5 Content Marketing Examples and How to Copy Them for Your Small Business
These 5 content marketing examples will teach you everything you need to elevate your social media game. Gain insight from content marketing examples that you can copy for your small business.
There are many different types of content that you can use to elevate your marketing as a small business.
Some examples of content are blogs, infographics, video and informational images.
In this article you will find 5 content marketing examples to inspire you to create better content. And build your brand.
This article contains:
Why you need content marketing
Before we delve into the content marketing examples you need to understand why you should use content marketing.
Content marketing involves creating advertising or communications that your customer wants to consume. In a world where there are marketing messages wherever you look you need to stand out. Consumers have gotten used to commercials wherever they go and learned to shut them out. As a small business it might seem impossible to compete with large corporations and million dollar marketing budgets. But by creating marketing that your customers actually want to take part in. You have a great opportunity to communicate with your customers.
But what type of marketing do consumers want to consume?
Content marketing involves entertainment or education for free. Most content marketing examples are from social media platforms. Where consumers follow companies because they like their content.
It is important to distinguish content marketing from promotional marketing. Promotional marketing aims to sell your product or service. Whereas content marketing aims to build your brand. By using content marketing to build your brand you can compete with big corporations. Your brand is what sets you apart from other businesses. If you want to learn more about branding you should read this article about How to build a brand.
Now that you know what content marketing is and why you should use it. Let’s look at some content marketing examples that can level up your content marketing.
Content marketing example 1
The first content marketing example is a blog post from a dental practice in Florida. Blog articles are one of the first types of content marketing that started to evolve. Before social media came into the picture. And there is a reason that they are still around; because they work.
The below blog post from Tower Dental Associates is a great example of how small businesses can use content marketing.
This was the first search result when I googled ‘teeth whitening dangerous’. Despite being a small local business in Florida, they reach people all over the world who are wondering if teeth whitening is bad for you. While someone in Europe might not be able to use their services. Anyone in the local area is likely to use them when whitening their teeth. Or for other dental care services.
What’s good about this content marketing example
Tower Dental Associates are providing educational content for potential customers. They are using their field of expertise to their advantage. And give customers a reason to stay on their website. The content is easy to consume for anyone who wants to know more about the dangers of teeth whitening. It is also a way to reach more people and thereby, more customers.
A blog article like this builds trust. And trust is a vital element for building a brand, and relationships with customers. This is especially important in a healthcare field like dentistry, where service providers need to be knowledgeable.
How YOU can use blogging
Whichever field you are in, you can find topics that your customers wants to learn more about. If you provide services or complex products a blog is a perfect way to educate your customers. Educational blog articles will make your customers feel confident in you and your service or product.
But even if you are selling simple products there are always topics you can inform your customers about. For example, if you sell sports clothes you can write articles about the best material when sweating. Or the best clothes for different sports.
There are two strategies you can use as a small business when creating blog content:
- If you have a local shop or service use blog articles to instill trust and build loyalty. You don’t have to worry about SEO (search engine optimization) for ranking high on Google. In this case it is enough with a few articles about the services/products you provide that helps you build that trust.
- If you have an online store, blogs should be used to reach more people. This is a more complex process where you have to write many article and learn SEO to rank high on search engines. But don’t worry there are plenty of blog articles and other free information about this. Using blogging in this way builds brand awareness. But it will still build trust and loyalty.
Content marketing example 2
Infographics are another content marketing example. An infographic takes a complicated topic and brakes it down into easy to read content. By using graphic design along with short and concise texts the reader can consume the information easily. And hence the word info-graphic.
This example of an infographic comes from an online coffee retailer, Coffee for Less. It is a good example on how to use content marketing by putting the product into a context.
What’s good about this content marketing example
This infographic is very clear with a step-by-step guide that is easy to follow. It uses nice graphic design with colors that are appealing to a coffee lover.
Coffee for Less takes their product – coffee beans – and puts it in a setting that relates to the customer. They are showing how the customers can use their products to get the best result. Despite being a product that is not complicated they find a way to engage their target audience. For a coffee lover the infographic provides great tips on how to get better coffee. Thereby, Coffee for Less get their customers to want to consume their content voluntarily. It builds engagement and positive associations with their brand.
How YOU can use infographics
Infographics are useful for ‘how-to’-content and explaining complex products. But like the example above, you can find a way to provide useful information on a product that is not complicated too. Remember that you need to create valuable information for your target audience. And then break it down in a way that is easy to digest.
For B2B businesses that have more detailed offerings with much information, infographics are also effective. It makes it easier for your customers to understand your expertise and offer. Making them more inclined to keep engaging with your business.
Depending on where your target audience is channels like LinkedIn and Pinterest are good for posting infographics. You can link the infographic to your website to explain more about the topic. The best way is to create a specific landing page or a short blog post about the same topic. The customer can then learn more about the topic and explore your offering.
Content marketing example 3
The third content marketing example is long-form video. Video can be divided into long-form and short-form. This example will regard long-form video and short-form will be explained in the next section. Long-form video are usually longer than 1 minute in time. Where the most common platform is YouTube.
This content marketing example is from Sheep & Stitch; a small business that sells knitting patterns. The video is about how to knit a scarf for beginners.
What’s good about this content marketing example
This, along with the other videos from Sheep & Stitch, targets their very specific target audience. It solves the target audience’s main problem: learning how to knit better. The video is also very long which makes the audience engage for a long time. They need to watch the full step by step guide, perhaps pause it and re-watch certain parts. The videos on how to knit, using their own knitting patterns, proves that they work. Thereby, Sheep & Stitch builds trust because they provide proof.
It will also make customers come back to watch more content and makes them want to buy from this specific store. They know that they will receive a tutorial if they cannot figure out how to knit the pattern on their own. And through this Sheep & Stitch builds loyal customers.
How YOU can use long-form video
Long-form videos are best for ‘how-to’-videos, tutorials or teaching a topic. If you have a part of your offering that you can show the customers how to use, long form videos will work well. You can also create a series of videos where the audience learns a certain topic.
In addition to these educational videos, you can also create more entertaining videos. Depending on what you sell there might be an opportunity to create entertaining content. For example if you sell skateboards and skating supplies, you can make videos of cool skating tricks.
Good long-form videos build loyalty, because it makes the customer want to come back to watch more.
Content marketing example 4
Short-form videos are videos less than 1 minute long. There are many ways to use short-form video but right now Tiktok and Reels are trending. Short-form videos are usually entertaining but they can also be educational.
This content marketing example is from a wedding boutique. They have found a great way to make their content entertaining and something their audience wants to watch.
@onebridal ✨ Mystery wedding dress ✨ #MakeASplash #chooseblind #mysterydress ♬ First Class - Jack Harlow
What’s good about this content marketing example
One Bridal is in an industry that is not educational or entertaining on its own. But they create a video that is fun and entertaining to watch. They create a hook that captures the audience and make them want to watch until the end. They create curiosity by taking something as serious as buying a wedding dress and turns it into a random choice. For the target audience this seems controversial and makes them both intrigued and entertained.
It also promotes their business very well by showing the beautiful end result. Without explicitly saying so, they convince the audience that all their wedding gowns are beautiful. Even if you choose one at random.
How YOU can use short-form video
Short-form videos are great for entertaining content. Whatever your business does, you can always find an entertaining twist on it. Create a hook that builds an intrigue and makes the audience want to watch until the end of the video.
You can also shoot more in-the-moment videos, like behind the scenes, for stories on social media. This makes your customers connect better with you because it feels authentic. The customer feels like they get to know your brand better, creating trust.
It is also possible to use short-form videos for tutorials that provides entertainment at the same time. For example quick makeup or cooking tutorials that are fun to watch for the target audience.
Good short-form videos keeps the audience entertained and creates engagement. Ultimately, this builds a stronger relationship with the brand.
Content marketing example 5
The final content marketing example is an image. Some argue that images are not content marketing, because there is such an abundance of it. If you compare content marketing to promotional marketing, images can definitely be content. But it is important to note that not all images are content marketing. If the image does not provide value that the audience voluntarily wants to look at, it is not content marketing.
Most images are used for inspirational content. Go to Instagram and you can find thousands of businesses providing inspiring images on how to style clothes or interior design. There is a reason for this; we like looking a pleasing things.
There are more ways than for inspirational purposes that images can be used. They can be with text as well, not only photos. This example from a beauty salon is providing informational content in a fun way – with their own search bar.
What’s good about this content marketing example
The image above contains good value that relates to the beauty salons business. The beauty salon provide educational content in an easy and appealing way. Making the information fun to consume. By answering the most common questions the customers asks, they show expertise. While also addressing the customers’ concerns. This makes the customer gain more trust in the beauty salon. And they will become more likely to engage with the brand again, building a relationship.
How YOU can use images
Depending on industry and brand identity there are different strategies you can use for images in your content marketing. The three main ways that you can use images are:
- Inspirational images where you take the product you sell and put it in an inspiring context. If you sell travel gear, take photos with the products in use, in an exotic destination showing where your customer can go with it. If you sell flowers put it in a beautiful home, making it part of the interior design.
- Informational images, like our example, takes photos and/or text and to educate your customer on a topic. You can use carousels with several images to explain something your target audience values.
- Entertaining images like quotes or memes. Combine photos and texts that are relatable to your target audience. It will make them feel connected to your business, which builds a relationship.
Applying the insights to your business
Growing your business is no easy task. But these 5 content marketing examples should help you to create better marketing.
Before creating your content marketing it is vital that you know what content will resonate with your target audience. If you don’t have a clear target audience you can’t create content marketing designed for them. To learn more about how to define your target audience read this article on how to do a Target Market Analysis. Then you should get to know your target audience in detail by developing a customer profile. And this article on how to create your customer profile will give you all the tools you need.
Once you have a solid idea on who your target customer is you can begin your content marketing. Reflect on what type of content marketing will best suit your customers. You will get the best results if you combine the types of content marketing.
To summarize the content marketing examples
- Blogging is good for services and informational products.
- Infographics works best for how-to’s, complex products and B2B.
- Long-form video is good for tutorials, teaching a topic, series of content as well as entertainment.
- Short-form video is good for entertainment, in-the-moment videos and quick tutorials.
- Images are good for inspirational, informational or entertaining content.
Content marketing is most commonly used on social media to build a relationship with your target audience. If you want to learn how to implement your content marketing read this article on Small Business Social Media Marketing.
Remember that content marketing is one of many types of marketing. And it should be part of your overall marketing plan. Content marketing creates engagement and builds your brand. But you need to have a clear marketing strategy for your business with goals set for your content marketing. Learn more about how to develop your marketing strategies in this article on 5 Small Business Marketing Tips.
I hope the content marketing examples provided in this article gave you plenty of inspiration and information on how to develop your marketing. If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful please share it with a friend who could use the tips!
I'm Emma Ellinor
I’m a digital marketer, project manager and retail analyst.
For the past 7 years I have immersed myself into the field of marketing and management. I am on a mission to inspire more women to take their business to the next level. By sharing my journey to escape the 9-5 trap along with useful marketing, time management and small business tips.
