Other than Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, and the end of the school year, the month of May might not mean a whole lot to most people. However, for the City of Indianapolis and avid sports enthusiasts like myself, May means one thing: the Indianapolis 500. Each year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, 33 drivers reach speeds of up to 230 miles per hour in hopes of winning at one of the most historic racetracks in the world–the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Later this month marks the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. In celebration of this occasion, let’s take a look at three content marketing tips that you can take away from the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”:
- Don’t be afraid to be creative. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500 event organizers do an incredible job of finding new ways to get fans excited about the race every year. In preparation for one of the most anticipated 500’s to date, race officials announced that this year’s race ticket would be made of clear plastic instead of paper, allowing attendees to more easily preserve their ticket to the race. In your content marketing efforts, don’t hesitate to stray from your usual routine. It is easy for marketers to draft a quick blog or social media post about their company, but investing just a little more time every once in awhile can lead to interesting, outside-the-box content that is sure to attract new prospects and impress clients.
- Know your audience and what they want from your content. Having gone to the Indianapolis 500 since I was little, I can confidently say that one of the most celebrated aspects of race day (besides the race) is simply the tradition. From the singing of God Bless America and Back Home Again in Indiana, to the flyover and the pace-car laps, fans may at first come to the Indianapolis 500 for the racing, but they come back year after year for the tradition. Race officials know that it is the tradition and routine of the event that brings spectators back each May, so they continue with these things each year. At your company, you can work with your client success team to figure out what types of content your audience enjoys the most. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics can also be useful to analyze social media and website metrics in order to determine what content performed the best, statistically. By knowing your audience, your target personas, and what they are looking to get from your content (whether it’s a blog post, social media account, or a whitepaper), you can more effectively plan and create successful content for the future.
- Provide different content for customers in different stages of the customer lifecycle. Anyone who has been to the Indianapolis 500 or any of the 500 Festival events knows that there is much more going on during the month than the race itself. From the 500 Festival Mini Marathon to Carb Day, a wide variety of events offer something for everyone of all ages–even if you’re not a huge race fan. This is part of the reason why the Indianapolis 500 is such a popular event here in Indiana, as race organizers tailor events to draw in audiences of all backgrounds and ages. Marketing efforts at any company are more successful when marketers tailor the content to specific audiences, clients, or prospects. For instance, brand loyal clients and long-term customers desire content specific to their use case, or more technical articles regarding the use of your product. On the other hand, prospects should be receiving thought leadership and communications designed to increase awareness.
Content marketing is critical to the success of any marketing team. In fact, the most effective B2B marketers spend 39% of their marketing budgets on content. By utilizing these three tips in your content marketing efforts, your company will experience greater successes in the creation and distribution of content to your audience.
So, ladies and gentlemen, get to work and start your engines!
