How To Make A Branded Content Campaign

We are excited to dive back into learning more about branded content with guest blogger and Marketing and Content Specialist Estelle Liotard. Last week we covered what branded content is and how you can benefit from it. Now let’s look at how to make a branded content campaign.

How to make a Branded Content Campaign

Given the fact that branded content has proven to be so important, you might be wondering how to create a successful branded content campaign in order to benefit of all its advantages. The most important steps in creating content that will attract and engage your audience are:

1. Don’t tell your story - show it: simply telling people your story is just not enough, especially in a competitive market. In order to get the attention of your targeted audience, you need to make a point and really demonstrate something.

2. Emotion is key – if you want your content to reach a much wider audience, it has to spark some emotion. This does not mean you have to make people sob, but it has to move them somehow. It has to make them laugh, question themselves, get angry, anything that sparks emotion and interest.

3. Make sure the audience resonates with the characters - no matter how you choose to tell your story, it has to have a human aspect; a character that people can relate to. This gives your audience something to resonate with and shows them how the brand can become part of their lives.

4. Showcase your brand – even if brand content’s primary focus is not the product itself, it is still important to show people the benefits of what you are offering.

5. Be credible – consumers nowadays are really skeptical about the content they see on the internet and they can spot a fake story from miles away. In order to keep their interest and make your brand more transparent and human, you have to show them original, yet believable content.

6. Make it spotless – experts at Trust My Paper advise that every piece of a marketing ad should be impeccably written, in order to appeal to the customers.

Examples of Branded Content

Throughout the years, multiple brands have turned to branded content to draw consumer attention. Some of the best examples are:

Dove

Perhaps one of the most successful examples of effective brand content is the 2013 Dove Real Beauty Sketches. When Dove conducted customer research, they discovered that only 4% of women would consider themselves beautiful. Thinking they could do something to change this, Dove made “beauty is for everyone” their brand value. When thinking about ways to deliver this message to their audience, they came up with a great and empowering series of videos. Dove partnered up with an FBI sketch artist who drew two portraits of each woman in the video. The first one was a sketch representing the way the women described themselves, while the other one was based on how another person described them. The results were extremely different on some occasions, leading to the conclusion that people often perceive us as more beautiful than we think we are. The campaign was the most watched branded content in 2013, with over 50 million views during the first 12 days of release.

Netflix

Another great example of branded content was created by Netflix, who wrote an article for The New York Times, describing the situation of women inmates. Although the content was related to their show, Orange is the New Black, the article was not about the show, but rather about the issues that female inmates go through, which created interest amongst the readers. The article reached around one million readers, getting more viewers for the show.

Red Bull

Most of Red Bull’s marketing nowadays is focused on creating stories that promote the brand’s core values, rather than advertising the energy drink itself. Red Bull’s most famous example is the jump of Felix Baumgartner from the stratosphere. The jump was a world record and managed to draw the attention of half the planet. While other brands refused to participate in the stunt, due to the high-risk factors in case something went wrong, Red Bull took the chance and the benefits were tremendous. Some estimates show that the ROI from the advertising tripled the investment and had a positive long-term impact on the brand.

Lego

Lego made their branded content so perfect, that people don’t even notice they are looking at an advertisement. The Lego Movie is arguably the best example of brand content that you can find. The movie is relatable, emotional, touching and associates the Lego brand with big and important lessons about life. Both parents and children are now able to connect the toy brand with high values, such as warmth, friendship and family.

The digital marketing world is oversaturated with different types of traditional advertising. Branded content may not be a new concept, but it has only now when shareable content is everywhere, that is has sparked the interest of brands. Branded content provides invaluable opportunities for brands to engage with their customers, while at the same time build their brand image and shape the audience’s perspective. Branded content can draw attention towards important issues in today’s society and perfectly show the exact position a brand has towards them. As consumers look for more relatable and organic content, brands who stick to traditional advertising face the risk of falling behind.

Want to include branded content in your next marketing campaign? Click here to contact us and learn how we can help!

Estelle Liotard is a seasoned content writer and a blogger, with years of experience in different fields of marketing. She is a content editor at Trust My Paper and loves every second of it. Her passion is teaching people how to overcome digital marketing obstacles and help businesses communicate their messages to their customers.

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