14 Content Marketing Examples to Inspire Your Strategy

For many, content marketing is purely seen as writing blogs on a website. When in reality, it’s so much more than that; content comes in many different formats. Videos, podcasts, social media posts and newsletters—content is often what we first experience when checking out a new brand. It's also what helps pull in organic leads, improve brand awareness, increase customer engagement and so on.

We’ve packed this blog full of the best content marketing examples and tips to help inspire your next campaign into 2023 and beyond. If you’re looking to learn more about the different types of content marketing and how you can use them to drive website traffic, (and ultimately sales), then read on! In this article we’ll walk through:

14 Content Marketing Examples

We’ve talked a lot about the types of content marketing, but what better way to really understand what makes it great than with real life examples.

What makes a good content marketing campaign? It boils down to quality and relevance — your content needs to reflect your audience's interests, questions, concerns, and so on. But most importantly, it also needs to be able to reach your intended audience!

Here are, in our opinion, some of the best content marketing examples.

Social media

1. Netflix Canada engages the Twitter World

Netflix, the streaming service, knows exactly how to engage an audience.

Most people are generally avoiding something in their day, albeit doing the dishes, folding the laundry, you name it. One simple statement about Millenials garnered so much attention and engagement from the Twitter world, while giving Netflix the opportunity to talk to their customers and give them a reason to go back into their app and stream something ('Beef'!).

What we like

• It’s engaging and conversational
• Whether you’re a Netflix user or not, this is a fun thread to follow along
• They’re able to promote their app without being overly promotional
• Netflix is engaging back with people, which is what every business should be doing on social media

2. Doug the Pug Dominates Instagram

With 3.9 million followers on Instagram, Doug the Pug has taken social media by storm. Doug’s owners and the people behind the Instagram account continue to find new and fun ways to engage with their audience.

What we like: Using images with animals is a sure way to make people pause their scrolling frenzyTheir caption comes from a popular trend off of the social media platform TikTok (original video here), which is a great way to engage users who are one both platformsThey’re posting for the sake of engaging with their audience, using social media as a vessel to build a community rather than JUST “sell, sell, sell”He’s a dog and we love dogs

3. Wendy's Twitter Roasts

Wendy's, a fast-food chain, gained attention for its witty and humorous tweets, often engaging in friendly banter and roasting competitors. Their Twitter account has become a prime example of successful social media content marketing. Wendy's leverages humor and timely responses to interact with their audience, creating a distinct and engaging brand voice that resonates with their followers.

4. Oreo's Daily Twist Campaign

Oreo, the cookie brand, launched the Daily Twist campaign on social media to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Each day for 100 days, Oreo posted an image of an Oreo cookie creatively integrated with a trending event, holiday, or news story. This content marketing campaign was highly shareable and helped Oreo stay relevant and engage with its audience on social media.

Blog and written content marketing examples

5. Animalz leads with value, every time

For many content marketers, the Animalz blog is a place we find ourselves frequently. One post in particular that’s resonated well with us lately is their article: This Is What Content Marketing Looks Like in a Crisis.

What we like:

• It leads with value
• There is no fluff in the article
• The blog includes multiple different types of content within the piece including copy, images, video and more

We recommend subscribing to the Animalz content marketing newsletter to gain some valuable content insights.

6. Soapbox makes report reading fun

Another great example of written content is Soapbox’s State of One-on-ones landing page because it’s a cool and interactive experience for people looking to get the main takeaways from a report. Remember: Data doesn’t have to be boring!

What we like:

• The movement makes it more intriguing for the reader as they scroll through the page
• There’s a Twitter icon, making it simple for the audience to share the report on social media
• The design is clean, making it easy for viewers to read through the copy on the page

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7. Salesforce Blog

Salesforce, a leading B2B software company, maintains an informative and engaging blog that provides valuable content for its target audience. The blog covers a wide range of topics related to customer relationship management (CRM), sales, marketing, and technology. With in-depth articles, case studies, and expert insights, Salesforce Blog is an excellent example of B2B content marketing that educates and engages its audience.

Psst: Also check out the Superside Blog for more valuable content!

Video content examples

8. You Suck At Cooking tutorials

There are so many amazing high-production value video content pieces out there. However, as we mentioned earlier, you don’t need to invest a crazy amount of money to make video content succeed. You Suck at Cooking might be one of my personal favorite YouTube channels to date. It’s hilarious, while teaching you how to cook easy recipes at home (without breaking the bank to create the videos).

What we like

• Entertaining through and through while giving the audience something new to take away and try at home
• Follows the same tone, brand and theme across every video
• Relays information in a simple yet memorable manor

9. GoPro's YouTube Channel

GoPro, a leading action camera brand, has built an impressive video content marketing strategy on YouTube. Their channel features user-generated content showcasing thrilling experiences captured with their cameras. By curating and sharing these incredible videos, GoPro taps into the adventure-seeking audience and effectively demonstrates the capabilities of their product.

10. Nike's "One-Minute Talent Show"

Nike's "One-Minute Talent Show" featuring several famous athletes is a fun and is a powerful video content marketing example. The video highlights famous athletes and gives them one minute to show any other - doesn't matter how odd- skills they have next to their athletic ability. By aligning their brand with a fun message and a renowned athletes, Nike successfully sparked conversations and created a lasting impact.

Email marketing content examples

11. Warby Parker rules email marketing

If you’re wondering what makes a good content marketing campaign, the better question is who. The answer to that is Warby Parker.

Source: Reallygoodemails

At their peak, they were one of the most exciting ecommerce stores to come along and a big part of that is their awesome email marketing campaigns. When you think about it, email is such an important channel for a business like theirs to engage their audience. That’s because the majority of their sales and the buying habits of their consumers have shifted to the digital world. Email offers a great transactional experience while strengthening the Warby Parker brand.

What we like:

• Dogs, of course
• The CTAs are clear and easy to see
• The design of this email is spot on, making it easy for the viewer to easily skim through the email while understanding the main message of the email
• It's personable and stays true to their brand voice

12. Airbnb's Travel Guides

Airbnb uses email content marketing to provide personalized travel guides to its users. Based on the user's previous search and booking history, Airbnb sends targeted emails with destination-specific recommendations, local insights, and unique experiences. This personalized approach enhances the user experience and encourages repeat bookings.

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B2B Content Marketing Examples

13. The B2B Marketing Podcast slays content

As a B2B marketer, my favorite podcast (for professional reasons) is The B2B Marketing Podcast. They do a great job with the content they create, which usually gives the audience one or two actionable takeaways after each episode. They’re also jam-packed with B2B content marketing examples. The only thing we would change about this podcast is that we would love to see the faces of all of the experts they interview as the preview image of each episode.

What we like:

• They lean on industry experts to share best practices within a certain domain of marketing: content, sales enablement, design, you name it!
• There’s always at least one actionable piece of information for listeners to try out themselves
• The topics that they cover are very diverse, allowing them to branch out their audience to all types of marketers alike

14. HubSpot's Marketing Resources

HubSpot, a leading marketing automation platform, offers a comprehensive set of marketing resources on their website. These resources include blog articles, e-books, templates, webinars, and courses, all aimed at educating and empowering marketers. HubSpot's content marketing strategy positions them as a thought leader in the industry and provides valuable insights to their target audience.

The 5 Main Types of Content Marketing

If you’re asking yourself: Is content marketing effective? The answer is yes. However, you’ll need to pick the right types of content that fit your audience best. You'll also want to leverage the power of great marketing design to make your content stand out.

And, what is included in content marketing? Well, a lot of things. But we're here to help.

As you read through the types of content marketing below, always keep your audience in mind, because ultimately they’re going to help influence what content you produce (and how you share it).

Social Media Content

From TikTok to Reddit, social media content is created and shared across all types of social media platforms. By leveraging things like Instagram polls, LinkedIn live, or Pinterest marketing, you can drive more leads, increase brand awareness and so much more. Whether you’re promoting content like blogs, or creating unique visuals specifically for social media, there’s a lot you can do to engage your audience.

What’s the goal?

Before you dive into the platforms you want to use and the type of content you’ll share, you need to determine what your goal is. If you’re not sure, here are a few to consider:

• Audience engagement
• Drive users to your website
• Have people click through your product or service offering
• Brand awareness

With all social platforms offering some form of data tracking, and using a tool like Google Analytics, you’ll be able to monitor and report on your performance.

What type of content should I share on social?

When you’re looking to create social media content, here are a few types to consider:

• Photos
• Videos
• Illustrations
• Gifs
• Written posts
• Stories
• Polls
• Or even reposts of other people's content

We suggest trying out many types of content on social media in order to find out what works best for your audience. It could be an even mix of content, or maybe skewed more towards video and polls. There’s no right or wrong mix, just let the data help guide your strategy.

What are some best practices for social media content?

Although every platform is different, there are a few golden rules that you should follow when creating content for social media:

• Aim to capture people’s attention within 3 seconds or less. Visual content is great for this! (For example, Facebook, posts with images earn 2.3x more engagement than text-only posts)
• Create everything with your target audience in mind
• Always, always, always engage. These are social media platforms, so be social. Brands who do this best succeed at social marketing.

Blog and written content

Blogging and other forms of written content are an effective way to drive leads through your funnel. Without getting too technical, Hubspot has a great and simple buyer’s journey document that can help you map out a journey phase for each piece of content you create.

What’s the goal?

For many content marketers, the main goal of the content they produce is to drive leads through the funnel, ultimately resulting in revenue for the company. When it comes to content, here are some common goals:

• SEO pages to rank in Google searches and drive website traffic
• Sales enablement (think case studies and pitch decks)
• Thought leadership — you’re the expert and people know it

What type of content can I create?

There is a long, long list of content that you can create that would fall under this bucket, including:

• eBooks
• Infographics
• Case studies
• Customer stories
• Whitepapers
• How-to’s
• Listicles (like this one!)

If you’re just starting out, try creating at least one of all of these. Over time, you’ll have a better understanding of the blog and written content that resonates best with your audience (and double down on those).

What are some best practices for blog and written content?

• Less fluff is better. When you write, always lead with value and paraphrase to improve clarity and maintain a single tone. This will also encourage them to come back to your website time and time again.
• If you make claims, back them up with data. People on the internet today are smart and savvy and will probably do a quick Google search of any unbacked claims you make.
• Continue to refer to the buyer’s journey and funnel stages when creating your content. This will act as a measure for how promotional you should be about your business within each content piece.
• Use design to help give the reader’s eyes a break. Design is also a great way to visualize the message you’re trying to convey in your writing in a new way.

Video content

A Cisco study found that online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic. Whether this content is shared on social, embedded into a blog, or both, video is a great medium to engage an audience.

What’s the goal?

Just like written content, the goal really hinges on what you’re hoping to accomplish on a video-by-video basis. When it comes to video content, some goals can include:

• Driving brand awareness with an explainer video
• Improving engagement with an interview series
• Increasing sales with product walkthrough videos
• Minimizing incoming support tickets with how-to videos about product features

What type of content can I create?

The list is truly endless, but here are a few ideas to help get your creative juices flowing:

• Recorded interviews with experts in your space
• Product demos
• How-to videos (anyone else loves cooking tutorials!?)
• Explainer videos
• Case studies
• Tutorials

What are some best practices for video content?

This is less of a best practice and more of a consideration. Although video can be more expensive, it doesn’t have to be. When you’re creating video content you don’t need a full production with all of the bells and whistles to be truly successful. The content within that video is what matters most.

Here’s what you WILL need:

1. Something that can record video (like a phone or DSLR)
2. Basic editing software (like Vimeo’s Create)
3. Time and patience, because if you're just starting out, there will be a learning curve

Email marketing content

Roughly 281 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2018. That number is expected to increase to over 347 billion daily mails in 2022. There is a lot of value in email marketing because people have already opted into receiving communications from you; they want to hear from you. So, how do you make the most out of email marketing?

Determine your email marketing goals

What are you hoping to achieve with each campaign?

• Stay top of mind with users
• Convert leads into sales
• Share company updates
• Build thought leadership

What type of email marketing content can I create?

If you haven’t noticed a theme yet, the type of content you create will depend on the goal you’ve determined for each campaign that you run. To name a few email marketing content ideas:

• Drip or nurture campaign
• Blog newsletter
• Seasonal (like a Black Friday campaign)
• Post-purchase campaign

What are some best practices for email content?

Some general guidelines that we personally like to follow include:

• A/B test, always. This will give you an opportunity to learn about what resonates best with your audience. This can be as simple as testing between using an avocado emoji or a smiley face in your subject line.
• Take advantage of design in email marketing. The average professional receives 120 new emails each day. When people are sifting through their inbox, they’re usually skimming marketing emails (if they open it). Use visuals to stand out and get your message across, faster and ensure you have the right email address.

Podcast and audio content

The podcast world is so diverse. At Superside we have partnered with Chili Piper, amongst others, where Amrita Mathur explains Superside's offering the best way possible.

What’s the goal?

If you’re thinking about starting a podcast, here are a few common goals people may have:

• Thought leadership
• Build a following
• Connect with leaders in the space (in hopes they talk about you!)

What type of content can I create?

The type of podcast that a boutique beauty brand creates will differ from that of a large enterprise B2B company. Here are some ideas to help you start planning your own podcast:

• Commentary on a topic or trend
• Interview series with experts
• Tutorial/lessons

What are some best practices for a podcast?

• Invest in a decent microphone. Check out these Yeti or Rode models.
• Post your podcast on all available platforms, like Spotify, Apple podcasts, Stitcher and more.
• Add images to each episode. When you listen to music, the album art is usually the thumbnail that shows up when you listen and share that track. Consider design principles when you create this image so that you’re better able to capture new listeners more easily!

TIP: With any single type of content, you can often repurpose it into something new. For podcasts, maybe that's a blog, or quote images to share on social media. Repurpose your content to maximize your efforts!

Getting Started with a Content Marketing Strategy

If you’re just dipping your toes into content, it might feel like there’s a lot to learn (because there is). If you're just starting out in content, focus on simply trying a lot of things and seeing what sticks. You’ll continue to build on your content marketing knowledge as time goes on.

If you’re wondering, what are the best ways to do content marketing, here’s a basic list of things to help get you started:

1. Decide on your brand voice and tone. Are you going to be super casual, very serious or somewhere in the middle?
2. Determine your goals. What are you hoping to achieve through content marketing?
3. Based on your goals, determine KPIs (key performance indicators). What numbers do you need to hit in order to achieve your goals?
4. Know your audience. If you haven’t already, try doing a buyer persona exercise. Better yet, get on the phone and TALK to your customers.
5. Outline the types of content you want to produce, and where you’ll promote it. With buyer personas, you’ll have a better understanding of where your audience spends their time. That’s where you’ll want to focus your content efforts.
6. Start creating content. The channels you decide on will have some impact on the overall content mix you create.
7. Remember the importance of great design. When done right, design can make your content more interesting to the audience, while building up your brand.
8. Measure the results. How did your content fair? What channels were performing better than others? Make data-driven decisions from your findings.

Wrapping up

While these are our must-haves for content marketing, this isn’t a definitive list of content types — there's just way too many to list! When it comes to content, it all boils down to your audience. They will ultimately determine what channels you market in and what types of content you create.

We hope you found these content marketing campaign examples and tips helpful!

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