Discover the essential elements of creating powerful and results-driven Branded Content campaigns
Branded Content uses what local media organizations do best: storytelling and helping businesses grow. When you combine these two things, you create a really engaging and compelling way for your advertiser to reach your audience.
Whether you call it Branded Content, Native Content, or Sponsored Content, this is an invaluable tool to have in your toolbox. Julia Campbell, the Branded Content Project Lead at the Local Media Association, joined us to share her industry knowledge about Branded Content and how you can ensure you’re creating campaigns that deliver meaningful and measurable results.
It’s About Three Things
Branded Content is about branding, not selling. This style of advertising is different from the majority of advertising and sponsorship your company is likely already doing. We’re not talking about discount mattresses, Labor Day grocery specials, or BOGO shoe offers (even though I love a good shoe sale!)
When it comes to Branded Content, you want to focus on:
- Information
- Education
- Engagement
This is where Branded Content excels. It’s all about educating your audience and providing them with useful information. Establishing your advertiser as the expert and authority in their field. This is what makes Branded Content so effective and such an integral part of your advertiser’s overall strategy.
“We don’t sell people things. We help their business grow.”
Can Branded Content Deliver Leads? YES!
You can and should definitely still deliver leads with Branded Content. With this type of advertising, you have the opportunity to reach people at the top of your funnel when you’re talking about the brand as a whole.
However, when you pair your Branded Content with an interactive content element you can uncover leads and grow their database with people interested in this topic. For example, when you create a quiz about stroke safety for an advertiser in healthcare, you’re not only informing and educating, but you’re also building a database of people interested in this topic.
Yes, you are creating a campaign to deliver brand affinity and brand love, but it is also important to have a measurable element to your campaign. Adding a quiz, a poll, or another type of promotion, gives you the chance to deliver lead generation. It’s important to be able to offer your client both things.
Creating effective Branded Content campaigns isn’t difficult, but it does take planning. Meet with your client during a customer needs analysis (CNA) meeting to see how you can best deliver on all of these elements: information, education, engagement, and leads. Creating a campaign that resonates with all four will be powerful.
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Liz is the Senior Director of Customer Success and has an extensive background in media. She is a huge advocate of the power of promotions for every department within an organization, including sales, marketing, audience development, and editorial.