Content marketing in Australia has been picking up pace for a couple of years now. Google tells us the search trend for the term 'content marketing' is on the up, while according to one research report, spending on content marketing in Australia is set to increase by 61 per cent, with 12 per cent of respondents saying they will be 'significantly increasing' their budget this year.
Obviously this augurs well for the nascent content marketing 'industry' in Australia.
In the spirit of highlighting the positives locally, here are examples of 17 Australian brands doing content marketing well.
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17 Excellent Examples of Content Marketing in Australia
1. 17 excellent examples of
CONTENT MARKETING
in Australia
By Trevor Young
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
2. 17 excellent examples of
CONTENT MARKETING
in Australia
By Trevor Young
Content
marke+ng
in
Australia
has
been
picking
up
pace
for
a
couple
of
years
now.
Google
tells
us
the
search
trend
for
the
term
'content
marke+ng'
is
on
the
up,
while
according
to
one
research
report,
spending
on
content
marke+ng
in
Australia
is
set
to
increase
by
61
per
cent,
with
12
per
cent
of
respondents
saying
they
will
be
'significantly
increasing'
their
budget
this
year.
Obviously
this
augurs
well
for
the
nascent
content
marke+ng
'industry'
in
Australia.
In
the
spirit
of
highligh+ng
the
posi+ves
locally,
here
are
examples
of
17
Australian
brands
doing
content
marke+ng
well.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
3. hFp://www.writerscentre.com.au/
The Australian Writers’ Centre (formerly the Sydney
Writers’ Centre) continues to grow its community of
supporters, fans and advocates, and as a consequence,
business is thriving.
The centre - under the steady hand of its founder,
author, speaker and entrepreneur Valerie Khoo
(@valeriekhoo) - is a classic case study in what TO DO
when it comes to social media and content marketing.
And the Australian Writers’ Centre does it all well. Let’s
see: An information-rich, well-written blog (check) – a
hard copy and digital magazine (check) – a podcast
featuring interviews with authors (check) – an email
newsletter (check) – YouTube videos, again featuring
interviews with authors and publishers – plus active
social networking accounts, events and meetups that
bring its community together. A first class effort!
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
4. www.trinityp3.com
TrinityP3 is a growing international independent
strategic marketing management consultancy that
assists marketers, advertisers and procurement
departments with agency search and selection,
agency engagement and alignment.
A well-maintained, information-rich blog sits at
the heart of TrinityP3's content efforts – it’s been
very successful too, growing its readership 300%
year-on-year since 2011. However, the company
also has a solid presence on SlideShare and
YouTube, and is active across the likes of Twitter
and LinkedIn.
Cleverly, TrinityP3’s founder Darren Woolley
has turned the blog’s top 50 posts from
2013 into a hard copy and digital book.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
5. www.intrepidtravel.com
Eco-friendly adventure travel company Intrepid Travel uses content and social media to connect and
inspire its customers.
YouTube videos and an active blog form the core of the brand's content marketing efforts. The
company’s blog is all about "real travel, real traveller tales” and is jam-packed with photos and stories,
travel ideas, tips and advice. However, Intrepid has taken things a step further content-wise by entering
into a partnership with The Perennial Plate – the chef and documentary-maker duo, Daniel Klein and
Mirra Fine – to produce a series of videos under the ‘Real Food World Tour’ banner.
Followings on Google+ (over 1.1 million), Facebook (175K) and Twitter (40K) are clear evidence this is a
brand that knows how to build its community through connection and storytelling.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
6. www.lornajane.com.au
Women's activewear brand Lorna Jane
continues to go from strength to strength in the
content marketing stakes, both here in Australia
and overseas where the brand is actively
expanding.
Its standalone Move Nourish Believe website
essentially acts as the brand's content hub - it
features heaps of articles of interest and
relevance to its target audience i.e. it doesn't
just focus on Lorna Jane products but covers
topics of interest for its audience, including
healthy eating, skincare, motivation and
lifestyle, plus profiles of Lorna Jane 'active living
advocates’; plus forums, videos, healthy recipes
and details regarding upcoming Lorna Jane
events.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
7. www.anecdote.com/
Blogging regularly and with purpose has been
critical in not only building awareness of 'corporate
storytelling' consultancy Anecdote, but also
demonstrating its expertise and developing
relationships with prospective clients.
The Anecdote blog, now over nine years old, still
acts as the 'engine room' of the firm’s overall
marketing effort and helps its partners to develop
relationships with professional executives (read:
potential customers) from all around the world.
A monthly e-newsletter ('Anecdotally'), speaking
engagements and whitepapers - along with the
blog - form the core of Anecdote’s content
strategy, while Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook all
contribute along the way.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
8. hFp://stewartmedia.biz/
The guiding light behind Melbourne SEO company
StewArt Media – Jim Stewart – was ‘doing’ content
marketing long before it was fashionable i.e. he started
video blogging in 2006 (but was active in online video as
far back as 1999).
Jim makes the list because of his sheer commitment to
the cause. Anyone who produces 400+ (weekly) videos
aimed at educating the public on SEO topics such as
Google authorship, webmaster tools, backlinks and
keywords – giving away his ‘secrets’, his stock-in-trade
expertise and knowledge that he charges good money for
– should be applauded. His videos are raw and genuine,
effectively bringing Jim’s true personality to the fore.
As a result of his video blogging – plus his regular activity
on social networks such as Twitter (@jimboot) – has helped
Jim build a reputation as an authority on SEO and search
engine marketing nationally and beyond.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
9. www.myob.com.au
Australian accounting software company MYOB continues to grow its 'must-read' multi-author blog
aimed fairly and squarely at the company's core target market - Australian small businesses.
Called The Pulse, the blog provides "news, views and ideas for your business" written by in-house
staffers plus a solid roll-call of subject matter experts.
The company's decision to blog across a multitude of topics that are of interest and relevance to its
audience, not just the obvious subjects such as accounting, tax and finance, is a key reason for the
blog’s continued success with its target audience.
(DISCLOSURE: I'm a regular contributor to the MYOB blog).
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
10. http://www.kikki-k.com/
kikki.K, the Swedish-inspired retail chain that's
home to all things stationery and home/office
organisation, was established in 2001 by creative
entrepreneur, Kristina Karlsson. Today, the brand has
over 70 boutique stores across Australia, New
Zealand and Singapore, plus an online boutique that
services the rest of the world.
A stylish 'Inspiration' blog that reflects perfectly the
style and substance of the kikki.K brand is the jewel
in the brand's content crown; it's actively maintained
and well structured in terms of specific categories
(e.g. An Organised Life, Food Inspiration & Recipes,
Styling & DIY Projects plus quick Q&A conversations
with artistic individuals), while the Happiness
Collaborative Project is a nice touch and comes from
the heart of the brand's founder.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
11. http://openwealthcreation.com.au/
Open Wealth Creation’s team of property specialists guide
people step-by-step to build successful investment portfolios
in the Australian market. Transparency via the relentless
provision of relevant information - content that educates and
empowers - has been the cornerstone of the company's
content marketing strategy.
One of the reasons Open Wealth Creation's content efforts are
having such a positive impact on the business is because the
concept has been wholly embraced by founder and CEO, Cam
McLellan.
Cam has written and self-published a book (from which he has
also produced a free PDF mini-ebook), writes with the help of
his team a regular blog (which includes articles and
information-based videos), plus provides visitors to the Open
Wealth Creation website with free access to a 13-part video
education series (email required for the latter).
INTERVIEW/CASE STUDY: How content marketing helped boost
this property entrepreneur’s sales by 400%
expermedia.com.au
(DISCLOSURE: I worked with Cam and the team to help them
develop and implement their content marketing strategy).
trevoryoung.me
12. hFp://www.problogger.net/
Problogger is both a business and an individual – a perfect
blend of personal brand meets business brand.
But let’s focus on the personal brand. Melbourne-based Darren
Rowse (right) is Problogger – an internationally recognised
professional blogger whose two blogs – Problogger and Digital
Photography School (DPS) – attract over five million unique
visitors per month, making his brand more popular than most
major traditional media mastheads in this country. Stop and
think about that for a moment – it’s a wonderful achievement!
But what Rowse understands better than most is having people
consume his content is one thing, but turning them into a
community of loyal fans and followers of his blogs, is another.
This is where channels such as Twitter (202,000 followers –
105,000 for DPS), Facebook (60,000 likes – 285,000 for DPS)
and conference events have worked in Problogger’s favour.
A weekly newsletter and a growing series of ebooks (sold on
the Problogger website as well as via a series of affiliate
partners globally) round out the Rowse’s growing contentbased mini-empire.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
13. http://telstra.com.au/
Telstra has been one of the leading lights when it comes to
adopting social media for the enterprise in Australia.
In terms of social media alone, Telstra has 55,000 followers on
Twitter, 483,000 likes on Facebook (Telstra24x7 brand page),
while 72,000+ people have them in their circles on Google+.
Importantly, Telstra has maintained a corporate blog for many
years, with posts written by a sweep of experts from within the
organisation. Called Telstra Exchange, the blog covers
technology, community issues and initiatives, as well as Telstra
news.
The company has also produced case studies, audio podcasts,
whitepapers, NEXT (newsletter for the enterprise) and reports
(e.g. Towards a Clever Australia 2013). Meanwhile, the brand's
free magazine for small business - Smarter Business Ideas (sent
regularly to 300,000 SMEs) - is a top notch long term content
marketing initiative.
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
14. http://www.netregistry.com.au/
Netregistry provides online services such as web
hosting, domain name registration and web design.
At the core of Netregistry's content efforts is its
well-maintained blog, which covers all things online
marketing in a simple and sharp manner.
But wait, there's more (resources). The company's
stockpile of online videos is solid; I particularly like
the way they've segmented them into relevant
categories, along with transcripts. Ditto with an ebook series, all nicely categorised for easy access.
Then there is a beginner's guide, archived webinars,
and the company's long-running joint-venture
business magazine Nett (plus its accompanying
information-rich website).
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
15. Commonwealth Bank seems to have made a genuine
commitment to content marketing, versus merely
dipping its ‘big corporate toe’ in the water like so
many other blue-chip brands in Australia.
The bank's blog has multiple authors and covers
various categories, including ‘Your Money’, ‘Your
Business’, ‘Your Bank’.
However, the jewel of Commonwealth Bank's content
marketing crown is its Women in Focus initiative - "a
community of women who are doing extraordinary
things”
(https://www.womeninfocus.com.au/ )
Women in Focus is brilliant - well thought out and
executed - and is a genuine, active community,
complete with forum ('Community Noticeboard'),
events listing, publications and blogs, videos, Comm
Bank Insights and social media channels.
The brand’s CommBank Entrepreneurs Hub, which
contains a 'What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You?' video
series, also shows promise.
https://www.commbank.com.au/
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
16. hFp://firebrandtalent.com/
I’ve written about the recruitment specialist
Firebrand Talent a number of times … and
with good reason! Firebrand is an wonderful
example of what can be achieved if you
approach your social media and content
marketing with purpose, enthusiasm and
strategic intent.
Firebrand is still a relatively new company (it
was launched late in 2010) but has managed to
build a significantly strong profile within the
digital, marketing and communications space
as a result of its social media and content
marketing efforts.
INTERVIEW/CASE
STUDY:
How
Firebrand
Talent
used
blogging
and
social
media
to
grow
its
brand
from
scratch
(DISCLOSURE: I'm a regular contributor to the Firebrand blog).
expermedia.com.au
Firebrand’s well-produced multi-author blog
(‘Ideas Ignition’) is seriously jam-packed with
top-notch articles designed to empower the
brand’s core audience groups – employers and
job-seekers. Carolyn Hyams from Firebrand
describes the blog as “like Central Station;
that’s where all our content comes out of, all
our thought leadership”.
trevoryoung.me
17. hFps://www.atlassian.com/
Sydney-based* software company Atlassian is cut
from a different cloth than many (most?) Australian
companies. This, from the company’s about page:
“Come on in and say g'day to the geeks, beer
drinkers, nerf herders, fraggers, and Wolverinewannabes that make up Atlassian.”
With a culture of learning and sharing, it’s no wonder
that Atlassian is a blogging enthusiast as well as a
community builder via social channels Twitter,
Facebook, Google+), user events, forums, webinars
and hackathons.
The company also produces videos. A lot of them!
Some are serious, some are fun and irreverent
(designed to appeal to the dev community). All in all,
Atlassian is about using content to bring its brand
(and corporate culture) to life!
*
Atlassian
also
has
offices
in
San
Francisco
and
Amsterdam
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
18. hFp://www.podlegal.com.au/
Pod Legal is a thriving Australian boutique law firm run by
Karan and Jamie White that specialises in intellectual
property , technology and social media law.
Pod Legal makes the list not just because of the amount of
valuable free content it publishes on the web (plus the high
levels of social media activity undertaken by the two
directors) but because they’re doing it within the confines of
what is a conservative and risk-averse industry that dislikes
giving away its IP.
Pod Legal provides a raft of helpful articles, PDF ebooks,
detailed answers to FAQs – even cartoons (‘Podtoons’) that
simplify a number of legal dilemmas. Its free annual event
celebrating World IP Day caps off a stellar content
marketing effort!
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
19. hFp://www.bluewiremedia.com.au/
Bluewire Media is run by two young Australian
entrepreneurs, Adam Franklin and Toby Jenkins.
The company has been relentless in providing utilitybased content that educates and empowers marketers
and small businesses.
EXAMPLES: A Web Strategy Blog that regularly
publishes informative posts around getting the most
from your internet marketing efforts; a video interview
series with ‘heavy hitters’ from the world of social
media and content marketing; more free tools, ebooks
and planning templates you can ‘poke a stick at’ - plus
the company runs its own high quality social media
marketing events (DISCLOSURE: I presented at the
2013 Bluewire Media social media conference).
All in all, a great case study in content publishing belief
and perseverance!
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me
20. 17 excellent examples of
CONTENT MARKETING
in Australia
By Trevor Young | @trevoryoung on Twitter
expermedia.com.au
trevoryoung.me