Insights into Corporate Blogs: MailChimp, AirBnB, Free People
Content marketing has become an invaluable strategy for any business that wants to successfully develop a community of loyal customers connected with their brand. Scripted will highlight industry leaders who are successfully leveraging the power of content marketing to provide honest and valuable resources that resonate with their customers in ways that are both informative and entertaining.
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MailChimp
MailChimp is an electronic newsletter platform that lets members design custom newsletters with ease. They have a casual, user-friendly personality, and keep an on-site blog that provides useful and interesting content on a weekly or bi-monthly basis.
Some of their content is product-specific, but much of it offers helpful advice on newsletter content and analytics, like this post on tracking welcome emails. They sometimes do case studies of their customers, or provide expert tips on things to do and things to avoid when sending newsletters. Their content is always original and thoughtfully delivered. MailChimp has over 1.2 million users taking advantage of its services.
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AirBnB
AirBnB is a community marketplace where people can list and rent apartment spaces. Potential travelers can choose housing in locations like Rio de Janeiro, Venice, and San Francisco. They have positioned themselves as a trusted source for reliable, short-term housing options, and their website is clean, polished and easy to use. They rotate photos of their listings and feature neighborhood guides for cities around the world in order to give users a glimpse into certain popular areas. At the end of 2012, the company had over 6 million users.
They host an on-site blog that provides users with useful information (and even some more amusing posts, like “7 Terrible Travel Habits We Love to Hate”). The blog features posts on exotic “secret spots” to visit, various new features on the site, and several fun contests, like the photo competition on Instagram offering $2000 worth of travel credit to the user with the least cliche photo.
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Free People
blog.freepeople.com/
A clothing store under the Urban Outfitters umbrella of companies, Free People markets to young women who identify with their five different genres of clothing (bohemian, girly, tomboy, body-con, and beach).
Meant to create a community vibe, the Free People blog goes beyond just clothing, offering posts on fashion, music, beauty, food, DIY, and decor. The blog also features various videos, as well as deemed “inspiration” posts (like this one on hugging) which aim to inspire readers with quotes, books, art, and photography. By including posts on more than just their actual product, the blog helps market the Free People brand as not only clothing but a type of lifestyle for its consumers.
