4 Sample Content Marketing Strategies to Inspire Your Own
Get inspired to build out your own content marketing strategy by checking out these examples in action.
by Maggie Callahan
A killer content marketing strategy can improve your brand’s awareness, establish your organization as an authority in your industry, drive organic traffic, and ultimately increase conversions. But pulling it off? That’s where the challenge lies.
An effective content strategy goes beyond direct promotion and sales to deliver valuable, relevant, consistent information that your audience craves — and it will keep them coming back for more.
Here, we’ve broken down how to get started with a content marketing strategy to make sure you’re getting the most out of it and provided several real-world samples to inspire you.
What Is a Content Marketing Strategy?
Think of content strategy as your blueprint — it guides your content creation, distribution, and management to achieve your specific organizational goals. (Hint: You need clear goals before you start.)
“A solid content strategy isn’t just a checklist, it’s your brand’s GPS,” says Janet Celosia, Vice President, Marketing Strategy, BackPocket Agency. Every blog, video, and social post should have a purpose, whether that’s to inform, engage, or convert. But more than that, great content strategy is about storytelling that resonates. “It’s about meeting your audience where they are, at the right time, with the right message, so they don’t just read, watch, or listen, but actually take action,” she says.
That may sound like a tall order, but you can get started with your organization’s content marketing strategy by identifying just a few core elements:
Once you’ve nailed down those elements and implemented them into a strategy, you’ll want to measure and track your content’s performance so you can keep up the great work or make any necessary tweaks.
What Are Content Strategy Best Practices?
While ever-changing, content marketing has been around long enough to reveal some clear dos and don’ts for creating a successful content strategy, so take heed. Implementing content strategy best practices ensures that efforts have a high ROI and are sustainable. Here are some key principles from the BackPocket playbook:
1. Get to know your audience
Know your audience — inside and out. Use surveys, social media insights, and analytics to build buyer personas that go beyond demographics and tap into real needs and behaviors. When developing buyer personas, include details such as:
- Demographics. What are basic demographic details (age range, location, etc.)?
- Needs & paint points. What does this persona want to achieve? What do they need?
- Key decision factors. What will influence this persona’s decision to buy/join/take action?
- Challenges & opportunities. What are our brand’s greatest challenges and opportunities to reach this persona?
- Persona-specific messaging. What are sample key messaging points that resonate with this audience segment?
“Audience research and buyer personas allow us to stop saying what we want and start saying what our audience wants and needs to hear,” says Michelle Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer, BackPocket Agency. “When you deliver personalized, tailored content to your audience, that’s really where it’s at.”
Marketer Paul Balsom says that not even the fanciest, biggest budget ad campaign can outdo audience research:
2. Don’t skimp on content quality
Your audience is searching for content to inform or solve a problem they have. Creating high-quality content that delivers will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Grab their attention and become their go-to source with content like well-researched blog posts, how-to guides, and videos.
“These days, we’re inundated with AI-generated, generic content, particularly in the awareness stage of the buyer journey,” says Joe Stella, CEO, BackPocket Agency. “Brands that deliver real value through expert perspectives, customer stories, and custom data, for example, will not just stand out, they’ll also build credibility and trust.”
Check out product marketer David Sweenor’s LinkedIn article all about creating content that stands out.
3. Use different content formats
Different content formats cater to different audience preferences. Some may prefer in-depth blog posts, while others engage more with videos or infographics. “Let’s not forget the power of user-generated content,” Celosia says. “Whether it’s customer testimonials, social media shoutouts, or interactive polls, inviting your audience to co-create with you builds trust and engagement. People want to see themselves in your brand — so give them a reason to be part of the story."
4. Repurpose your content across distribution channels
Maximize your reach — and your budget — by repurposing your content across various platforms. For example:
- Combine a few related blog posts into an e-book or guide that you can promote via email.
- Turn data-driven text-based content into short, snappy infographics to use on LinkedIn.
- Record webinars to repurpose as short video content on YouTube and social media channels.
- Capture transcripts from podcasts and videos to create text-based blog posts.
“Ideally, upfront in the planning phase, you’d map out all of the different ways you’ll create content from one idea,” Jackson says. “But you can also audit existing content to breathe new life into it.”
5. Be consistent in content delivery
Once you have your audience hooked, you’ll want to keep them engaged with fresh content that is published regularly. Come up with a content calendar to ensure new blogs or email newsletters are distributed in a timely, predictable manner, as well as keeping a consistent voice, tone, and style throughout every piece of content.
6. Measure and adjust your content efforts
You won’t know what’s working unless you measure it. Using tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or SEMrush for data insights will allow you to track content performance and refine your strategies. Establish a measurement framework that maps out user intent or buyer journey:
- Awareness content: Impressions, clicks, and click-through rates.
- Consideration content: Time on site and scroll rate.
- Conversion content: Sign-ups or downloads.
“Create a repeatable template for reporting to ensure you do it regularly and consistently,” Jackson says. “Make sure you have the processes in place to easily replicate things month after month so that you can glean valuable insights on how to optimize your content going forward.
What Are the Best Examples of Content Marketing?
Need some inspiration? We’ve pulled together a few examples of brands — both big and small — who are creating brilliant content marketing that engages audiences and drives conversions.
“It all goes back to the audience,” says Celosia. “Understanding your audience is the foundation of a strong content strategy — it’s what turns good content into the right content. Personalization helps tailor messages so they feel relevant and timely, while user-generated content takes engagement to the next level.”
1. Association Forum
Our partners at Association Forum nailed audience personas in a recent event email, making registration feel personal and fun.
“And their #Unstoppable women campaign on LinkedIn? Genius. By tying it to Valentine's Day and inviting user participation, they sparked engagement, created shareable content, and got their audience involved — all in one swoop,” Celosia says. “That’s smart strategy in action."
2. HubSpot
As a marketing and sales software leader, HubSpot understands what its audience of marketers are looking for, and boy, do they deliver. HubSpot is a go-to resource for marketing professionals looking for education and information through content types like blogs, e-books, and online courses. High-value knowledge: check.
3. GoPro
Look to GoPro for inspiration on how to get your audience involved in content creation. GoPro encourages customers to share videos shot with their cameras, using that content for authentic brand promotion. Think of each piece of content as a testimonial, building trust and engagement. While you may not sell products, there are plenty of ways to get your audience involved. Create hashtags or contests for people to share their experiences with your organization. Highlight a member in an “ask the expert” blog post, or ask them to live post if you host in-person events.
4. Duolingo
You’re living under a rock if you don’t know Duo, the cuddly, bossy green owl mascot of Duolingo. From unhinged TikToks to partnering with influencers and other brands (like Netflix), Duolingo is reaching Gen Z and beyond. Duolingo has mastered the art of marketing as an experience. Even if you can’t get your organization together for an in-office dance video, Duo reminds you that it’s OK to have fun with your content.
How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy
At BackPocket, we take a similar yet bespoke approach to every content strategy we build with our clients, tailoring each step to a client’s specific goals. Here is an easy-to-understand overview of how to create a content marketing strategy.
Step 1: Discovery
Define business and marketing goals for your content strategy. This in-depth exploration ensures that your content aligns with your organizational vision and long-term priorities.
Step 2: Audience analysis
This is where you can really dig in and get to know your audience better. Understand their demographics, interests, and behaviors. If you’re unsure of how to get this information, use surveys, data, and research, and create semi-hypothetical personas to create content that resonates and compels action on your audience’s favorite channels.
Step 3: Competitor review
Conduct a comprehensive analysis of competitors' content. Take notes on what works well for them and identify ways you can differentiate your brand or take efforts up a notch.
Step 4: Content audit
Take a look at all of the content you are producing across all channels. How effective is it? Are you getting engagement? Is it updated or posted consistently? Does your content across the channels feel connected or disjointed? This step helps you flag gaps and opportunities where you can optimize as you build your content marketing strategy.
Step 5: Content brand
A clear content mission statement succinctly explains why your brand creates content and how that content connects with your audience and achieves business goals. Think of it as your guiding light, informing your team’s content decisions and helping you distinguish your brand from competitors. A cohesive brand identity will also strengthen engagement and ensure consistency across all platforms.
Step 6: Process and governance framework
Be thoughtful about how your content is created — from idea generation to production — and establish workflows, templates, and governance guidelines. This step will help remove silos, eliminate redundancies, streamline content creation, and maintain consistency.
Step 7: Measurement framework
Establish a measurement framework that pinpoints which key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll measure and that includes benchmarking data. Your measurement framework will allow for data-driven improvements and optimization over time.
Together, these steps result in a well-defined content marketing strategy so you can create impactful content.
Ready to Elevate Your Content Strategy?
At BackPocket Agency, we’re more than just content creators — we’re strategic partners committed to helping you achieve your marketing goals. With our comprehensive content strategy services, we’ll guide you through every step of the process, ensuring that your content doesn’t just exist but thrives. Let’s build a strategy that turns engagement into action and action into results.
Maggie Callahan
Senior Content Manager
With 20 years of storytelling experience, Maggie is passionate about helping clients share their unique stories to educate and captivate audiences. At BackPocket, Maggie oversees digital and print projects for clients, from industry associations to innovative software companies. Maggie started her career as a daily newspaper reporter. Always ready for new challenges, her day-to-day has included investigating government corruption, learning every detail of reverse mortgages, and meditating with inmates in a Missouri prison. Maggie has won several accolades for journalism, including for column writing and religion reporting.