Beyond Ads: Connecting with
Customers Through Branded Content
Most people don’t want to be sold to. But if you’re a local business owner or marketer, you still need to sell.
The solution? Find authentic ways to connect with potential customers.
Start by sharing your story through branded content. This lets you introduce who you are and what you offer in a low-pressure, engaging way. You provide useful or entertaining information to the audience, and they learn how you can meet their needs.
What is branded content?
It’s content paid for by a business to engage users. It includes information from or sponsored by the business, distributed across multiple platforms, often including reputable media outlets.
You’re probably more familiar with branded content than you think. For example, have you heard of Michelin-starred restaurants and wondered about the tire company connection? It’s not a coincidence.
The Michelin Travel Guide was started in 1900 by the tire company for French motorists. It encouraged drivers to go on adventures, helping them along the way with information, as well as the best tires for their travels. Today, Michelin stars are the standard for restaurants, and the company hopes for tires too.
And right here in Nashville is one of the best examples. You may know WSM as the home to the Grand Ole Opry, but not everyone knows that the Grand Ole Opry was started by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company in 1925, which had the slogan “We Shield Millions.” That’s right, WSM. Creating and airing the Grand Ole Opry became a way to engage the listening audience and introduce insurance in tune with the music.
The benefits of branded content include:
- Increase awareness and affinity. Like other forms of marketing, branded content introduces you and your business to new consumers. When it’s distributed with local news and information, it can be a trusted introduction with added credibility.
- Build trust and authority. Branded content is different from just giving someone your sales pitch, it’s giving them information that’s useful and valuable. It’s the start of a dialogue between your brand and prospective customers.
- Differentiate your business from competitors. There are many ways to set yourself apart from competitors. With branded content, what makes you unique can define what you share with consumers and how you engage their interest.
- Improves your digital footprint. Your digital footprint is the sum total of what your customers can find out about you online. A strong website, robust listings, and a social media presence are all necessary. But branded content add engagement with consumers because it’s about their needs as much as your services. And it provides a narrative you can enhance with your other marketing initiatives.
- Provides long-term visibility and value. A consistent branded content strategy produces multiple pieces of content distributed over months or even years. That content remains available for new people to discover and cumulatively adds to the likelihood that they will find you at the right time.
How to get started with branded content.
At Middle Tennessee Source, we’re passionate about sharing the stories of local businesses. And we’d love to write a story about your business. If you’re interested, fill out this form and we’ll reach out to schedule a time to connect.
Here are the key steps for small to medium-sized local businesses to create and deploy an effective branded content strategy:
- Understand your local audience. Take time to do a little research, including talking to customers, to understand local consumers’ interests, pain points, and content preferences. You’re looking for the problems they want solved, or a need they want filled, as well as the best place to find them when they are looking.
- Develop a content plan. Based on what they are looking for, what information can you share, based on your expertise to help them? Focus on creating unique, localized content that showcases your business’s expertise and connection to the community.
- Create diverse content formats. Think about a variety of content formats like articles, how-tos, FAQs, short videos, and more to cater to different audience preferences. Ensure all content provides genuine value and educates or entertains your local
- Optimize for local search. Incorporate local keywords and optimize content for local search visibility. Leverage your Google Business Profile to distribute content and drive local engagement.
- Leverage local channels. Consider partnering with local media to create and distribute content, as well as sharing on social media channels, community forums, and local partnerships.
- Monitor and refine. Get comfortable with learning along the way. Start by tracking key metrics like website traffic, engagement, and leads. Continuously refine your content strategy based on performance data and audience feedback.
Branded content allows local businesses to connect with their community in an authentic, engaging way. Rather than pushing sales messages, it provides value by educating, entertaining, and building trust with the audience. By understanding your local consumers’ needs and consistently creating diverse, localized content, you can increase brand awareness and affinity.
Over time, a strategic branded content approach will establish your business as a trusted authority, drive more website traffic, and nurture strong customer relationships. In today’s competitive landscape, branded content gives local businesses a powerful way to differentiate themselves, showcase their expertise, and forge meaningful connections with the people they serve.
Interested in learning more and getting an article written about your business.
Sources:
Local Media Association, Branded Content Guide
Pepper Content, How to create a local content marketing strategy for your business
Search Engine Journal, Why local businesses need to worry about content marketing
SEM Rush, Content marketing for small businesses
