In the business world, it is absolutely essential that companies carefully consider their online marketing strategy and their approach to reputation management. Creating and posting fresh and relevant content is one of the best ways to enhance your brand and promote your services. Knowing when to use branded and non-branded content, however, can be tricky.
The Difference Between Branded and Non-Branded Content
Branded content is any media that is funded or produced by a company for advertising purposes or for exposure. These types of articles contain keywords and search phrases in the title, headlines, and throughout the entire piece. This type of content may be in the form of specific benefits offered by your company.
On the other hand, while non-branded content may make a reference to a company, the article is in regards to a different or broader subject of general interest to the intended clientele. In non-branded content, the keywords and search phrases are used throughout the piece but are typically not listed directly in the title. For example, this type of content may be in regards to the field in which the company operates.
The Pros and Cons of Each Type of Content
Since these types of content differ, they present distinctive benefits and downfalls.
The benefits of branded material include:
• Aiding your marketing strategy and reputation management plan;
• Potential to show up at the top of search engine results; and
• Searchers can easily find the content.
The downfalls of branded content include:
• Not appealing to the widest possible audience;
• Potential overuse of key phrase insertion; and
• Less “likes” or “shares,” and therefore less viewership.
The benefits of non-branded content include:
- Assisting branded content that is included in your marketing strategy;
- Opportunity to show off knowledge of the field;
- Appealing to a wider audience;
- More “likes” or “shares,” and therefore more viewership; and
- Reader-friendly material which will generate more interest in your company indirectly.
The downfalls of non-branded content include:
• Not showing up on the top of search engine results; and
• It may be more difficult to convert viewers into purchasers as they are looking for the article content rather than a service or product.
Because these two types of content present different pros and cons, it is necessary for each business to balance their use of each one. The perfect balance of techniques would look something like this: Non-branded content building goodwill and creating an online community of like-minded people. Their interests relate either directly or indirectly to the company’s products. Meanwhile, your branded content is appealing directly to people interested in and ready to buy your product, resulting in sales.
If done correctly, both types of content can aid in a business’s overall marketing strategy and online reputation management plan. For more information on branded versus non-branded content, please feel free to contact us at Web Content Development today.
