Information Overload:
17 new web page are published every second.
2 million blog posts are published everyday.
As marketers and content producers, we are indeed, contributing to the information overload of the consumer. Digital marketers spend a huge amount of time churning out and branding content. However, we don’t spend nearly enough time thinking of creating a content brand.
Yes, there is a difference between branded content, and a content brand. Branded content is created for a company. It typically takes a corporate-centric view of the world and hopes consumers embrace the brand.
A content brand is about the creation value for an audience. When you have a content brand you aren’t just churning out content hoping something will stick, you are creating content that consumers pursue or seek out, rather than happen upon. A content brand allows your company to harness the power of the subscriptions. A subscription or opt-in is the opportunity to build a long term relationship with the consumer. A relationship builds trust and trust drives revenue.
So if you are already creating branded content then how do you transition to creating a content brand? Andrew Davis, author of Brandscaping gave the following advice during the Content Marketing World conference this week:
Think like a television executive.
Nothing has fueled devotion, conversation and revenue like the televisions shows we love. So don’t worry so much about budget on creating the content itself, the real source of value comes from the brand created by the content.
Here are five simple secrets to creating a content brand which drives revenue:
5 Simple Secrets to Driving Content Results
1. Get rich by targeting a niche
You can’t be everything to everyone, but you have to be something to someone. Andrew calls this fractal marketing. A fractal is a subset of a whole. This doesn’t mean just targeting farmers, engineers or moms – it means targeting mechanical engineers, or suburban hobbyist farmers or urban moms of young children who do yoga.
Find your niche, explore it and commit to it. The more targeted your content, the more likely you are to build a trusting, lasting relationship with that niche. Those are the consumers who will drive revenue and advocate your brand.
2. Exploit content holes
Even in the most crowded market, content opportunities exist. There is a niche market or niche topic which fulfills a need for content, that the consumer may not even know they wanted.
Andrew provides the example of the foldfactory. The foldfactory provides a resource for professionals looking for resources on folding printed materials. This is definitely a small market, but there were few resources available for them. By creating a video series, The 60 Second Super Cool Fold of the Week, the foldfactory was able to fill a hole within an existing market and build a healthy subscriber base which supported their brand.
3. Make an appointment with your audience
Weekly, daily, monthly – make a consistent appointment with your audience and stick to it. By owning a consistent time within your customer’s inbox, you are developing the long term relationship, building trust. Focus on sending good content and don’t worry to much about click through rate. Instead maintain a zero opt-out rate. That appointment content keeps your brand top of mind for your audience and makes them likely to share and save your content
4. Attached talent your audience trusts
Choose a face or representative of your brand. This doesn’t have to be a celebrity or an established thought leader, but it should be someone who is relevant and relatable to your audience. Leveraging talent or a face of your brand, not only contributes to the credibility and trust of your brand, it can also lend personality.
5.You have to create a hook
You must create a hook, or a twist on a familiar theme in order to stand out in the crowd. Andrew user the example of a winery owner doing weekly episodes called the Wine Library. Views were dismal until he found his hook – wine library meets sportscenter announcer. The sports announcer voice was enough of a hook to make people stop and pay attentions and turn the series into a success.
A hook doesn’t have to be terribly complicated or creative. It just has to be something that makes people stop and pay attention.
So what if you thought like television executive when it comes to content? The best, most compelling television shows are able to establish a loyal viewership which drive revenue for the brand. By thinking like a television executive, you can create a content brand which extends beyond your products and services and supports revenue goals with content consumers seek out.
Are you focused on creating branded content or a content brand?
