Branded Content: Building Awareness Through Emotion

Content marketing is the go-to strategy for growth that marketers have been waiting for. We create articles, podcasts, and videos to promote our products and services. However, if you ask anyone, brand awareness might be one of the toughest parts of marketing.

To build better, more lasting, and more reliable connections with our audiences, the world’s biggest companies are evolving their tactics to a branded content approach. Let’s dive into how you can do the same!

What is Branded Content?

Branded content is a marketing technique that uses original content (funded or produced by the advertiser) that creates a connection with a target audience. It does not necessarily promote a product/service directly. Instead, it builds an association with the emotions the content creates and the brand of the advertiser.

How Can Branded Content Help You Raise Awareness

Brand awareness is a tough game in 2020. There are many content, ads, products, and services being uploaded by the minute, and it seems only to increase. So how can branded content help you differentiate yourself from the competition and win the marathon?

Branded content pushes your brand image and narrative

Your brand isn’t a thing, it is an idea, and now more than ever, consumers care who you are and what values you stand for. But unlike ideas, the content you create or associate your brand with can be controlled.

Branded content lets you surround your image with specific stories, values, and meaningful contributions (or even lead) to ongoing conversations. An excellent example of this is Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. Not only it speaks to women, but it also tackles a big issue for most: self-image and self-perception. It is creating a powerful and positive connection to their target audience.

It catches people’s attention

Unlike ads or commercials, branded content excels at grabbing people’s attention because it speaks on a more personal or funny level. A great example of this is the Lego’s Movie franchise and the Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) series of videos.

If you don’t know, Madonna partnered with Silentó to launch a video for this song. For the project, 50 members of DaceOn (a digital network cofounded by Madonna that promotes dance content) created several behind the video scenes. Today, most of those videos have over 100k views, and the main one on Silento’s channel hit the 1.7 billion views mark.

Branded content evokes emotion

If you work in marketing or sales, you know that people are emotional buyers. Your purpose, the messaging, the images, and everything you use in your branded content needs to serve an emotion. A clear example of this is P&G’s ‘Thank You, Mom’ campaign. Watch it and then tell me if you didn’t cry.

However, it makes you cry for a different reason. It’s not a sad feeling but gratitude. And when you can connect appreciation with your brand, keeping a loyal fan base isn’t that hard.

Sweet Tips from Ally

As a serial entrepreneur, I know the importance of high-quality content to sell your brand! Here are my tips, summed up:

1. Create content that sells your brand’s image or narrative
2. Attention-grabbing content is key
3. Try to evoke positive emotions with your content

Following these tips are a sure-fire way to build lasting, impressive content that will continually serve your brand.