Amid the digital age, your communication choices are crucial in a context where your message is easily lost in the information ocean where your potential customers swim.
Imagined in the early 1900s, the concept of brand content is getting a makeover to better adapt to the demands of the digital world.
Let’s find out what this inbound marketing method has to offer today’s businesses and how it can help you build an original, engaging, and authentic brand image.
Table of Contents
What is brand content?
Brand content – or branded content – allows a brand to express its unique and relevant point of view through exciting and engaging content.
Able to adapt to multiple distribution channels (websites, exhibition venues, events, social networks, etc.), brand content initiates a dialogue.
Well-versed in these unsubtle techniques, today’s consumers are almost systematically opposed to them.
And for a good reason: when we directly seek to sell him something, we gladly ignore any possible shortcomings!
Therefore, such narrative presentations no longer convince anyone, and Internet users prefer to equip themselves with an AdBlock to better ignore the messages of brands that they see no reason to trust.
Blog articles, white papers, e-magazines, posts on social networks, but also tutorials, video testimonials, webinars, stories, vlogs, infographics, photos, podcasts, audiobooks, video games, apps, or even temporary places, pop stores, and other physical stores… Brand content can take many forms.
Offer rather than ask
Brand content does not seek to directly “influence” consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Rather than claiming (as traditional advertising does), he takes the side of giving.
A company promotes identification through explanatory content on its brand and its vision.
By entertaining and making people smile, she arouses emotions and creates value.
Focusing on exciting topics and bringing an expert point of view provides practical and helpful information.
The objective is to bridge the gap between the brand and the consumer and to stimulate a feeling of belonging by adopting a content strategy that makes it attractive regardless of the product or service it offers.
By telling a story, values , and know-how with authenticity, a strong emotional bond is created, giving the customer (or prospect) the desire to get involved and follow the news of the brand and people. Who embodies it.
Studying the different targets to provide them with content that can arouse their interest naturally encourages the conversation.
Genuine interaction is then born, which generates a sincere commitment. The desire to buy the product is no longer due to a concrete need that it must meet but also to the desire to support a brand the consumer believes in.
Rather than “forcing” an often artificial innovation in terms of what is sold to stand out from the competition, brand content thus relies on the consumer’s identification with the brand itself.
Create value around a company by breaking the market logic
Adopting a brand awareness content strategy allows you to focus on a narrative dynamic.
This storytelling shapes an identity to which a customer can relate. It is emotional that prevails, encouraging the consumer to adhere to values and develop loyalty naturally.
For brands, the difficulty sometimes consists of returning to their DNA and working in-depth on the symbolism that inhabits them.
It is not an easy exercise for companies which, always target their campaigns on their products.
However, there is a logic perpetrated by some of the largest groups in the world, who have built an authentic identity that generates communities.
This logic is also ideal for startups who wish to challenge through different means of expression.
High added value content that captures attention
Concretely, to be successful with your brand content, you need to know the people you are talking to.
Knowing what makes them vibrate, smile, cry, feel heard… This is the challenge for brand content experts.
This strategy assumes that the ideal customer is the customer who looks like you.
The objective must therefore be to “talk” to him to bring him something valuable and unique at the same time. Make him react, question himself, question you. Invite your customers to follow you on adventures where they have their part to play, their say.
Your brand’s ecosystem as a whole must then be part of this dynamic, creating an original universe where those who appreciate you will easily find their bearings.
Happy to turn to you for better information, learning, or entertainment, your customers will enjoy buying your products or trusting your services.
Brand content helps create a positive image with a selected audience, a tool for frank, authentic, and interaction-oriented communication.
By letting your identity give color to your newsletters, websites, blogs, catalogs, product sheets, press releases, and other media of expression, you will rally enthusiastic and loyal customers.
