When it comes to creating content, you might be left wondering just what to do. With so much out there, how do you develop something that really stands above the rest? Imitation is the highest form of flattery, so let’s take a deeper look into some companies that are really crushing it when it comes to content development and see if we can’t glean a strategy out of it. Whether you have a small, medium or large organization, content marketing should be a very important piece of your overall branding method.

Asda

If you don’t live in the UK, chances are that you haven’t heard of the online grocery store Asda. When Asda’s marketing team got together to discuss what kind of content they wanted to develop, it became pretty clear that people wouldn’t want to subscribe to an ‘Asda channel’ on YouTube (why would consumers care to view any content from a grocery store?). Instead, it created a channel that is ‘brought to you by Asda.’

The video content is developed by the producers that Asda has partnered with and features targeted scripts that promote the brand. To the average viewer, this doesn’t come off as too promotional, yet still provides consistent brand reinforcement throughout the channel.

Birchbox

According to the Chicago Journal of Consumer Research, the psychological term for the thrill of the unknown is called the ‘Motivating-Uncertainty Effect’. When people have a choice between the known and the unknown, they are more likely to choose the unknown element. Birchbox, a subscription-based service that sends a box of four or five carefully selected make-up products, uses this effect to their advantage by creating quizzes that pique users’ interest with titles like ‘Make-Up Brand Quiz’ and ‘Face Mask Quiz’ to help drive traffic and raise awareness about their service.

Coca-Cola

At this point in the game, everyone on Earth has heard of Coca-Cola, so the fact that they spend so much money on advertising and branding seems sort of crazy. However, they are one of the biggest brands in the entire world and still made a huge splash with their blog Unbottled.

When it comes to company blogging, it doesn’t get much more engaging than Unbottled. Every entry is filled with rich content; stories that align with corporate objectives and with engaging responses from a diverse variety of customers, employees and partners.

There are a lot of benefits associated with using a blog format to fill with content. First, they are pretty much everywhere. You can use a simple WordPress template and attach it to your website, which is a simple process, even for those who don’t know how to create an ecommerce website. It’s a dynamic platform that encompasses all the other formats. For example, on your blog you can write original text posts, share videos, pictures and other branded media all in one simple-to-reach targeted location.

Remember, these aren’t the only blogs making content out there. Companies across the board are getting creative and reaching people in ways that they haven’t be able to via traditional methods. There is still room for pioneers of the medium, so get out there and start being original!