A well-defined brand identify and beautifully authentic videos are the mark of superior content marketers like these, the unsung heroes of the industry.
A growing collection of eCommerce merchants are investing in content marketing to define and amplify their brand identity with authentic, beautifully told stories.
A well-defined brand identity boils down to content that fosters community engagement with like-minded customers, and ultimately more sales. However, the story has to grow, the community has to evolve, and the whole exercise has to stay on message in interesting and engaging ways.
Some eCommerce merchants are particularly skilled storytellers. Authenticity is the heartbeat of a sound strategy, and some brands’ products make it easier to sell a certain narrative. The following merchants are content marketing heroes for having launched successful campaigns in a relatively nascent industry.
Best Made Company
Impressively, Best Made Company has won over certain niche audiences of Millennials and Generation Z with a well-crafted product and message. The brand’s Instagram feed is dedicated to the great outdoors and the craftsmanship of its well-made products. It also publishes frequent videos, photo essays, and social content on interesting backcountry adventures. From the forests of Patagonia, Argentina to snowy Alaska, there’s few places the brand won’t go to explore for their audience.
North Face
Adorned with a Webby Award for its documentary series “Far Out,” a collaboration with the HBO show “Vice,” you could say North Face just “gets it.” Former VP of Marketing Aaron Carpenter said of the films; “they offered insights into the lives of individuals that truly live The North Face philosophy to never stop exploring.” The company regularly experiments with rich video content tailored for mobile devices, a central component of its “Never Stop Exploring” campaign, which successfully targets 18-34 year old males. And if you’re a fan of landscape photography, the company regularly captures some captivating shots.
Red Bull
The king of content marketing? It’s distinct possibility. After all, the company has its own content division Red Bull Media House. From a content perspective, the company has launched websites, magazines, movies, sponsored films, and outrageous media events. Red Bull views marketing as a responsibility of the entire brand and every employee. Further, Red Bull marketers are experts in making the product second to the message, or more poignantly, the extreme activities the customers cherish and engage with.
GoPro
With its community of passionate brand advocates pushing the boundaries on new outdoor adventures, GoPro has pushed user generated content to the next level. For example at least 6,000 GoPro-tagged videos are uploaded to YouTube every day. “GoProing” is now a noun. To keep up the momentum, the company buys the rights to self-shot videos, polishes them, and posts them to its owned channels. It also partners with athletes and musicians to document their day-to-day experiences. And partners with travel brands like hotels, offering complimentary cameras to guests during their stays in the hope they will shoot and upload their GoPro pictures and videos to the Internet.