10 Successful Content Strategies to Inspire You

By now you should know just how important having a successful content strategy is for your business. It does not matter where you are in the content marketing process, if you don’t have a strongly designed, well-thought-out strategy, then your plan is not going to work. In fact, your content strategy needs to be formed as a solid foundation for the work that is to come. From inception to measuring the results and everything in between – this is what having a content strategy is all about. 

What makes a successful content strategy?

To be more specific, an excellent content strategy is going to be comprised of a few components. For example…

• You will first need to discover who your ideal buyer is. In other words, who are you trying to reach?
• Then, you must decide how you are going to reach your ideal persona. Will it be through email? Social media? In person? The method you choose should be well researched so you know what will be likely to get you in front of your buyer.
• Next, you will want to gather a team of individuals that can assist you along the way. Each person on the team is going to be assigned a role. As your content moves through the pipeline, it will move from person to person. This team will include content managers, writers, social media, BI, and so forth.
• Investing in a software platform that allows you to manage all of your content marketing can further help you develop a solid strategy. This is because your software platform will help you organize your plan and keep it flowing in a smooth, streamlined manner. 
• Finally, you need to follow up on your efforts. You should have a team that is solely dedicated to determining how successful – or unsuccessful – a campaign is, what are the learnings you can perceive from each of them, and what is to be improved.

All of these factors combined can lead to a great outcome for your content marketing. Sometimes, though, it is easier to get an idea of success when you get a real visual of others who have already tried various methods and have found the one that works for their niche. That is precisely why we have put together this list of 10 successful content strategies that will inspire you in your content marketing efforts. 

1. Toshiba

Toshiba has been around since 1939 and has dabbled in various areas of technology. They are currently marketing their internal and external storage, as well as Smart Glasses. Toshiba has a clear picture of who their ideal persona is: gamers, professionals and businesses with many advanced technology needs, those interested in elite tech products, and who have an interest in education.

In fact, Toshiba has even tried unique methods of marketing, such as collaborating with national organizations, such as the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) and creating a K-12 STEM competition, named Explora Vision. This is a great way to get a name – and a product – in front of the right person. In addition, it sets the tone for educators across the country. 

2. Cisco

Cisco’s approach to a content strategy is to maintain transparency. They want to get involved in the advancement of communities and environmental efforts, so they know that they must prove themselves trustworthy. In fact, one of their most recent social media efforts attempts to show how they can be the bridge and connect their technology with the need in underdeveloped countries. 

Cisco gets up close and personal with their potential buyers by reflecting on human interest and real-life scenarios on their social media outlets. They work to present themselves as a real company – and they follow through in every avenue, leading them to success with their content strategy. The human aspect to their marketing presents them in a good light with their ideal persona. 

3. Buffer 

This social media tool is fairly new to the market, but they are doing big things. They know that their ideal persona is seeking to do big things in the marketing industry, too. So, what do they do? Their strategy is to provide an easy way to manage social media outlets while constantly providing white papers and knowledge that their users want.

They even take the time to give their users what they need to succeed at getting the most from their product. They do so by distributing their content through different media outlets and in various formats that go from blogging to webinars, podcasts, and even Pinterest boards.

By providing users with a basic free program and providing them with the knowledge they need to get better at marketing – Buffer is almost ensuring that their needs will grow and they will want to purchase the Buffer product. It’s a win-win scenario.

4. Slack

Slack is aimed at large corporations which is why they keep their tone professional. Yet, they keep a close and easy approach, we’re all humans after all. They work hard to maintain the idea that “work happens” with Slack – likely in an attempt to keep upper management from seeing it as just another distraction. 

The messages from Slack are evident in their social media campaigns, blogs, and other digital marketing: they want your business to be more productive and streamlined. And, you can do this through their program. 

They have recently changed their logo to a more cohesive visual identity and, again, the way they announced it simply brilliant. They kept their tone and explained in a detailed blog post, that can be read in 5 different languages, what their expected outcome with the change was, without the need to rely on technical explanations. 

5. American Express 

The prestigious Amex has worked hard to create the idea that it is a credit card to work for. Their messages are all about living and experiencing life, travel, luxury, and the like. They want to entice potential buyers that they can have a great life if they have an American Express. 

Currently, Amex is focusing on Millenials and younger populations. To do so, they have decided to partner with various Instagram influencers. This allows them to meet their persona where they are most likely to be found. You can even how they differ their communication approach depending on the media outlet to make sure they’ll relate properly with the expected user.

6. IBM

This tech giant has the slogan, “think”. They market themselves as innovative and constantly thinking and developing. To reach their ideal persona, IBM takes to social media. They spend much time with the latest hashtags, latest trends, and the most fun – and talked about – events. 

Part of their content strategy that has made them so successful is that they are incredibly engaging and thought-provoking with consumers. 

7. Intel

Intel works hard, primarily through social media, to reach their ideal persona. They offer practical solutions for everyday life. They are highly engaging with consumers as they show them what amazing opportunities await them by simply purchasing this or that basic product. 

Intel has millions of followers on its social media platforms which provides it a great starting place for marketing – and they use it well. Their content strategy is specifically designed for each different channel with an exclusive approach that covers all their products and personas altogether.

8. Workiva

Workiva markets to professionals – especially those seeking to increase productivity and create a streamlined workflow. And, while they do provide expert content on their blog and social media posts, they have a different focus than the other companies we have looked at thus far. 

Workiva has a great sense of appreciation for the face-to-face approach to marketing. They hold many conferences and webinars throughout the country to personally engage with as many potential buyers as possible. And, all while providing them with worthwhile information they can use. 

9. Xerox

Xerox is another company that finds the personal experience to be rewarding. Same as with Workiva, their content strategy is highly focused on holding conferences and webinars to reach their personas, but they also work with an actual sales force that is spread out globally.  The human approach is key to them in every point of contact they have with their customers across all media outlets.

Xerox is an old player in the game, but they have been able to showcase new products while also maintaining the importance of their basic products. And, thanks to all of this effort, they are still moving forward. 

10. Redbull 

Redbull is consistent with their message that whatever you do, you can amplify it if you have Redbull. They focus on sports and adventure, seeking young, vibrant, adventurous individuals. 

Redbull has a detailed approach when it comes to marketing. Instead of focusing on the individuals as a whole, they have separated their marketing efforts among a few key populations. For example, marathon runners, breakdancers, travelers, cliff divers, and many other athlete niches.

They have created segmented social media accounts that cater directly to each one, rather than Redbull fans as a whole. Talk about a personalized approach! Another tactic where Redbull stands out is in hosting extreme sports events all over the world, relating closely to the local scene of each different country they do business at.

Final thoughts… 

As you can see, there are many different methods that you can use when creating your content strategy. You can choose to engage your consumer in dialogue, provide expert advice, or even set up personal meetings and conferences. The key, however, is to know who you are trying to reach and have a clear vision of where you are going to find them. 

In case you were wondering what you could do to improve your content outreach, here is your answer. You can now follow the path of these incredibly successful companies and get inspired by their key ideas and methods to create a content strategy that will lead you to great positive growth. 

Still, don’t know where to start? Contact one of our specialists to get further assistance and see how Contentools can help you streamline your content production and succeed just like the companies presented in this article.