Brand Journalism Being Embraced
In your quest to leverage the power of the internet to your company’s advantage, you may have encountered the phrase “brand journalism.” But do you know what it means? More importantly, do you know how to make it work for you?
What Is Brand Journalism?
Brand journalism is the buzzword that’s being increasingly used to describe marketing tactics that don’t look or sound like marketing tactics. You can imagine how, if effectively deployed, this could work well for marketers. The modern audience is skeptical and will balk at anything to "salesy." Search engines are also increasingly sensitive to keyword salad and will punish you for not publishing content a human would want to read. Brand journalism seeks to keep potential customers engaged (and the search engines happy) through the publication of content that’s informative and entertaining – and most importantly, that doesn’t make someone feel like they’re being given the hard sell.
Brand Journalism Through Blogging
There are blogs that simply talk about the goods and services that a company offers, and there are blogs that seek to move beyond that by giving people something interesting to read. How many times can any person read the same repurposed copy without falling asleep? If all you have to say in your blog is how wonderful your company is and what specials you’re offering this week, topped off with aggressive "calls to action," you’re doing something wrong. Only when you begin to publish interesting content will the readers begin to line up. Once they’re lined up, they’re a lot more likely to give you their business. If you use relevant keywords in your blog posts (without overdoing it or being too ham-fisted), all the better to score greater visibility on the search engines.
Here are a few brand journalism tips you can start using with your next post.
- Update your blog on a frequent and reliable basis. Commit to a particular schedule and stick to it. You don’t have to publish a blog every day. If all you can find the time for is one blog per week, or one blog per month, go with that. Just remain consistent.
- Create articles of interest to your readers or others in your industry. A big part of success in brand journalism is to make yourself an industry expert. That builds trust. Trust translates to business.
Brand Journalism Via Web Video Production
Internet video marketing is one of the most effective ways to bring some serious visibility to your brand. Unfortunately, far too many companies take the straightforward and boring approach when hiring someone to create an online video commercial. This can be detrimental for a few reasons, chief of which is appearing as if you’re only interested in the bottom line. The secret to making that bottom is to be less obvious and more entertaining.
- Hire a videographer to create a humorous video that puts product last and entertainment value first.
- Work with your marketing department on ideas for video content that move beyond the “shop with us” mentality and offer something of value to viewers. If you’re a shoe manufacturer, create a video featuring a roundup of celebrities and their wacky footwear. If your business is computer sales, make an educational and informative short video about the history of computers.
In order to succeed at brand journalism, you have to have two things: ideas and people to help you flesh those ideas out. If you’re short on either, you can seek out experienced and talented professionals to help you achieve your marketing and sales goals by visiting Artisan Talent. Artisan is an online community of freelance professionals of all specialties who are available for hire on a per-job basis. Get started in your search and contact Artisan today.
Vince F is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
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Artisan Talent is a Digital, Marketing and Creative Staffing Firm placing talent in jobs perfectly matched with their skills all over the US. For available jobs, to submit your resume, or learn more about working with Artisan Talent, contact us here.
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