The Underrated Asset Class for Brands
As we head into 2021 and marketing budgets – ok, more like marketing suggestions- are beginning to take shape with a vaccine and the hope that comes with it arriving at any time. But as brand-side marketing leaders begin to assess their ad strategies and agencies, I can’t overstate the strategic importance of developing branded content as a long-term investment for brands.
Many in our industry won’t hesitate to commit ad spend to growing audiences on rented channels like social media, but in many cases building brand loyalty by captivating an audience with original content is a better use of a company’s resources. Before you pigeon-hole your content strategy as “just an SEO play” or simply an obligatory exercise for the company blog, consider upping your game with better content. Just as you wouldn’t put a $500 commercial on national TV (most of the time), you need to invest more into content creation if you’re going to capitalize on the flywheel momentum that great content can provide.
Two brands doing a great job of this at the moment are KFC with their upcoming Lifetime TV Mini Movie and Callaway’s house of original content. GE was a pioneer in the content marketing space as they became one of the top producers of original podcasts just as the channel was emerging.
At Fidelitas, we practice what we preach: the Lion’s Share Marketing Podcast recently celebrated its 100th episode and we have big plans for our own content in 2021 that I can’t share with you just yet. It’s never too late to start thinking about your own content differently.
The moral of the story: don’t be afraid to take chances with your content; instead focus on adding value to your target audience in order to command their attention. The war for attention is more competitive than ever before, but there are also more opportunities for savvy marketing leaders to cut through the noise with great content and smart paid media, SEO, and PR campaigns around that content.
