Every day, millions of pieces of inspiring content marketing get created and posted online. All that content gives brands a chance to tell their stories and connect with their audiences in a way that they just can’t with other types of advertising and marketing.
But so much content also creates another issue for brands: It can be more difficult to stand out from the crowd, especially when it seems as though everyone is just copying everyone else.
While you do want your brand’s content to be truly unique and original, it also helps to take a look at successful examples of inspiring content marketing. Examining inspiring content up close will give you a sense of what works, what doesn’t, and what your brand can do to make its own unique and inspiring content.
5 Examples of Inspiring Content Marketing
Meow Met
Brand
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
What it is
Meow Met is an extension for the Chrome web browser. It replaces the typical Chrome homepage with an image of a cat. The cats are sourced from the collection at the Met.
Why it’s inspiring content marketing
The extension provides people with a mini (cat-centric) art history lesson every time they open a new tab or browser window. It demonstrates a bit of cleverness on the Met’s part, as the museum has managed to make its collection, which might seem stuffy and out of date, relevant to digital natives.
The stats
The program was created in 2015, and currently has 5,171 active users and an average review of 4.5 stars.
IKEA Place
Brand
IKEA
What it is
IKEA Place is an app (available for iOS 11) that lets people play around with arranging furniture in their homes. It’s an augmented reality app, so people can see what a new IKEA sofa or desk would look like before actually taking the furniture home.
Why it’s inspiring content marketing
IKEA Place shows how augmented reality can play a practical role in content marketing. The retailer isn’t new to AR, as it’s been offering it in some form or another since 2012, according to Wired. But Place is one of the first apps built with Apple’s ARKit, which is intended to usher in a new era of AR.
The stats
Released in September 2017, this app has an average three-star rating.
IBMblr
Brand
IBM
What it is
IBMblr is IBM”s Tumblr. It’s a venue for the company to share what’s going on with innovation in a variety of categories, using GIFs and other animated clips.
Why it’s inspiring content marketing
The idea of IBM creating a Tumblr raised some eyebrows back in 2013, but the brand has been able to pull it off. Some even argue that that IBM set the standard for brands on Tumblr. With eye-catching graphics and GIFs and a willingness to engage with readers with an “Ask Me Anything” column, IBMblr demonstrates that just because a brand is older and maybe doesn’t produce the most exciting products doesn’t mean it can’t create inspiring content.
The stats
Started in 2013. Posts get anywhere from a few dozen to thousands of likes/notes.
Starbucks Upstanders
Brand
Starbucks
What it is
As Stabucks puts it: “Upstanders is a collection of short stories celebrating ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities.”
Why it’s inspiring content marketing
The goal of Upstanders is to inspire people to do better and give back to their communities. Many of the stories featured in the two series focus on people who work against the odds to change the world around them. The series is multi-format, meaning each story is available as a video and a long-form blog post with multiple images and photos to illustrate it. There’s also a charity component to the series.
The stats
The campaign originally launched in February 2017, and season two launched in October 2017.
AirBnB Neighborhoods
Brand
AirBnB
What it is
Just one aspect of AirBnB’s multi-pronged content marketing plan, Neighborhoods shines a light on some of the more popular destinations available on AirBnB. It provides an up-close-and-personal look at cities and the areas that make up those cities, giving potential visitors an idea of where to stay and what to do during a trip, based on their interests.
Why it’s inspiring content marketing
Neighborhoods blends beautiful images and photos with useful information, such as maps, keywords, and insight from local residents. The feature lets a visitor really customize or personalize his or her travel and AirBnB experience. Neighborhoods is also particularly useful for travelers who want to get off of the beaten path. Travelers can stay somewhere they’ve never gone before, or somewhere few other people are going in a major city.
The stats
Neighborhoods is available for 23 cities on AirBnB.
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