When I moderated a panel for DC Communicators at the National Building Museum, we asked communicators from four very different organizations how they used content marketing to reach their goals: the campaign then called Nothing But Nets, Medium, the Association of American Railroads and PhRMA.
A lot has changed with content marketing over the years. Platforms have come and gone, AI has reshaped how people search, and short video is everywhere. Here's what they shared and what it means for your business.
What the panelists taught us
Rachel Henderson, Nothing But Nets (now United to Beat Malaria): No budget? Get creative.
How does a two-person communications team with no advertising budget get people to care about a disease most Americans never face? Rachel's answer was content and partnerships.
Malaria is still one of the world's deadliest diseases. The World Health Organization estimates it caused 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths in 2024. In Africa, where most deaths occur, three out of four were children under five. Awareness drove everything the campaign did.
Two things made the difference:
Visual storytelling. An early Sports Illustrated story helped put malaria on people's radar.
The right partners. Stephen Curry's "3 for 3" pledge, three bed nets for every three-pointer he made, turned basketball fans into supporters of a cause they might never have noticed.
But Rachel was clear that a famous name isn't enough. People need to hear a message several times, in several places, before they act. Her rule of thumb was seven or eight times. So the campaign showed up everywhere: press, social media, events and partner channels.
The campaign has since grown beyond bed nets. In 2022 it became United to Beat Malaria, still part of the UN Foundation. The lesson hasn't changed: repetition and partnerships can do what a big budget can't.
Matt Higginson, Medium: The right audience beats the biggest audience.
Matt believed there will always be an appetite for compelling storytelling. Medium was built for exactly that: a space for thoughtful, longer-form writing and an engaged audience.
He shared how Google approached Medium because it had "the perfect audience" for a conversation about the future of online security. Together with the tech publication Backchannel, they hosted a two-week digital roundtable where leaders from companies like Facebook, Twitter, Square, Google and Dropbox weighed in on key questions.
The key insight was about measurement. Matt argued that clicks and page views don't show whether content works. Time spent reading and how often people share it tell you whether it actually landed. That's even more true today, when attention is the scarcest thing online.
Kristin Smith, Association of American Railroads: Own your message.
Kristin used native advertising, or sponsored content, to tell the railroad industry's story in its own words. It looks and reads like an article, but the organization controls the message.
Her results were striking. In 2014, the association published 26 pieces of content that reached about 44,000 people organically. In 2016, a single sponsored piece reached about 308,000. Fewer, better-placed pieces of content outperformed a high volume of posts.
She also made the case that well-optimized sponsored content keeps working long after it's published, while news coverage fades quickly.
One warning still applies: always be transparent. The FTC's native advertising guidance says it plainly: "An advertisement or promotional message shouldn't suggest or imply to consumers that it's anything other than an ad." The same principle now applies to influencer posts and creator partnerships. Label paid content clearly, every time.
Allyson Funk, PhRMA: Show up when your audience needs you.
PhRMA's Access Better Coverage campaign broke the confusing health coverage process into simple, useful pieces: an educational blog, a microsite, printables and video.
Allyson's team followed a smart cycle:
Research what the audience is searching for.
Create content that answers those questions.
Time it for when people need it most, ramping up during open enrollment.
Measure what gets the most engagement.
Refresh and reuse the best-performing pieces instead of always starting from scratch.
They also found that short, focused video performed best. If a video got to the point in the first 30 seconds, people were much more likely to watch it all the way through. In a world of Reels and TikTok, that advice has aged very well.
What's changed
Search has changed. People now get answers from AI summaries and chat tools, often without clicking through to a website. Content that clearly and directly answers real questions is more likely to be found and cited.
Short video won. At the time, some predicted virtual reality would be the future of content marketing. Instead, short vertical video took over. The panel's advice to get to the point fast matters more than ever.
Creators are the new celebrity partners. You don't need a Stephen Curry. Local creators and micro-influencers with loyal followings can be just as effective for small businesses, and far more affordable.
Platforms shift. Your own channels last. Social algorithms change constantly. An email list, a blog and a website you control are the most reliable places to build an audience.
What this means for your small business
These were large organizations, but their lessons scale down beautifully:
No budget? Partner up. Team up with complementary businesses. A florist and a wedding planner, or an interior designer and a real estate agent, can share audiences and content.
Repeat yourself. People need to see your message many times before they act. Show up consistently across your website, social media and email.
Find your people, not just more people. A small, engaged audience of ideal clients is worth more than a big, indifferent one.
Measure what matters. Look at saves, shares, replies and inquiries, not just likes and views.
Answer real questions. Write about what your clients ask you most. It builds trust and helps people find you.
Time it right. Post about wedding planning before engagement season, or home refreshes before spring.
Reuse your best work. Turn a popular blog post into a short video, a carousel or an email.
Be honest. If a post is sponsored or you're paid to promote something, say so.
The common thread: tell a story
Across every panelist, one theme stood out then, and it still stands out now. If you want people to pay attention, don't just share facts. Tell a story. Show the people behind your business, the problems you solve and the difference you make.
Want help telling your business's story? Book a free discovery call and let's build a brand people remember.
