Posted by As a social media manager, you are responsible for building a successful brand name. And, for this reason, you should know how to create branded content and make it go viral on social media. Here are a few tips for you.
Write a story
The most important thing that you should learn about branded content is that the story always comes first. And the primary task of every social media manager is to choose the main character (or a few characters) and write the narration.
Storytelling is an integral part of branded content. And you can use it to communicate your ideas and to tell the world about your customers, your employees, or just random people who have great stories to share.
Here is an excellent example of storytelling. Dove’s branded video tells stories of six women who were judged by people because their appearance doesn’t fit beauty standards. But these women stood up for their own beauty and fought for their happiness.
Put your values first
The mission of branded content is to promote the values of your company, not your products. So if you want to create great branded content on social media, you should think about the values your company and your customers have in common.
Do you strive for sustainability, gender equity, or maybe want to help kids in developing countries? Choose the topic that will not leave your audience indifferent. Articulate your mission clearly – and you will be amazed by the results.
Evoke emotions
Branded content is all about evoking emotion. So before you start writing an article, or shooting a video, you should decide at which strong feeling you will base your marketing campaign at:
- Sadness
- Happiness
- Fear or surprise
- Anger or disgust
Some social media marketers are afraid to create content that evokes negative emotions. They wrongly believe that customers will associate the brand with something negative.
But the truth is that sadness, fear, and disgust helps to convey your brand message and grab the audience attention. If you do everything right, it will not damage but improve the image of your brand.
Set the right tone of voice
To deliver your ideas successfully, you should set the right tone of social media brand voice. You should decide whether your voice will be:
- Personal
- Honest
- Educational
- Direct
- Entertaining
- Humble
- Delightful
- Clinical
- Scientific
Use the appropriate language
The language of branded content influences the results of the marketing campaign, and that’s a fact. For this reason, it’s crucial to analyze the preferences of your target audience and make sure that you speak the same language. Depending on the age and cultural background of your target audience, your language may be:
- Simple or complex
- Jargon-filled or slang-filled
- Serious or fun
- Savvy or whimsical
Make your content share-worthy
Today, it’s not enough to make your content interesting and informative. It’s also important to make it share-worthy. You should add a trigger that will encourage social media users to click the “Share” button.
After reading your sponsored post, the user should have only one thought in his head: “The message of this post is so true! I can’t agree more! My friends and family must see this post right now!”
Make your story to stand out
Well, if you have never created branded content before, this task might seem to be challenging for you. So if you can’t come up with a brilliant idea, don’t hesitate to ask for help your colleagues.
“Do brainstorming session with other people who know your target audience well enough. It will help you to get fresh ideas and inspiration,” recommends Anthony McGregor, a Social Media Specialist at PickWriters.
Find the right moment
Naturally, it will take you a lot of time and effort to create high-quality branded content. And it will be crucially important to find the right moment to present your masterpiece to the world. Depending on the topics you discuss, you may publish your content on specific holidays, cultural events, or historical dates.
For instance, Delta Airlines decided to published a branded video that honors the heroes “who paid the ultimate price to defend freedom” on Memorial Day. It allowed the company to boost engagement and get dozens of supportive comments.
Collaborate with influencers
When it comes to branded content on social media, collaboration with influencers is always a good idea. So if you want to boost your marketing efforts and reach a wider audience, you should cooperate with the influencers in your niche. It will help you to promote your company and its core values.
Here is an illustrative example. Colgate invited Michael Phelps, the most famous swimmer in the world, to support marketing campaign #EveryDropCounts. Phelps has more than eight million followers on Facebook, so it’s not a surprise that collaboration with him allowed the company to engage a wide target audience.
Pay for add
Well, if your brand has a million followers on Facebook, you can be sure that your branded content will reach a wide audience. But if your brand has just ten thousands followers, you should use paid social media advertising. It will ensure that your branded content will not be left unnoticed.
Even if you have a tight marketing budget, you should invest in paid ad campaigns on social media. Even $200 spent on adverting will make a big difference.
Don’t make your content look “too brandy”
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t overload your branded content with logos, symbols, hashtags, etc. It will make your branded content look more like an ad and scare your customers away.
Be authentic in your messaging, and your target audience will appreciate that. Mention your brand name or branded hashtag once per post and it will be enough.
That’s all you need to know about how to create branded content on social media. So don’t waste your time and start searching original ideas for your branded content right now.
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