Branded Content Is The Future Of Video Marketing. Here’s How To Make It Work For Your Company.

Is there anything in the world more addicting than recipe videos? You know the type. An overhead shot, with hands floating in and out of frame — cracking eggs, stirring pots. Particularly on Facebook and Instagram, these quick videos have evolved into their own mini-industry, with pages like Buzzfeed’s Tasty videos racking up millions of views. Like most content Buzzfeed produces, these videos create a perfect pathway for branded content, the Internet’s bite-sized version of native advertising. If Kraft, for example, paid Buzzfeed to create a recipe for fried mac and cheese balls, Kraft gets the exposure to a (probably hungry) audience without the friction a typical ad creates.

Three Keys Of Quality Branded Content

1. Authenticity

Quality branded content relies on one of the most important aspects of branding: authenticity — particularly if you’re targeting a younger, digitally native generation. Millennials see through lazy “viral” video attempts and shabby endorsements. Being authentic is key to maintaining trust and avoiding looking shady.   Check out this piece by Complex and Under Armor as a great editorial example of branded content. Though the venture was certainly sponsored, the words “Under Armor” don’t appear in the copy once. Only the logo is scattered throughout, at the top of paragraphs and on Michael Phelps’ clothing. For the reader, this is simply an authentic, well-executed profile of an Olympian — the association with a world-renown athletic brand is an afterthought. As it should be.

2. Subtle Promotion

The customer shouldn’t have to think about your company the whole time. This might go against conventional advertising wisdom, but it really isn’t necessary to talk about yourself so much. Just having a logo or an image of your product on screen is usually enough to do the trick.

3. Actually Great Content (Duh!)

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the most important aspect of branded content that sells is…actually creating great content. The internet is, to say the least, over-populated. The only way to stand out is to be consistently better than your competition, and a huge part of that is an investment in real video marketing. We recently spoke about the My Houzz series on the blog, a YouTube mini-series that gives celebrity spokespeople the opportunity to renovate the house of a loved one. Though it’s obvious that the videos are a promotional tool for Houzz, they still remain touching and enjoyable to watch — exactly what your branded content should be. To sum it up: Yes, branded content will work for your business.  There is an avenue for every industry to boost visibility and profits through the use of clever partnerships and subtle advertisement. The more you invest in creating high-quality content, the more engaged your customers will be. Want to talk branded content and how video can work for you? Click here to schedule a call with Digital Brew.