Marketers seem to move at the speed of light, rarely taking a moment to slow down, reflect--and even celebrate.
Recognizing the amazing work we as marketers do allows us to learn and better plan for the future. This act of introspection is essential for our ongoing improvement and success.
Our friends at the Content Marketing Institute aim to accomplish this by recognizing the best of the best with its annual Content Marketing Awards (CMAs). Not to be confused with the Country Music Awards (also CMAs), The 2017 Content Marketing Awards include 92 categories awarding all aspects of content marketing, all the way from strategy and distribution to design and editorial.
This year, Travelocity and Microsoft (two Traackr customers) were recognized in the 2017 Content Marketing Awards. These marketers hit the high note for their influencer-focused strategies. Travelocity won first runner up for Best Content Marketing Program in Travel/Tourism and Microsoft Education won first place in Developing Trustworthy Content by Empowering Microsoft’s Education Innovators. (See the full list of 2017 CMA Winners.)
Despite these strategies competing in different categories, the two brands share a common thread: excellence in influencer marketing. To better understand the role influencers played in both of these strategies, let’s walk through each of these winning programs.
As the world’s first Online Travel Agency (OTA), Travelocity’s mission is to inspire people to travel and be their champion throughout the journey. Travelocity set out to reverse the widespread perception that OTAs are purely transactional by creating a community of travel experts known as The Gnomads. Travelocity leverages these 500+ influencers to create engaging, travel-specific content, and achieves this by building authentic relationships.
Building Advocacy by Focusing on the Long-Term
Fueling Content Creation with Industry Experts
Travelocity’s content has even been singled out by the New York Times, “surprisingly useful travel articles in its “Get Inspired” section, including write-ups on Spanish sparkling wines and ideas for family-friendly locales in Ireland.”
"We think of our influencers as strategic content producers; they are an extension of our marketing program. Considering the value back, this is a great investment. Understanding the value of the influencers within your industry is critical to today’s business success." —Laura Cleary, Senior Social Media Manager, Travelocity
With over 7,000 Microsoft Innovation Education Experts (MIE Experts) worldwide, this tight-knit community helps Microsoft integrate the innovators’ voices into their entire marketing, content and product development programs by:
Driving Content Strategy with Community Building
Powering Content Creation via Product Feedback Loop
“We’re truly relying on the MIE Expert community to provide us not only with an authentic voice and viewpoint on how Microsoft technologies and tools get integrated in the classroom to drive student engagement and academic results; these are also our strongest reviewers and best advocates and we want to provide them with a communications platform and help them amplify their brand.” —Eve Psalti, Director of Education Programs, Microsoft
By building meaningful influencer partnerships, Travelocity and Microsoft were able to see success.
To learn more about winning content marketing strategies in real life, join us at Content Marketing World (CMW) happening in Cleveland September 5th through the 8th. Register today with code SPONSOR100 for $100 off any event pass. Join us for an influencer marketing panel featuring more Traackr customers who have successfully tackled the biggest hurdles in influencer marketing. Register today and join us in Cleveland!
For online influencer marketing conversations, join our brand new Slack group. Focused on connecting marketers executing influencer strategies, this group is designed to facilitate conversations and connect like-minded marketers. If you have a question, useful advice, or are ready to learn, join the IM at CMW Slack group today.
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