorite content marketing examples) 30. CDW 31. Chase.com/News – Great example of a company incorporating content marketing right into their homepage 32. Citi 33. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials is one of the best examples on this list 34. Colgate Oral Care Center 35. ConAgra’s Forkful.com 36. Coke’s Coca-Cola Journey “Refreshing the world. One story at a time.” 37. Ciena Insights 38. Cisco Connected Futures Magazine I love the look and design of this site 39. Cleveland Clinic 40. Deluxe Small Business Revolution 41. Denny’s 42. Departures from American Express for their Platinum card members, run by Time Inc. 43. Disney Blogs – the power of storytelling 44. Domo’s BusinessIntelligence.com shows the power of owning the category domain 45. Dollar Shave Club’s MEL 46. Electronic Art’s EA News Blog 47. Equinox: Equinox’s Furthermore balances subtle but sharp aesthetic touches with content variation across the whole lifestyle spectrum, showing others in this class how it is done. 48. Etsy 49. Farmer’s Insurance Inner Circle “The latest tips and insights on auto safety, home upkeep and planning for life’s special moments.” 50. Fidelity MyMoney “Get in better nancial shape today.” 51. First Republic https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 6/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group 52. First Round 53. Four Seasons 54. Fresh Direct: The branding here is exquisite; as fresh and clean as you’d hope for from these guys. But, beneath the surface is genuine insight. 55. GEICO 56. General Mills Tablespoon “Food that’s fun” – o ers a great visual exploration of recipes and food 57. GE Reports 58. GE Txchnologist 59. Google’s Think With Google 60. Glossier 61. GoPro 62. Grant Thornton 63. Harry’s 64. The Hartford SmallBizAhead 65. Headspace: The team behind the fantastically popular meditation and well-being app deliver great content and insight via their CM hub, all with the same trademark branding we have come to expect. 66. Home Depot DIY Blog 67. Honestly 68. HPE Matter 69. HPE Community Blog 70. HPE TechBeacon Great examples of a company building ondomain and o 71. Hubspot Blog “Your Daily Dose of Inbound” segmented by Marketing, Sales and Agency personas 72. Huckberry 73. IBM: The computing giants are showing that they are not going to get left behind in the content marketplace. 74. Innocent: Innocent by name, wily in the content game by nature. Innocent have been a runaway branding success story for several years. Their top notch content hub shows us how. 75. Invision 76. Intel IQ: Another computing giant, leveraging their vast stock of expertise and authority. Intel’s content hub is exactly as it should be; a fascinating resource of insight. https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 7/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group 77. Jack Daniel’s The Single Barrel Standard: Whiskey wisdom and Cocktail news? Sign me up! 78. J.Crew 79. Jet Blue 80. Johnson & Johnson 81. JP Morgan 82. Kimpton Hotels 83. Lego: With Lego, the emphasis has always been on fun, and this is very much evident within their content marketing strategies. 84. Lenovo’s ThinkProgress, with content by Intel 85. Lilly 86. Lincoln Now 87. LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions Blog 88. Rosetta Stone’s LinguaVore: “A blog about learning language.” 89. Lululemon 90. L’Oreal’s Makeup.com great example of a consumer brand “owning” the category 91. LVMH 92. MAC: No one is going to accuse MAC cosmetics of selecting style over substance. The market leader’s content hub provides a wide range of di erent articles and content formats to its visitors. 93. Marketo Blog 94. Marketo CMO Nation 95. Marks & Spencers 96. Marriott‘ Traveler: Love what these folks are doing across their portfolio 97. Marriott’s Meetings Imagined 98. Marriott’s Travel Brilliantly 99. Mayo Clinic’s Sharing o ers personal stories of real people overcoming disease 100. Memorial Sloan Kettering: The Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer treatment and research center website features a content hub with a tone appropriate to the gravity of its subject matter. Providing support and assistance to patients and family members, the New York non-pro t gets it right. 101. Method’s Soap Dish https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 8/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group 102. Michael Kors: The luxury fashion marque keeps it diverse with di erent pieces of content for every user. Dipping in to look at photos and losing yourself in more in-depth pieces is possible here, as all needs are catered for. 103. Microsoft’s Stories – another great example of a company bringing “Stories” to their homepage 104. Mint Life Blog 105. Momofuko 106. Morgan Stanley 107. Morning Star Farms 108. Moz: As SEO and web content specialists, you’d expect their content hub to be exemplary. Committed fans of the Moz team will know this to be true. 109. Nasty Gal’s Nasty Galaxy 110. National Association of Realtor’s House Logic 111. Net-A-Porter’s The Edit and Mr Porter 112. Nationwide 113. New Belgium Brewery Community Blog – because beer 114. One Medical Blog: “You have one life. Make it count.” 115. OpenView Venture Partners Blog “Insights for B2B software companies.” 116. OpenView Venture Partners’ Labs – another early example of content marketing for a small business 117. Oracle’s Modern Marketing Blog 118. P&G Everyday is another site that has been around almost from the beginning of modern content marketing 119. Patagonia: Durable outdoor wear needs a robust content strategy to go with it, and this is provided by the Patagonia team. 120. Petsmart’s Parent Resource Center 121. Prudential The Challenge Lab “Learn about the human behaviors that get in the way of planning your nancial future.” 122. P zer 123. Progressive: Insurers Progressive have taken a few steps away from the somewhat irreverent branding, instead focusing on a range of incisive content topics aimed at giving customers the information they need. 124. Random House: Publishers Random House are no stranger to the power of the written word, and their hub utilizes this https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 9/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group strength to the full with a diverse array of content. 125. Red Bull 126. Reebok: Reebok understands what is meant by a solid content strategy and have been providing great pieces of content to an avid base of users for years. This year, they showed no sign of letting up. 127. REI 128. Ricoh Work Intelligently 129. Rue La La 130. Samsung’s Insights 131. Samsung’s Tech Life 132. Salesforce Blog 133. Santander: As one of the biggest banks in the world, Santander has a great deal of authority. They use this authority with aplomb within their content hub. 134. SAP Digitalist Magazine: This was the site I started while at SAP and so proud to see how the team there has evolved it. 135. SAP Hybris‘ The Future of Commerce 136. SAS Blog 137. Sharethrough’s NativeAdvertising.com “All things Native” 138. Shutterstock Blog 139. Society of Grownups 140. Soul Cycle 141. Sprint’s Future of Business 142. Starbucks: The ethos of Starbucks has always been a creative, hip, collaborative one, and this is exempli ed with their 1912Pike blog. This is where the rm’s creative endeavors come together, spearheading the brand into 2017. 143. Sun Life 144. Sweet Green 145. Target’s “Bull’s Eye View” merged in 2015 with Target’s Corporate News site 146. Taco Bell: Taco Bell’s The Feed is a consistent great source of inspiration for a successful, playful content strategy. 147. TD Ameritrade Tickertape “Pearls and insights for investors.” 148. Tory Burch’s Tory Daily I like how this site humanizes the Tory brand 149. Tracksmith https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 10/13 2017­6­23 The Best Content Marketing Examples | Marketing Insider Group 150. Uber’s Newsroom 151. US Government White House Blog 152. United Airlines 153. Urban Out tters: The ‘style blog’ genre has gained huge popularity in recent years, and has helped to propel numerous small businesses to the big time. Urban Out tters is not one of them – their content game has been strong for some time – but they continue to serve as an inspiration. 154. USAA 155. Virgin America’s Flyer Feed 156. Visual Matters – Sponsored by SAP 157. Warby Parker 158. West Elm’s Front + Main 159. Wistia Video Library “Succeed With Video Marketing” 160. WestElm 161. WestJet Magazine 162. Whole Foods 163. Williams-Sonoma Taste: (still) a beautifully designed site 164. WorldVision Blog “Building a better world for children.” 165. Your Primer 166. Zillow Porchlight: “Always on. Guiding you home.” This site is so popular, they are selling ads 167. Zuora: Zuora’s great-looking Academy focuses on delivering genuine insight, support and development to the software producer’s customers. Do you have any more great examples of content marketing? Please add them here in the comments. Go ahead! It’s OK to promote your own program. Photo Source 593 SHARES 465 https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content­marketing/best­content­marketing­examples/ 11/13