In the digital age, where competition for consumer’s attention is high, reinforcing existing brand value and establishing loyalties is vital to the success of any brand. The creation and distribution of highly customized content, such as blogs, videos, and advertisements, serve as a blend of journalism and marketing designed to engage consumers at every brand touchpoint.
Well-targeted content is an incredibly powerful catalyst for driving traffic. Users seeking extended interaction can bolster a brand’s position in the space, but with www.blogpulse.com identifying more than 170,000,000 blogs in existence and YouTube hosting billions of hours of video, content must be both attention-grabbing and carefully tailored in order to break through and truly captivate an audience.
Comcast’s Xfinity page offers the company’s 14 million plus subscribers with a large selection of original news, sports, and entertainment videos that are heavily branded within their own embedded media player. The content is juxtaposed with the users’ email access, keeping them on that page. This is the modern evolution of the approach taken by AOL when it dominated the ISP market, combining the primary services of the application (email, chat, and web browsing) with a portal for extended engagement using news headlines, games, and other multimedia.
Companies like Nike, Burger King, and Yahoo! all have leveraged branded custom websites for targeted ad campaigns, drawing existing customers into deeper relationships with their respective brands. ESPN, already a powerful media originator, recently launched its supplementary Grantland website, where users can find extended reading, broadening their interactions with the sports news giant.
Even small and startup businesses can benefit from creating or sourcing custom content. A few important tips to follow:
– Be original. There is little motivation for a reader to choose a blog over a major media outlet if the story is the same.
– Deliver value. Be diligent to include relevant statistics, infographics, and visual enhancements to tell users something relevant and new.
– Focus on the target audience. The research and the voice in which the content is presented should fit the philosophy and interests of the users.
– Invite discussion. The internet is the ultimate social platform. Include users in the conversation to give them a voice, encouraging advocacy for the brand.
Whether you decide to manage content generation or hire an external firm, focus on providing meaningful and engaging content to grow brand affinity and attract new audiences. It is time well spent.