Branded content is the promotion of a brand or its products through content that represents a universe in its own right.
This marketing strategy aims to convey a certain vision of the brand to consumers. Thanks to branded content, customers immediately visualize that it's the brand’s product.
When you watch TV and come across advertisements, you're bound to recognize the brands without having seen the logo or the name. That's what we call an effective branded content strategy!
This also builds up a certain brand image of the company and its values.
Particularly effective in B2C, but also used in B2B, branded content creates a close emotional bond with customers. It's a powerful loyalty-builder and can also increase positive word of mouth.
Several strategies are used in branded content. One of the most important is storytelling.
This fundamental element of a branded content strategy enables an idea or message to be conveyed by telling a story. This content marketing process offers several advantages:
- It allows the consumer to identify with the story.
- It is more memorable and makes the message easier to memorize.
- It attracts attention and arouses emotion.
- It generates more traffic and customer loyalty.
- It optimizes competitiveness.
To adopt a branded content strategy and stand out from the competition, it's important to follow a few simple steps:
- Start by defining your objectives clearly, precisely and, if possible, in numbers.
- Define your personas, i.e., the typical profile of your customers, the audience to whom the message will be addressed.
- Create a content strategy and determine the media you intend to use (photos, video, articles, newsletters, digital marketing, physical marketing...).
- Work on your content to improve your SEO and provide your customers with high-quality, informative texts.
- Adapt the form of your message to the media used, and try as far as possible to work coherently on several channels at once.
Just like with the 4 Ps of marketing for your business, branded content is a constantly evolving and improving process. To be effective, it therefore needs to be worked on continuously, as your competition and your market evolve.
It must also be the result of in-depth analysis. As with any strategy, the impact of branded content needs to be analyzed, so that corrective action can be taken if necessary. So don't hesitate to experiment and test new content!
