These companies in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont are building their business through inbound marketing with great success.
While our content marketing agency is based in the beautiful state of Maine (update: as of 2019 we have relocated Eucalypt to the Jacksonville, FL region), our clients are all over the place. To be honest, we rarely have a chance to dress up for a meeting, given that the majority of our client interactions occur via phone, email, and Skype.
While we’re not out there attending non-stop networking events, we’ve been keeping a close eye on how companies in New England are adapting to the growth of content marketing, and have been lucky to work with numerous regional clients. And I’m happy to say that many of the ones we’ve studied have a great knack for how to use content to raise visibility and build their brands. We previously spotlighted a number of Maine’s best content marketing programs in 2012—now it’s time to take a fresh look around the state, along with our neighbors in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
With a nod to John Irving’s wonderful Cider House Rules, here are some of the current “princes of Maine and kings of New England” in our eyes, when it comes to content marketing around the region.
IDEXX is a worldwide leader in keeping animals healthy with their products and services for pets and livestock. No wonder, then, that IDEXX’s foray into content marketing focuses on promoting valuable content about helping animal companions stay healthy. IDEXX’ Pet Health Network is filled with vet-provided health advice; videos about fascinating topics such as “why do dogs drag their butts?,” and stories about heroic pets who’ve protected their human families and other heartstring-tugging content.
The Hannaford grocery store chain is home to thousands of food, health, and wellness products—and its content marketing efforts are largely dedicated to helping customers make the most of its offerings. The store’s bimonthly Fresh magazine features recipes featuring in-season produce available at Hannaford markets, as well as spotlights on particular ingredients and profiles of Hannaford employees. The company also features the “Close to Home” video and magazine series, which works to spotlight the local farmers who supply much of the stores’ produce. These efforts not only help customers learn how to make the most of their Hannaford purchases, but help them feel closer to the people who produce the food, building a stronger connection with the brand.
Based primarily in Bar Harbor, The Jackson Laboratory is a global leader in using genetic research to identify the causes of and treatments for diseases that affect humans. While Jackson Lab publishes scientific research in academic journals frequently, it also offers a beautiful quarterly magazine, The Search, which is aimed at non-scientists. The Search spotlights researchers’ breakthroughs, and profiles philanthropists and other contributors who make the Jackson Lab’s work possible. The magazine helps to engage a broader community in discussions about science and genetic research, fostering support and awareness far beyond its internal network of researchers.
This cloud-based Internet performance solutions provider knows the value of useful, informative content. The company’s “Content Hub” offers visitors a wealth of information related to email delivery and website uptime, the two main problem areas the company helps its clients address. There, you’ll find white papers, ebooks, case studies, recorded webinars, and videos, all focused around helping businesses conquer their technology problems.
This New Hampshire organic yogurt company broadcasts its values to the world with a photo-rich, regularly updated blog, “The Yogurt Dish.” The Dish includes a mix of voices, including both Stonyfield employees and bloggers who focus on healthy food and farming. With garden pest control tips, news on pesticides and GMOs, and, of course, plenty of great recipes for yogurt-containing meals and desserts, The Yogurt Dish is well worth savoring.
This Boston-based energy efficiency consulting company provides an online education center for homeowners interested in learning more about energy efficiency and solar power. The site’s “Energy Center” hosts a regularly-updated blog filled with tips and advice on increasing energy efficiency; videos showcasing energy efficiency evaluations, installations, and roofing; and customer success stories that illustrate the results of Next Step Living’s work.
This outsourced help desk solution, based in Boston, is extremely, for lack of a better word, helpful when it comes to providing useful advice and information for prospects and customers. The company’s blog shares tips on subjects such as writing a customer support job description, successful customer case studies, and round-ups of must-see videos for entrepreneurs. The company’s resources section has a robust assortment of white papers, guides, and infographics to help prospects achieve optimal success with customer support, with or without HelpScout’s assistance.
Green Mountain Coffee owns the Keurig “pod” coffee brand, and coffee-lovers can visit Keurig’s blog for all kinds of interesting trivia, advice, and tidbits, including craft ideas for reusing all those coffee pods; breakfast and other coffee-accompanying recipes; and details about fair trade and sustainability in the coffee business.
This company makes sustainably produced fair trade condoms, and as you might expect, its blog, “In-ter-course,” is pretty sexy—though in a smart, eco-conscious fashion. The blog, which the company refers to as “a long-term relationship with good sex,” touches on topics such as the controversial Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision; a round-up of steamy Netflix movie recs; and interesting stats on the decline of condom usage.
Now it’s your turn to chime in: What other New England companies are knocking it out of the park when it comes to content marketing?
Kathryn Hawkins is principal and chief content strategist of Eucalypt Media. She has worked as a freelance journalist for media publications and managed inbound marketing and content strategy for corporate and nonprofit clients for more than 16 years.
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