Content is King – a slogan ingrained into our brains since the revolution of the internet, the boom of social media and the rise of interest in consumer content; content writers, SEO experts and other sorts of content creators have had their hands full with the many forms of media available to the masses. But knowing what sort of content will best benefit the market is one of the most important tools a content creator can posses; the most important thing to note is that there is a huge difference between content marketing and branded content.
Whenever content is created, there’s generally a brief that comes the creator’s way; whether it’s a writer who’s given the instructions on how to base the language for a blog post or brochure or a designer who’s given a guide on whether to include human elements into the design or simply create a corporate image – creators simply need to know. So what is the difference between Content Marketing and Branded Content?
Branded Content
Here we’re usually talking commercial content where a sponsorship or paid advertorial or advert makes up the bulk of the content. It could come in the form of a brand awareness campaign where the best parts of a brand are detailed through a variety of content.
It could also be a series of Instagram posts that are taken by an agency for the client; take a fast-food franchise such as Burger King; these guys require a stunning Instagram feed that captivates its followers and reminds them of the pleasures of a Whopper®️. Although big companies such as this may post User Generated Content onto their pages, the bulk of their content is generally branded; watermarked and all to make sure it’s 100% true to their image.
In terms of strategy, Branded Content is meant to be entertaining, informative and educational – it also pulls at the heart strings, creating emotional copy that eventually converts browsers into customers – when done correctly.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is all about value. Value in relevance to the topic being discussed and value in how relevant the material is to the end reader. Content Marketing is not about bringing value to the brand, although it’s always a positive to enforce brand quality of course.
Content Marketing comes in the form of blogs, social media presence and other forms of informative material that elevates a service, product or company. It’s all about creating links that a database of receivers will appreciate and find useful to their general knowledge and understanding.
It’s a dialogue – an exchange of information that’s in no way ‘forcing’ information in the form of branding. Communication at its best.
When it comes to Content Marketing strategies; trust is at the top position of the writer. Providing genuine and factual content in well-written copy, engaging imagery and stunning design is what can help to elevate a company’s worth in the sea of information that bombards us everyday. Filtering through the ‘bad’ content in search of the accurate is where top SEO tactics come into play – bringing readers back for more relevant content.
So whether content is being created or sourced for the audience it wishes to target or aimed at elevating a brand, the most important matter to keep in mind is to be accurate, use the right tools and keep the content’s strategy in mind at all times. Remember Content is King so whatever you put out there make sure it’s always the best it can be.