In a digital world, content marketers are under tremendous pressure to produce more—more content on more channels for more products and more audiences.

It can be exhausting to maintain a healthy stream of quality content when faced with a demand for quantity.

If your creative energy feels drained, take inspiration from the following digital marketing campaigns that go beyond SEO to deliver great content and valuable information for their customers in a variety of formats. Each takes a basic tenet of successful content marketing and adds enough of a twist to the tried-and-true template to make it feel new again.

1. Deloitte used interactive infographics to teach customers about its services
2. American Express celebrated their customers with video content
3. The Nature Conservancy became a thought leader on nature’s role for urban dwellers
4. Gusto lets customers draw their own insights with free tools

1. Deloitte used interactive infographics to teach customers about its services

Deloitte’s Business Chemistry assessment showcased their creative middle-of-the-funnel content marketing strategy.

Deloitte, a multinational professional services network, used interactive infographics as a unique and memorable strategy to give potential customers a glimpse into their services.

The strategy

Have you ever had that co-worker you just don’t seem to jibe with? Business consultant firm Deloitte knows the feeling, and they have the tools to help teams work better together.

To demonstrate its approach, Deloitte created a gated Business Chemistry assessment. Visitors are asked to consider a co-worker they are having trouble communicating with and then imagine how that co-worker would react to situations posed by the quiz. The tool is colorful and interactive, and the questions it poses are simple to answer.

After completing the quiz, the tool offers actionable insights into how best to collaborate with a difficult co-worker.

Supporting content for the campaign comes in a variety of formats, including videos to demonstrate each business personality type, examples of famous historical figures who embody each trait, and even gift ideas for each type of person.

Why it was effective

The quiz is a taste of how Deloitte helps teams and organizations work together more effectively.

The supporting content lets users dive deeper into the how and why behind the advice while having fun with the subject, which creates a memorable experience.

Visitors who finish the full quiz and then interact with supporting content are likely great candidates for Deloitte’s services and stronger, better-qualified leads for the company to target in future campaigns.

The key takeaway

Give your customers a new way to engage with your content and your products. For example, if you’re an accessories brand, come up with a quiz that matches a user’s lifestyle with the right kind of watch.

Offer a sample of the expertise and care you bring to solving a visitor’s problem, so they will remember you when they’re ready to purchase.

2. American Express celebrated their customers with video content

American Express created a three-part series following an Asheville, North Carolina small business.

American Express, a global financial services company, invested in long-form storytelling to focus their content where it belonged—on their customers.

The strategy

American Express built their Business Class website as a resource for business owners to learn how to manage their money, grow their business, and build their team.

American Express frequently turns to their customers, highlighting their businesses with video content and using their insights to develop case studies as part of a community conversation instead of a lecture, for example.

One striking example was a three-part video series following the challenges and successes of women-owned Buchi Kombucha.

Why it was effective

These long-form storytelling projects demonstrate that American Express understands the hardships and joys small business owners face. This strategy develops trust with customers and shows that American Express empathizes with their needs.

American Express spares no expense in content creation like these videos because it’s a resource designed to help their customers be better business owners.

The key takeaway

Don’t just make your best content for your customers; make it about them. Taking the time to show that your company lives and breathes the same core values as your customers builds a community around your product and fosters a loyal following.

3. The Nature Conservancy became a thought leader on nature’s role for urban dwellers

The Nature Conservancy, a land and water conservation nonprofit, used blog posts, video, and interactive maps, like the one in the screenshot above, to tell the story of how conservation efforts impacted New Yorkers’ daily lives.

The strategy

The natural world can feel far removed from daily life for urban New Yorkers, so The Nature Conservancy needed a new way to raise awareness for and connect donors with their mission.

The Nature Conservancy used visual content, social media content, and blogs, along with traditional marketing tools like billboards and TV commercials, to show how, for example, clean water leads to healthier local businesses and better recreation.

All of their content drove visitors to a landing page where they could donate toward causes like clean water, healthy ecosystems, and natural open spaces they learned about through the campaign.

Why it was effective

It helped everyday New Yorkers draw a direct connection between nature and real, local problems. It reframed the organization’s environmental mission as a quality of life issue with concrete economic impacts.

The Nature Conservancy smashed their donation metrics in record time and used that money to impact both local legislation and worldwide efforts.

The key takeaway

Use different types of content to keep your image fresh as your company evolves.

Your mission may be an unchanging bedrock of your company, but the way you convey your purpose to your audience must evolve to ensure you stay relevant.

4. Gusto lets customers draw their own insights with free tools

Gusto created a database of free tools to help human resources, accounting, and bookkeeping teams succeed.

Gusto, a human resources platform, built their HR software to make life easier for small business owners, who wear many hats. They created an array of tools small businesses can use for free, demonstrating value to its customers well before a sale.

The strategy

Gusto uses their blog to speak to small business owners about finances, taxes, payroll, and human resources challenges.

The team enlists advice and stories from outside experts along with their own internal content writers to create friendly, approachable how-to guides on everything from distinguishing a gig worker from an independent contractor to building a thriving YouTube channel.

They also offer an array of free tools for calculating burn rate, tax optimization, and more. This creative middle-of-the-funnel content serves as a lead-generation tactic and boosts conversions.

Why it was effective

Gusto’s tools give potential customers a taste of the company’s expertise and present their software as a way to automate calculations common to accounting and bookkeeping teams.

Gusto may be an underdog in the payroll space, but their inbound content marketing strategy has led 6.4 million visitors to their website every year because they focus first and foremost on content that solves customer problems.

The key takeaway

A piece of content isn’t just words on a web page.

Calculators and other tools can drive home what makes your product valuable to your target audience. Giving people a way to quickly solve their problems on their own provides them with immediate value. Offering that value first, before you ask anything of your customers, lays the groundwork for a two-way relationship people will appreciate and remember when they need more than a free tool down the road.

A creative content marketing strategy serves your customers and your business goals

A fresh, creative content marketing campaign helps you break through the noise and reach new customers, but to make it successful you must align your marketing efforts with your overall content strategy. 

Make sure you set goals for your campaigns that map directly to the business outcomes that matter for your company. And use those goals and target outcomes to inform how you plan, design, and execute your campaigns 

Learn how you can use Parse.ly’s analytics tools to set goals and track the success of your next marketing campaign.