Known for producing heady flavours as well as halitosis, could the humble garlic clove also be an unmined source of content marketing inspiration?
Garlic, that staple of store cupboards everywhere. Lasagna is lost without it; curries are left cowed; bouillabaisse bereft.
Garlic may have conquered the culinary world, but The Garlic Farm, hailing from the Isle of Wight, has coaxed out garlic’s most pungent aroma of all: content marketing enlightenment.
So grab your tickets for the Wightlink ferry and some preparatory parsley as Content Desk delves into The Garlic Farm’s blooming bulb of inspiration.
Social media
A cornerstone for any competent content marketer, and yet one so commonly neglected.
The Garlic Farm provides a good example of a firm getting social media right. In addition to regular updates concerning news, events and other developments in the world of garlic, The Garlic Farm is highly engaged with its internet following (including famous faces such as TV chef Nigel Slater).
Is your social media offering all it could be? Are you engaging with interested followers and building up links with industry influencers? If not, perhaps you should take a leaf out of The Garlic Farm’s book (or a clove from their garlicky bulb).
Events
Attending and participating in industry events can supply content marketers with cutting-edge insights, and the benefits of producing more immersive, experiential content have been analysed in detail on this blog. Yet making the most of live content marketing is an area in which most content marketers are conspicuously lacking.
Enter The Garlic Farm, a regular presence at food events across the UK. Their farm is open to the public all year round, providing an education centre extolling the health benefits of garlic and allowing visitors to sample the firms’ many condimental delights.
A proactive live strategy need not be confined to the world of garlic; these are tips with resonance for content marketers.
Content diversity
A varied approach is a vital component of a complete content solution. The whole point of content marketing is that simply having a good product or service isn’t enough; underpinning it with an effective content strategy can boost brand relationships, aid digital presence and ultimately drive profits.
Once again The Garlic Farm is paving the way. Aside from its main task of selling their produce, the website has a blog covering innovations in the world of garlic as well as a dedicated recipe section (containing some deftly integrated links to garlic-related merchandise and produce).
Diversifying your core content offering can bring with it a range of benefits; enhanced SEO presence, extended brand expertise and an improved range of leads to draw from. The Garlic Farm’s complementary content shows how to get this right.
Local content
In an increasingly interconnected, digitised world, mass marketing is no longer the answer; personalisation and local content is key. Combining the need for local grounding with maximum reach can pull marketers in opposite directions, but it’s a balance that The Garlic Farm has managed to strike successfully.
Just take a look at their branding. A lists of stockists says “swashbuckling garlic manufacturers”, but their Isle of Wight-centred packaging and marketing says “lovable artisan producers”. And why not? The Garlic Farm’s local roots are crucial to their identity and have provided a springboard for national success.
Consumers demand content that is acutely relevant to them. Producing content with a local slant is one way to make this happen, and the importance of doing so is growing all the time.
Expert tips
Are you making the most of the talent on your team? Do you have account executives desperate to offer their expertise or insight managers itching to inject some data-driven content?
The Garlic Farm is ahead of the curve in its efficient use of human resources. Consider not only the cookery section mentioned above, but also the garlic farmer’s blog. Few in the world of garlic are as informed on the subject as this chap, and his expertise has been used to full effect to enhance The Garlic Farm’s online presence.
When done right, recruiting expert help from within your own organisation can drive page views, engagement and brand loyalty far into the future by offering a twist on a conventional content offering. Its evergreen advantages are not to be overlooked.
Brilliance out of bad breath
Garlic and content marketing may be unlikely bedfellows, but their connections are copious. In this competitive industry, there is inspiration to be found everywhere.
So the next time you’re in the supermarket garlic section, think not merely of its culinary capabilities – consider also its hidden depths as a social media superstar and live content luminary. The Garlic Farm is reinventing the light bulb moment – from now on, content marketers will speak of the industry’s garlic bulb revelation.
