What is Branded Content Marketing

What is Branded Content Marketing?

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Shout the word branded content marketing in a room full of content marketers if you want to make the things around you interesting. Branded content marketing has lived a life of complication through the 2015s and a lot of people have been left annoyed as well as confused about the term.

What Do You Mean By Branded Content Marketing?

A branded content marketing technique involves creation of content that is linked to a brand which allows the customers to connect with the brand.

Let us take a closer look at the major definitions of branded content.

The content is focused mainly on the brand values and not the products or the services of the brand. Though the format of the video spot can be adopted it focuses more on the invisible qualities of the brand.

The goal of branded content is generating notoriety and conversation surrounding the brand. These contents try to affect the audience and start a conversation rather than looking for a direct conversion or sale. The main metrics for measuring the success of a branded content focuses on the number of mentions and notoriety of the brand.

A branded content generate additional value for the customers. Marketers usually think that advertisements are the price which is to be paid for user to consume the content that interests them. However, branded content seems to change this reality around and develop content that the customers actually want to consume. This additional value generally comes in the shape of entertainment.

It appeals to users emotions. Using emotions to convince users was a popular resource in the past and continues to do so even today. A branded content seeks to engage with the audience on a more intimate level rather than using rational arguments surrounding around a brand and why it is better than the competition.

It uses storytelling. A representative story comes into play that the brand tell the user, with a main lead, the beginning, middle and climax of the story.

Branded content is a flexible content that can be presented in various channels and formats, such as podcasts, video content, videogames, interactive formats, events, etc. You can also combine several formats to narrate the story of the brand. Similarly, there are a lot of different sources to diffuse it from social networks to applications and through the website of the brand.

The content can be co-created. Brands collaborating with film directors, actors and other renowned professionals for creating one of the most outstanding content has become very common these days. The collaboration, however, doesn’t end there. You can possible resort to the users to tell their stories surrounding your brand and then get involved with engaging with the brand along with providing content.

Must Read: 8 Super Effective Content Syndication Tools and Strategies For MarTech Experts

But, What is Branded Content Marketing?

The real question – What do you mean by marketing branded content? Some people might call it the practice of developing native advertisements. Think about the content pieces that you come across on the internet often, those are the examples of branded content marketing.

Branded content marketing has some additional goals as compared to your regular advertisements. This method is not only about pushing a product on the users but also hoping to entertain or educate them in some way. The intended audience of a branded content is usually at a different level of the buyers journey. The audiences of a branded content differ from the users of traditional content marketing.

Suppose an individual is looking for some help with a problem and happens to come across a branded content which might be an article sponsored on a website. The person might not necessarily know that the brand is question is the one that can solve their problems.

However, in the case where an individual is going straight to the brands blog or website for a solution or he is checking the brands social media channels for help, is likely to be ahead in their buyer journey. When this occurs it means that the audience is already aware about a brands existence and has an inkling that the brand might be capable of helping them out.

Should You Use Branded Content Marketing?

There are lot of people who treat branded content marketing like it is the worst technique ever which might force you to ask if it is a good idea for your brand. Should you add paid media to your content marketing strategy by creating sponsored articles or blogs?

In all honesty, having a native advertising or branded content marketing strategy as a part of your whole content marketing strategy can prove to be helpful. By using branded content you can connect with your customers at an early stage of your funnel or buyers journey. These buyers may not be ready to purchase your brand yet, but they are likely to keep you in their mind and come back to check your solutions as they move down in the funnel.

Using branded content marketing in your content marketing strategy also helps you avoid betting all your money on a horse. When you utilize sponsored content or posts in your marketing strategy, you open one more distribution and promotion stream. You can take the benefit of the traffic that comes via a sponsored publication instead of depending on the traffic derived from your social media profiles or website.

The marketing strategy is an effective answer to an overwhelming saturated market. Users these days are thronged with ads and information every time, in such number that they resort to use ad blockers. In such a case you should look for new ways to engage with your customers, affect them in creative methods and spread the values that they represent. Branded content is an ideal solution to such needs.

Branded content marketing can be advantageous to brands and its products by making the intended audiences aware about your brand and conveying the solutions that you provide.

Must Read: How To Create A Data-Driven Content Strategy

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