The Basics of Branded Content that You Need to Know

One of the emerging marketing strategies businesses are starting to look into today is branded content. It is not new, however, for various companies around the world have been using it since early 1960s, wherein they incorporated the presence of the brand name itself in their ad campaigns.

Branded content differs from other marketing concepts for it focuses on the brand’s culture and values, rather than its products and services. For many years, this approach to marketing has been overlooked by businesses and advertisers. However, due to the growing attribution to user experience, branded content is now making a big comeback.

As a website copywriter, it is important that you know the basics of writing branded content. Some clients want their brand values promoted on different ad campaigns, especially nowadays that businesses are getting their audiences online.

Some of the foundations of branded content that you need to know as a website copywriter are:

1. Championing brand values.

Branded content focuses on its values, and not on the features of its products and services. This means, when writing copy, you have to discuss the brand’s culture and attributes, or the things that make it a household name today.

This is probably where you can exercise your creative juices the most when writing website copy. Indeed, it can be challenging at first because people go to company websites to check out their products, not their brand history. However, this type of content proves to be vital in nurturing brand longevity, especially when it only has a few products out on the market.

2. It aims to generate conversation.

Brand content goes beyond transactions. It doesn’t end after converting someone into a customer. This type of content aims to make an impact to the audience and spark conversations around the brand.

The aim of brand content is not just to make sales conversions, but to be mentioned everywhere. This approach then becomes useful in website copy, particularly when you are building the brand name and would want to make it viral across online platforms.

3. It values the user.

Branded content also cares a lot for its end users. In line with this, writing copy should be under the context that the brand improves user experience, and that it shares the values that its users have.

For instance, branded content in direct response copy concentrates on sharing the shared pain and aspirations of its audience. Readers become heavily engaged in this type of copy, for they see the brand as someone who cares for them and gives them solutions to address their problems at the same time.

4. Appeal to emotions.

Branded content is heavily invested in appealing to emotions. Rather than promote a product or service directly, it aims to put its audiences in an environment where their emotions are easily triggered — to the point that they can build a relationship with the brand later on.

This kind of approach is important among brands, particularly those who want to get ahead of the competition. Becoming a household name does wonders, not only in incurring more sales, but ensuring long-term customer loyalty.

5. It invests in storytelling.

Lastly, branded content goes beyond the informational or persuasive approaches to marketing. Instead, it invests in storytelling. It puts audiences in a controlled environment where they can relate to the situation, feel that they are one with the characters in the story, and together with the brand, they can face and overcome the struggles they are experiencing.

Storytelling is very important in branded content, since it’s the primary way to make audiences see and feel the brand’s attributes, and from there convert them into loyal customers.