You know, you can learn stuff from the most unlikely places.
To be specific, a great example of how to do content marketing the right way was recently demonstrated by Chipotle, our favorite fast-and-awesome burrito eatery. A few months ago, Chipotle did something widely perceived as blasphemous in the restaurant industry—it gave away the recipe for its mouth-watering guacamole on its website. Totally free, available to anyone, please try this at home, enjoy.
While this act may have seemed insane to those in the food business, it was a brilliant move in further strengthening the Chipotle brand.
Chipotle’s tagline is “Food with Integrity.” The chain has gained a loyal and growing nation of fans with its commitment to humanely raised animals, local produce, organic ingredients, and fresh preparation (there are no freezers, microwaves, or can openers at any of the restaurants). It is completely open and up-front about its sourcing and operations.
The revelation of its guac recipe is simply an extension of this transparency and further builds on the trust and respect Chipotle enjoys with its audience. It demonstrated that it sees highly valuable content as an important part of its customer relationships rather than as a corporate asset that must be protected at all costs.
Will some folks now stop buying the guacamole and, armed with the recipe, make it at home from now on? A few might. Has Chipotle gained even more love, loyalty, and business from millions of customers nationwide? Absolutely.
The takeaway here is that when you give prospects and customers valuable information that enriches their lives a bit more, at little cost to you, everybody wins. That’s content (condiment?) marketing in a nutshell.