7 Strategies to Create Authentic, Effective, and Cost-Efficient Content Across Channels

Nowadays, content marketing has become a challenging affair for brands. Since being present and delivering content across all customer touchpoints drives brand awareness, brand loyalty, and sales, brands need to create more content than ever across digital channels.

With more channels available and active consumers on social media platforms expecting authentic, entertaining, and relevant content, it is paramount for brands to source thousands of genuine and channel-tailored content within a limited timeframe and budget.

But how can brands achieve this in an authentic, effective, and cost-efficient way?

1. Leverage UGC

Provided by actual users passionate about the product or service, called “brand lovers,” user-generated content is perceived as authentic and trustworthy. Because customers trust the opinions and product recommendations of friends, family, and acquaintances more than brands, they are more likely to consult UGC content on social media to make a purchase decision. Brands can leverage UGC in 2 ways: create incentives to produce content by running contests, events, product testing campaigns, or identify content already created by actual customers and asking them for permission to repost re repurpose it. This benefits both the brand and the creator by reaching a wider audience, increasing engagement and conversions.

2. Invest in Influencer Collaborations

Paid or unpaid, nano or macro, there is plenty of content available when working with influencers. Influencers create tailored and authentic content according to brand guidelines that ultimately resonates with their loyal followers, building trust and connection with the brand. influencer-generated content has higher performance and engagement than brand posts, and the content can be repurposed and reused across online and offline campaigns. The success factor is selecting influencers based on brand objectives and target audience. Collaborating with nano and micro-influencers increases credibility and engagement, while macro and star influencers can deliver high-quality, well-designed content and massive online reach. Holistic influencer marketing agencies, such as Territory Influence can consult brands which type of influencer would be best suited to create the right piece of marketing content.

3. Leverage Brand Ambassadors

Brand ambassadors are defined as brand lovers – independent customers, influencers, and employees who promote and share genuine appreciation for the brand or its products through content on digital platforms. Converted over time into advocates through brand education and communication, brand ambassadors love the product/brand and share their opinion in a genuine manner, building an emotional connection with their audience based on trust and transparency, and driving positive WOM, ultimately convincing them to purchase. Given the high brand engagement and strong relationship with their audience, brand ambassadors offer an excellent opportunity to increase sales and brand engagement, and access to great content across all channels. Brands can also engage ambassadors in partnerships, co-creation, new product development, and brand events to get closer to the consumer and create authentic experiences and products. Leading CPG companies such as L’Oreal, P&G, LEGO or Nestlé have all started to build up dedicated ambassador programs to nurture the relationship with their communities of brand lovers.

4. Invest in a Content Factory or Production Hub

A content factory is a hub for planning and managing content production tasks, such as USG, community and project management, content planning, creation, copywriting, video and photo editing. This hub enables brands to efficiently create content within time, resources, and budget constraints. Brands can set up their own department or partner with a local, overseas, or digital-only agency. It is advisable to select the agency based on the brand’s objectives and the campaign’s location. This would not only allow for a higher level of knowledge and communication tailored to the local market but also ensure a successful campaign and higher ROI.

5. Plan Content & Production Strategically

Planning content and production is the most efficient strategy for sourcing a large amount of high-quality content within time and budget constraints, as it allows marketers to stay organized and know in advance the number, concept, and format of content to be produced. Content stacking, or the pyramid method, involves creating smaller pieces of content that are part of a larger content piece. Content repurposing, on the other hand, reuses or adapts one piece of content to create multiple content formats on social platforms. A brand marketing a 5-products line could create video and photo content for each product and then stack them into one big content idea, and the video content can be repurposed into photos, posts, stories, ads, and reels for online and offline communication

6. Optimize SEO Strategy

A consolidated SEO strategy is key to optimizing the website’s position in search results and driving traffic to the brand’s content, increasing exposure, and reaching a larger audience. High-performing SEO content is characterized by engaging written journalistic content of more than 500 words that is tailored to the brand’s audience and has appropriate structure, grammar, and spelling. The brand can source written content from its content factory or 3^rd parties, such as content agencies, freelance editors, or publishers. When planning SEO and written content strategy, the brand must conduct thorough research and analysis of search terms, keywords, and user journey performance, carefully select content writers, plan and optimize content production accordingly.

7. Partner with Publishers

Partnering with publishers such as offline and online magazines and blogs allows brands to gain access to visual and written content, boost exposure, awareness, reach a broader audience and potential customers. Being featured in an established publication with authentic and relevant content also generates WOM, boosting trust and emotional connection with the brand. Publishers should be selected according to the brand’s objectives, considering various factors such as industry, target group, credentials, content style, channels, and opportunities. Mentioned in magazines, YouTube videos and praised by influencers, including celebrities like Rihanna and Victoria Beckham, brand Weleda’s Skin Food Light benefited from high exposure, engagement, positive WOM, and increased sales, winning the 2020 Vogue Beauty Awards in the Natural Skincare Phenomenon Category.

More insights, tips and best practices to turn marketing content creation into a strategic competitive advantage in a free ebook from Territory Influence