10 inventive and creative content marketing ideas

Content marketing involves using different types of media to promote your business. Whilst the end goal is to benefit your business, content marketing usually has a greater emphasis on providing upfront value to your target audience. This might be through blogs, ebooks, videos, photos and case studies. The purpose of the content is often to educate or entertain the target audience, it may not reference your business directly, but it should relate in some way to your brand and field of expertise.  

A popular example is Red Bull who have pioneered content marketing through their sponsorship of extreme sports events and production of high-quality videos and documentaries. All of this is geared towards reaching and engaging a wide audience and fostering brand loyalty. 

Content marketing could be your key to unlocking the door for new clients. Creative content is usually easy for customers to understand and can build individuality and reputation. It also gives businesses leeway to create content which competitors might not have and stand out. This then generates organic engagement which adds value to the relationship, especially because they don’t have to pay for what they’re getting.

Placing the business as an authority in the mind of the customer builds that trust. Once the business is established as the expert, they’ll be the first port of call when the customer is going to spend their money.

A blog is a piece of writing, like an article, but more conversational. Because of their informal nature, they can help you form a relationship with your target market so they can better understand what you’re about. They’re brilliant for sculpting your reputation if you’re starting out, or good for expanding it if you’re established.

If you’re a business which specialises in tourism, some of your blog titles could look like this:

• Top ten French five-star hotels to stay in this Summer
• LGBTQ friendly countries to visit in 2024

How can I benefit from starting a blog?

• It shows you know your area of work
• It’s good for SEO (search engine optimisation). This is when your website ranks higher on Google.

Creative pointers:

• Make your blogs look good! Think about the design – what visual elements will you include, like photos and videos?
• Organise your work. Shorter paragraphs and lists are easier to take in compared to big blocks of writing.
• Have a newsletter sign-up option so people can subscribe for updates from you. 

In recent years, podcasts have become increasingly popular. They’re easy and convenient – people love listening to them on a walk, in the car or whilst they’re tidying the house. If you’re in an area of work that you’re passionate about and could discuss for days on end – a podcast might be for you. Plus, it doesn’t have to be expensive. You can decide how advanced you want to be with your equipment.

If you’re a business which specialises in trade, these could be some of your topics:

• How has Brexit affected trading?
• How does financial trading work?

How can I benefit from starting a podcast?

• Clients can see you as an expert in your area, and you can interview experts too which adds to this authority.
• They’re great at helping the ‘human’ element of your brand, and audiences love imagination.

Creative pointers:

• Think about including a guest in your podcast. This will add substance.
• Equally, can you guest and bring your expertise to other podcasts?
• Think about your podcast’s brand – for example, factors like music and the overall structure of your podcast.

Newsletters help you update your clients with anything new that might be happening in your business. By sending an email straight to their inbox, you’re developing a relationship directly with your clients. Getting people to sign up to your newsletter can be tricky but there are ways around this. For example, bring it up in meetings if someone is interested in what you do or give people the option to sign up through your website.

If you have a hairdressing business, these could be some examples of newsletter topics:

• Information about new hair dye brands arriving in the salon.
• Any news about deals on haircuts.

How can I benefit from sending out a newsletter?

• Keeps your brand fresh in the customers mind as they’re regularly hearing about what you can offer.
• Helps get the word out there about changes which people may be interested in.

Creative pointers:

• Make incentives for people to sign up – can you offer a discount?
• Think about the structure of your newsletter and stay consistent with it.
• Think about different media to include. For example, photos, videos, and graphics.

Case studies highlight success stories from your business. This might be about a client who was happy and is ok with being included. Or it might be a case study on a product you sell. These are usually included in a separate area within your website to have them all in one place. You can also repurpose them on your social media. 

If you own a small cake business, some examples of case studies could be:

• A case study about a cake you made that won an award.
• A case study about a business you collaborated with.

How can I benefit from writing case studies?

• Showcase your work to potential clients.
• Uses real stories to create authenticity.

Creative pointers:

• If you’re talking to real life people, add quotes for authenticity.
• You can be creative with a case study. Are you going to present it in a blog type or video format?

Webinars are live events which can also be recorded and uploaded for clients to watch later. Businesses often host these on topics around what they do, which helps them to directly interact with customers. You can also include interviews with other experts to further show you know your stuff.

If you work in estate agency, some examples of webinars might be:

• Can we predict when the housing market will crash?
• How to become an estate agent

How can I benefit from doing a webinar?

• There’s opportunity to build trust with your audience.
• You can promote your webinar on other platforms like social media.
• You can demonstrate practically how your product or service can solve a problem your target audience may be facing. 

Creative pointers:

• Include your audience. Are they going to join your webinar? Are the comments turned on?
• Include interesting guests who’ll add something exciting. 

Graphic design could map out a creative path for your business. This type of design is an artform that can be used across your social media platforms, on your website and for blog posts (to name just a few).

How can I benefit from using graphic design?

• It can bring your brand to life in a distinctive way. 
• It’s visual and many people prefer to take things in this way rather than reading.

Creative pointers:

• Think about why you want to include graphic design, where will it work best?
• Consider using graphic design to tell a story. Photography can be used in places instead of words.

Many clients may be curious about your business and doing a Q&A or interview session can answer some of these burning questions. If you’re regularly asked the same questions, answering these in a blog post will be a big help to your audience. Alternatively you could distribute it as a social media post. 

How can you benefit from Q&A posts and interviews?

• An easy solution to giving people the information they need.
• It’s a quick way for clients to get answers and “self-serve”

Creative pointers:

• Consider interviewing someone who hasn’t been widely interviewed before.
• Think about filming your interview or Q&A and posting it in a video format.

Like a case study, these are a great way to showcase your work. But they can also be used in many other creative ways. For example, ‘unboxing’ videos.

If you work as a florist some examples of videography and photography that you might want to include are:  

• Photos of your flowers across your website and social media.
• Videos interviews of clients with permission who are happy with their purchases.

How can I benefit from photography and videography?

• You can show off your work.
• It’s a creative way to engage audiences and keep them on your site longer.

Creative pointers:

• Think about using videos as a means to explain more ‘involved’ topic in your industry.
• Creative a ‘how to’ video can be really useful.
• Could you go behind-the-scenes? It can make your content more relatable showcasing a work-in-progress and the craft involved in what you do. 

This type of content is good for keeping people on your site as long as possible. This can include quizzes, question boxes and polls. It’s also great social media fodder.

If you renovate bathrooms, some examples of interactive content and tools are:

• A quiz on your Instagram story about what different parts of the shower are called.
• A poll on X about what someone would consider their dream bathroom.

How can I benefit from using interactive content and tools?

• You can collect data, like how many people are interacting with this, to decide where to go next with your marketing strategy.
• It gets people thinking – especially about your brand.

Creative pointers:

• Make sure your interactive content looks interesting or people might not bother with it. Use big graphics and bold text to grab people’s attention.

These are longer form written content pieces designed to help your clients gain insight into your business or a related area. It suggests you have authority in this area of work and makes you more trustworthy. You can create a guide on different areas within your subject of work or focus on one part.

How can I benefit from using Ebooks and guides?

• You can include the option for people to sign up to your newsletter during the process of downloading the guides.
• You can ‘gate’ the guide (where people have to input their information) to generate leads.
• They might even help you learn more about your area of work.

Creative pointers:

• Consider a fun design for your guides. What visuals will you include?
• Include niche topics which others haven’t spoken about.

We’ve put together a blog with 42 free resources to inspire and energise your business. This includes:

Pinterest:

This is a brilliant app and social media network that includes mood boards and images to create inspiration. It’s great for creativity and making your content engaging.

Social media:

What’s happening now? What are people interested in? Scrolling through different platforms from photos to videos might spark an idea in your mind. There’s also platforms like TikTok Creative Centre that shows what’s trending.

Ask your audience!

What do your clients want to see? Asking on social media or sending out a newsletter asking could benefit you in the long run. If you’re making content for a specific audience, you need to know what they want.