If I were to ask you to list all the ways to use the internet to promote a brand’s offerings, I trust you could create a lengthy list in the blink of an eye – banner ads, paid search, social advertising, YouTube ads, etc. These days, good marketers are savvy at ways to use digital tools to drive results and have been employing them for quite some time.
Despite the comfort level with digital tactics, I see a devotion spread across many of the “go-to” ad units, that, while serve a purpose, limit the type of messaging and connections brands sometimes desire. At Morgan & Co., media strategies are designed to create the strongest possible bond between people and brands. This sometimes means taking a brand’s content that is hiding in plain sight and serving it up to key audiences via a content marketing strategy.
Content marketing is an approach focused on distributing valuable and informational content to your audiences without feeling intrusive. The content, which already exists on a brand’s website, is targeted alongside related content, that a shared audience is already consuming. This aligning of similar information makes a positive impact on your potential customer, and positions your brand to be their next potential resource.
Content marketing includes things like educational articles, videos, entertainment, webinars and other useful tools that answer specific questions people have and provides them with something they can’t get somewhere else.
Note the example below. If you, a consumer, is surfing the web, reading an article about “The Cities with the Most Innovative Transportation Futures,” there is a likelihood that you may also be interested in reading “Bottoms Up Transit: Electric Inverted Monorail Could Come to a City Near You”, which is technically an ad, but offers both relevant information to the consumer and drives that consumer back to the advertiser’s website to learn more. Ta-Da!
TOPICAL CONTENT
We’ve heard it countless time – content is king. Yes, it can be when its role in a paid media strategy aligns perfectly with the strength of the content. Those strengths revolve around what content is built to address:
- Political issue
- Partnership growth
- Deep explanation
- Civic/community issues (i.e.: COVID-19)
- Educational/informational heavy
- Long decision process (customer journey)
- Complex decision/information
It’s not common for paid media pro’s to emphasize an organic content play into their strategy. But, as a paid placement tool, it makes perfect sense for the right brands. Here’s why:
REACH
The content placements we use at Morgan & Co. have extensive coverage and reach across recognizable publishers, news sites and delivery networks. Within those platforms, there are 100s – 1000s of informational websites, making this application on par with a well-built PR strategy.
RIGHT MINDSET
We use a paid content strategy to engage online viewers during a learning and information mindset (Think: someone who wants to read the local news versus shopping online). As they’re in this learning state of mind, our brands’ ideal audience segments tend to digest more informational media over other forms of media or ad placements.
FORM
The beauty of paid content is that placements are more editorial in form (over other media types), and are typically comprised of full-page articles and other long-form content, such as interviews, discussions, surveys, research findings, helpful information, lists, etc.
DELIVERY
It provides the perfect delivery for more substantive information, such as political, local, and civic-oriented topics. At the same time, paid content excels at delivering more complex information, too detail-rich for other forms of ‘quick hit’ paid media. This offers an opportunity for your brand to become a credible resource on topics that matter to the consumer, and your business is more likely to get discovered by the right audience and earn their loyalty and trust.
PERFORMANCE
Our team thinks of paid content placements as the new “go-to” traffic driver, as it consistently performs for a wide range of brands and categories. It does an amazing job of promoting initiative or issue content, generating large-scale awareness and driving interest in promotions. In terms of measurement, we routinely see content placement generate acquisition (sessions, engagement) at a low cost and on the efficient end of the scale when compared to other media tactics.
Paid content has proven to be a worthy tactic for brands seeking a fresh approach to their media strategies. At Morgan & Co. we have built a strong track record by using a brand’s existing content to engage audience segments and drive a return on media spend. If your brand is in need of new ideas that generate efficient, measurable returns, contact us to learn how paid content placements might be the solution you’re looking for.