Branded content is a form of marketing that is custom created for your business message. Branded content is insightful, informational, targeted, and developed with a tone that matches your brand message. In the simplest terms, branded content is the written narrative of your business; the tried and true practice of conveying a message through well-built sentences, words that incite emotion and topics that communicate your business story.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Your brand is your holy grail, and the written word is the crusade that travels through all channels to reach their goal. The goal, in this case, is wrapped in sales, leads, and overall influence. While a business brand must convey their message through a logo, videos, design, advertising, and PR, the ultimate narrative is told with words.
We reflect back to when words changed lives, altered the course of history, and recorded greatness. When the art of storytelling transformed into the art of the written word, everything changed. In today’s marketing environment, if you can’t communicate your brand message, your narrative, through the written word, you will fall far behind your competition.
How to Brand your Content
Developing the narrative for your business is no different than developing your business brand; the same principals apply.
• Professional Help – In any business branding, whether it be visual or textual, let the professionals get you on the right track. Phoenix public relations and marketing professionals will take your idea and renovate it into something tangible, contextual, and effective.
• Less is More – As with developing your business brand, creating branded content does not mean you have to write a novel about what your business stands for. Branded content should be short and sweet, to the point and clean. If you can effectively communicate a piece of your narrative with 3 well-built paragraphs over 7 long-winded, fruitless snippets you’ll be far more successful.
• A Struggling Audience – Every piece of content that you create for brand marketing must be clear and precise. Have your topic hammered out, your target points obvious, and your tone consistent. The last thing your Phoenix public relations or marketing team wants to do is have your audience work at figuring out the meaning behind the content. Don’t hide messages, be transparent and upfront.
• Don’t Get Attached – We all have topics that we love to talk about more than others, but if that topic is veering your audience away from your branded narrative it’s not doing you any good. Consistency is crucial when communicating your brand message in articles and blogs, so stick to an unswerving narrative.
• Don’t Be Afraid – Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box. Every article that you write, every piece of branded content, doesn’t have to be strictly business. If you can incorporate trending topics and headlines into your brand narrative, you will increase traffic and generate conversations.
• Consistency – When created branded content, consider frequent updates. Whether you’re developing content on Facebook in the form of Status Updates, or writing articles and blogs, maintain a consistent post schedule.
The Branded Narrative
Your business narrative is limitless, and if done correctly it can take your company from a flat, intangible image to a multidimensional story that keeps your audience on its toes. The ultimate objective of any Phoenix public relations or marketing firm is to grow your business, and one of the most effective ways of accomplishing that goal is to increase brand influence.