Billion-dollar brands inspire us; they give us the proof that “the sky isn’t the limit.” They raise the bar and help move us to bigger levels of greatness. As the saying goes, “success leaves clues,” and if we watch the big boys, we’ll have enough clues as to what’s working and what we should do, too.
As leaders in their markets, companies like Coca-Cola, Geico and Under Armour keep growing because they are always applying new methods to assure they keep growing. One of those growth tactics these companies use is content marketing. By studying their content marketing methods, we can reap great rewards and drive up sales. One report by Demand Gen in 2016 noted that 96 percent of B2B buyers want content to help them make a buying decision.
Under Armour gives you free content for a reason.
While most of us think of Under Armour as just a clothing company, a deeper dive into its business strategy reveals a content producing machine. Online, Under Armour boasts a robust health blog that rivals that of Livestrong.com and competes with the best health blogs and video channels.
Under Armour has also created free smartphone applications that millions of users love. With over 175 million users, the MyFitnessPal smartphone application has become almost synonymous with health. This simple application has become a go-to health app for tracking food and getting critical health information. The application is also chock full of articles, videos and podcast interviews.
It’s the 21st century, and the internet is where we go to find stuff. If you’re anything like most people, when you want an answer for just about anything, you pull up Google. Since Under Armour knows that content is king, it has invested heavily in assuring that your Google search leads you to its site.
If there’s one thing we can learn from Under Armour, it’s that creating content assures you stay relevant, stay in contact with your client and continually attract new buyers.
Coca-Cola uses the best social media content.
Coca-Cola is more than a drink; it’s an essential part of the American culture. The company has been around for a long time because it knows marketing.
In my time as a marketer, I’ve spent thousands of hours looking at the social media accounts of every type of business. When I look at Coca-Cola’s social media presence, it’s rock solid. Its content is always about its business, its brand and its client. Coca-Cola’s social media strategy teaches us to similarly deliver content that reminds our customers about our brand, products and offers.
When Coca-Cola shares an article, the purpose is to drive you to its website. When the company shares an offer or a video, it does it in such a way to encourage you to click over to its site. Those clicks help them get you off social media and onto its platform where it can make a sale, make an offer and collect more data about you.
If you want to follow Coca-Cola’s lead, make sure that what you share on social media either reminds people of the benefits of your product or inspires your viewers to click over to your website. Those clicks to your site allow you to collect more data with which to retarget your visitors and of course, encourage them to buy your goods.
Geico does more than promote its insurance.
The iconic gecko from the Geico commercials has made its way into all our lives. It’s become a symbol of insurance, entertainment and good news. Under the hood of Geico’s methods, there’s more than just entertainment — there’s pure marketing genius.
A simple search for articles on insurance leads you face-to-face with not only the friendly gecko but with article after article and video after video teaching the ins and outs of insurance. If Geico wants to win, it knows it must be more than an insurance company.
Just like Coca-Cola and Under Armour, Geico works hard to give you content that will sear its brand into your consciousness. Geico is committed to creating free content that will help you see it as more than just an insurance company.
If you want to follow the lead of these three giants, all you need to do is find ways to entertain, educate and inspire your ideal client to click over to your website. Do that, and sure enough, your company will encourage more clicks and drive up sales.
