The stiff competition in the digital world is forcing companies to make innovative branded content that will make them stand out from the crowd. Branded content is your best friend when it comes to promoting your business. If you’ve never heard of it, not to worry. In this post, we’re going to break down what it involves and then detail some ways to use branded content to your advantage. Your target audience will never forget about you ever again.
Connecting with your audience - magical!
Branded content is based on the premise that classic advertising - which focuses on the benefits of a product or service alone - is no longer effective. Companies are now looking to build relationships with their audience to ensure that their client experience was positive, not only in terms of sale and post-sale, but also throughout the process of getting to know the brand. Businesses are thus seeking to strengthen their digital reputation.
Emotions and values are at the core of the experience that branded content is seeking to create. The focus of all your activity should be to share, rather than to sell and then walk away. Branded content is about setting up an honest communication channel that, before all else, brings value to the audience. So now you know what one of the 2022 marketing trends is, how about we take a look at some examples of how to create quality branded content?
Five example of what you should be doing
1. Create experiences around the brand
Beyond digital reputation, you can - and you should - be working on your brand identity outside the confines of the digital world. Branded content involves creating experiences that put the brand centre stage while at the same time constructing a sort of stronghold within a certain culture.
Brands like Red Bull, for instance, have been very successful in this regard. Did you know that the Costa del Sol is an unbeatable destination for brands seeking to find new and original ways to connect with their audience? Competitions are a wholesome way to get your brand to stick in your target’s mind and the province of Malaga is always a superb backdrop to any kind of event.
2. Identify your values and stand by them
Just in case we haven’t already mentioned it, values are key to your brand identity; and your branded content should shine the light on them whenever possible. An example of this is to start raising awareness about specific topics.
If you are a company selling environmentally-friendly products, for instance, you could look to promote programmes and campaigns that seek to protect the environment. This is a smart way to connect your values to your brand and, additionally, it will show your audience that you live by your values.
3. Put culture and subcultures at the heart of your advertising
Following on from the previous point, a great branded content technique is to strengthen your brand’s connection to a culture or subculture that it identifies with. The audience of some companies are predominantly skaters, for instance, while others would defend pop culture with their lives. Whatever it is, connecting your band to a dominant subculture is a great move, but just be aware that at times it can end up limiting your scope.
4. Provide little extras
You want your brand to be memorable for more than just its products. You might want to think about giving your clients extras, such as complementary products and services that your audience will want to get their hands on. An example is creating an app for the brand where your clients can discover more products from similar brands. But this is just one idea, we’re sure you’ll come up with plenty more.
5. Create an independent world
And last but by no means least, you can position your brand within your audience’s world by creating educational content and campaigns. A good option are workshops that will teach your target something they don’t know about a specific topic while presenting your products from a different point of view. And this, when combined with the creation of exclusive and value-focused materials, helps create a unique and independent world for your target.
So now you know a little bit more about branded content, how about starting to implement it into your strategy over the coming months?
