The industry for creating content is highly competitive. Publishers must constantly produce fresh and unique content to stay ahead and earn profits. Using branded content in their publications is one of their highly successful strategies. Publishers can increase their chances of success by creating engaging content that aligns with the brand's message and goals.

Branded content, as contrasted to advertising, appears more authentic and is thus much better received by consumers. People can connect with this type of content more than with regular advertisements because it seems less promotional.

Branded content is a type of marketing that can help publishers reach more people and make more money.

What does branded content entail exactly?

Creating brand-related content is a creative marketing strategy that businesses use to promote a specific brand. If you create valuable content for a specific audience, they will discuss your brand rather than the products you offer. This means that instead of focusing on the items you sell, people will be more interested in talking about your brand. The goal is to connect emotionally with the audience.

A brand's content can take many forms, including videos, articles, podcasts, and even social media posts. Customers can view it as a more personal way of communicating and easily share it on social media.

The difference between branded content marketing and content marketing

Branded content emphasizes your company's message, values, and story for all audiences. It does not intend for or share with a specific segment of your audience; rather, it intends for everyone.

On the other hand, content marketing focuses on particular audiences and showcases your products and services.

The goal of marketing through branded content is to increase recognition, motivate, and educate, all while generating leads and boosting sales.

Why does branded content hold importance?

Regardless of how well technology delivers content, people will always be drawn to the things that have always interested them.

Great stories captivate us. Marketing professionals understand that no one can resist a good story, and they make full use of it. To get your brand noticed, a good story is important.

However, it is not enough. You also need to create content that goes beyond just telling your brand's story in a straightforward manner. This will make it easier for people to find and engage with your brand. A good story can grab attention, but you should also make content that is not predictable and goes in different directions.

Here are the reasons why should you use branded content:

• Branded content gets people talking about the brand rather than its products or services.
• Branded content appeals to users' emotions, which is necessary for people to connect, engage, and convert into action.
• Branded content is excellent storytelling.
• Branded content is flexible and adaptive.

How can you create powerful branded content?

Branded content is an effective way to increase discoverability and establish trust with your current audience. Here are some helpful tips for producing branded content for your marketing plans below.

• Ensure that it reflects the message and values of your brand.

Your branded material should reflect your brand's message and values.Simplicity should be the focus, not luxury.

You should always align your branded content with who you are.

• Focus on the audience you are targeting

Your target audience should identify with your brand's content. You must be aware of who your potential clients are for this to occur. Know your target audience, even if you already have a general idea of who they are for your business.

As a result, consider who is currently following your blog, website, or social media. In the statistics section of most social networks, you can find basic information about your visitors. This includes their age, gender, and location. Use external tools on websites and blogs to gather information about visitors, like their recent visit and location.

• Catch trends

It's critical to follow current trends while developing branded content. You improve the likelihood that your audience will connect with your branded content by basing it on current trends. Nobody wants to miss out on something that is making people nuts, after all. They will therefore consume any content you create that is relevant to it.

Best practices for branded content:

• Branded content aims to influence and spark brand conversation in ways that traditional advertising cannot. Incorporating an entertaining element or appealing to the consumer's emotions will pique their interest and drive genuine engagement. Instead of bombarding users with irrelevant content, this is frequently accomplished by creating content that adds value to their experience.
• Branded content tells the consumer a representative story about the brand through storytelling. Businesses can no longer afford to be faceless; they must demonstrate why they exist and why this is significant.
• It is available in a variety of formats, including branded content films, podcasts, articles, events, interactive formats, or a combination of these.

Some of the most successful examples of branded content:

1- Red Bull

Red Bull boasts a highly successful video marketing approach, enabling them to uphold a distinct and robust brand identity. As a producer of energy drinks, Red Bull has consistently linked their offerings with adventure and sports.

They made thrilling videos of people doing stunts and adventure sports to create and maintain a strong brand connection.

Their YouTube channel is full of such videos, which are not promotional in any way and simply look like any other adventure video.

They made branded content appear to be native, non-promotional video content. Despite being a consumer goods company, Red Bull has a successful YouTube channel featuring adventure videos, with 8.7 million subscribers.

2- Apple TV+

Apple is well-known for using commercials and print advertisements to promote its products. Nonetheless, Apple charted a new course with the introduction of its new service, Apple TV+, in 2019.

Apple created The Morning Show, a high-quality drama about the behind-the-scenes world of morning news shows. The series features Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Crudup, and Steve Carell, and it smoothly integrates Apple products into the scenes. Critics and audiences have praised the show for its acting, writing, and directing, and it has also achieved commercial success.

The show was a unique way for Apple to generate interest in its products. Instead of running traditional advertisements, Apple created a show that people would want to watch for its own sake. Apple showcased the show to demonstrate how its products enhance everyday life.

The Morning Show was a successful example of word-of-mouth marketing. People who watched the show were impressed with the quality of the show and the way Apple products were integrated into the story. This led to positive word-of-mouth about the show, which in turn led to more people watching the show and buying Apple products.

3- Microsoft

Microsoft launched the "Make What's Next" campaign to appeal to young girls and encourage them to pursue careers in technology. The campaign featured videos and stories about young women who are making a difference in the world through technology. Microsoft hoped that the campaign would help to change the perception that technology is only for boys and men.

The goal of this branded content was to encourage women to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Microsoft and National Geographic showcased 30 photos by famous female wildlife photographers for International Women's Day. In one day, this campaign generated over 3.5 million likes, attracting new audiences to both Microsoft and National Geographic.

4- National Geographic

That's a great example of how a brand can use content marketing to boost revenue.

Dell partnered with National Geographic to create a series of stories about its technology. These stories showcased the features and benefits of Dell's products in a way that was both informative and engaging.

This strategy was effective in raising brand awareness and sales, and it also attracted more subscribers to the National Geographic network.

The challenges and limitations of branded content

Brand content is a popular method for businesses to connect with consumers. However, it does come with its own set of challenges and limitations. These factors can potentially impede its overall success.

One of the most serious issues is the proliferation of ad-blockers. This can stop people from seeing the content, leading to fewer customers seeing the product.

Furthermore, due to the difficulty of attracting attention to a large diversity of content, low audience engagement with the content can be a major issue. Another issue is conveying the brand's basic message incorrectly if the content is used incorrectly, which leads to poor branding.

Finally, Content is the best way to reach consumers, but there is a lot of competition. To compete in the crowded internet space, you must include branded content in your marketing strategy.

Earning more referrals, deepening customer loyalty, standing out online, becoming an authority, and even increasing sales all require branded content. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution: you must assess which content moves the needle for your brand.