How Branded Content Differs from Native Advertising
Branded content is often confused with native advertising. However, there are some key differences:
- Branded content is centered around helpful, relevant information rather than promotion. The focus is on audience value rather than direct sales pitches.
- It utilizes the natural style and tone of a publisher’s platform rather than mimicking it. Branded content should feel authentic to the brand’s voice versus trying to match the surrounding context.
- While native ads blend into the user experience, branded content is clearly identified as coming from the brand. Transparent labeling and disclaimers are used to avoid deceiving readers.
For example, an article on “Exercises to Improve Your Golf Game” written by experts at Nike would be considered branded content. It provides specialized value beyond just pushing Nike products. An advertorial styled to look indistinguishable from the publication’s editorial content would be native advertising. Branded content drives stronger results by focusing on audience needs first.
Crafting an Effective Branded Content Strategy
The first step in creating compelling branded content is defining your goals and strategy:
- What specific business objectives are you trying to achieve? Consider goals for brand awareness, Web traffic, lead generation, sales, etc. Align these with overall marketing and business goals.
- Who is your target audience? Create audience personas and analyze their interests, pain points, and search behaviors to inform content themes.
- What topics and angles will resonate most? Prioritize themes and content formats that align with audience needs.
- Which keywords will you target? Research relevant keywords and optimize content without overusing them. Aim for keyword density of 2-3%.
- How will you distribute and promote the content? Develop an integrated distribution plan across owned, earned, and paid channels.
When ideating, look for ways to provide added value and “help, don’t sell.” Identify gaps your brand can fill with unique expertise or perspectives. Analyze competitors and avoid duplicating existing content. Feature customer stories to make content more relatable.
Producing Branded Content That Captivates and Converts
Branded content can take many creative formats beyond standard articles. Consider engaging formats like videos, infographics, podcasts, ebooks, and more. Provide a mix of educational deep dives, entertaining stories, and actionable advice.
When producing content, focus on creating an amazing experience for audiences through:
- Compelling and search-optimized headlines and introductions
- Easy-to-scan formatting with ample visuals
- Tone and style aligned with your brand voice
- Clear calls-to-action for conversions
- Links to internal resources for lead nurturing
Adhering to core principles of helpful, useful, and relevant content will ensure your branded content provides value. Avoid excessive advertising lingo and keep the focus on informing or entertaining readers. Use case studies and client testimonials to make content more relatable.
Distributing and Promoting Branded Content
The most effective distribution combines owned, earned, and paid channels to get content in front of your target audience.
Leverage owned platforms like your website, blog, social media, and email lists to share content with current followers. Repurpose content across platforms to maximize reach.
Earned placements via PR, influencer partnerships, contributed articles, and other strategies can expand your audience. This content is viewed as more credible when promoted by others.
Paid promotion through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google can help content gain visibility quickly. Retarget key segments with branded content ads.
When distributing content, adhere to FTC disclosure requirements. Any paid or incentivized content promotion must clearly indicate it is sponsored. Avoid manipulative tactics and focus on creating content so captivating it earns attention organically.
Tracking Performance and Optimizing Over Time
Analyze branded content performance by monitoring metrics like:
- Traffic and visitor growth
- Scroll depth, time on page, and bounce rates
- Social shares, backlinks, and mentions
- Conversions and sales
Use A/B testing to optimize elements like headlines, cover images, calls-to-action, formats, and distribution strategies. Continuously experiment and improve based on data insights.
Developing remarkable, results-driven branded content takes time and iteration. With the right strategy and commitment, branded content can become a valuable driver for your business by building customer relationships and loyalty over the long-term. Focus on consistently providing value rather than one-off vanity metrics.
Put these tips into action and elevate your content marketing to the next level this year. For more guidance, download our free Branded Content Toolkit here with templates and worksheets.
Supporting sources: Nature, Barnes & Noble, Content Marketing Institute, Native Advertising Institute, Sprout Social, We Are Social, Hawksem, Coursera, SEMrush
