Best practice: McKinsey’s Content Marketing Strategy

Do you know exactly what content marketing is and why more and more organizations are using content marketing to retain customers and attract new ones? Excellent, but there is no single right approach to content marketing, and we can all use some inspiration. That’s why today we focus on one of the most well-known business service providers in the world; McKinsey & Company. How does this industry leader use content marketing to earn trust and convey expertise? After reading this article, you will know which aspects of McKinsey’s content marketing strategy can be directly applied in your organization.

McKinsey’s Positioning

McKinsey has been among the absolute top in its field for years and is even one of the founders of what we now call strategy. The company positions itself as the go-to partner for ‘senior management’ and has shown for years that it knows exactly what this target group needs. The company serves the absolute top of companies worldwide and to stay in the game, it has taken ‘walk the talk’ very literally for years.

McKinsey Insights: from trade magazine to online platform

In 1964, McKinsey published the first edition of its trade magazine, the Quarterly. A magazine in which McKinsey partners and external experts publish articles on various business topics. It didn’t take long before the magazine earned worldwide recognition for its unique perspective on the current challenges of its readers. The magazine is a good example of what content marketing looked like back then and has certainly paid off for the organization.

Digitalization is now one of the company’s most important themes and is therefore high on its own agenda. The challenge for McKinsey was how to maintain its lead. The answer was McKinsey Insights, an online marketing platform that can now also be accessed via the most common phones and tablets and bundles all McKinsey knowledge on one platform. By offering the same quality content but through digital channels, McKinsey remains relevant and accessible on all devices for its target audience.

Content distribution: LinkedIn and other social media channels

Content marketing obviously stands or falls with good content, but the next step is that this content actually reaches the target audience. Where the McKinsey Quarterly landed on the target audience’s doorstep every few months, this is a very different story in all the internet noise. The company realizes this and has therefore fully embraced channels like LinkedIn and Facebook. Besides an active company page and sharing the Quarterly/Insights articles via its own network, McKinsey’s David Edelman is an influential influencer and part of LinkedIn’s own content platform.

Conclusion: the core of McKinsey’s content marketing strategy

Its work with the world’s largest companies and the large in-house team of specialists ensures that McKinsey can produce content like no other. The company supports findings or theories with research among its own clients and daily shows which questions people should bring to McKinsey. The company secures the right audience by making good use of its own status and connections and can therefore appear on any platform.

Your organization is probably not McKinsey, but that doesn’t mean your specialized knowledge can’t lead to very engaging content that is essential for your (interaction with) customers. Then use your status and market recognition to create a platform for yourself so that your message actually reaches your target audience. And don’t be discouraged; even McKinsey spent years (and still does) building their platform and reach. But you can take the first steps now!

Are you already working with content marketing or are you not convinced yet? We would love to hear your experiences and opinions on this topic; maybe we can learn from each other! Get in touch via LinkedIn, Twitter, or our contact page. Want to stay informed about new articles and the latest developments? Then sign up for our newsletter!

De Merkelijkheid supports various companies in their content marketing, both in strategy and creation. Curious about your first step? We’d be happy to tell you more.