4 Strategies To Elevate Content Marketing To The Level Of Brand Journalism In 2014

By John Lavitt | January 9, 2014 |

If 2013 was the year of content marketing, 2014 is going to be the year that content marketing is elevated to the level of brand journalism. As opposed to marketing based mainly on keywords and geographic optimization techniques, brand journalism demands a greater level of engagement from content marketers. If content marketers want to be heard and recognized amid the loud chorus of internet voices, the quality must be as important as the quantity.

The content marketing model for 2014 should be focused on creating value beyond the context of the website of origin. Such value generates detailed insight into the nature of the brand and its unique propositions to potential clients and consumers.

Brand Journalism needs to not only provide information that works in the context of a company’s website but also clarify and expand the brand’s core message. Furthermore, brand journalism needs to be accessible and moveable across multiple mediums and platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

By raising content marketing to the level of brand journalism, the content can inform readers on a deeper level through observation, insight and qualitative discrimination. By broadening the significance of the content explored, brand journalism will cross over website barriers and become of true value to both potential partners and a diverse range of social media platforms. Without pushing brand journalism too far by creating a sense of faux importance, this elevated form of content marketing can deliver lasting results, opening the eyes of consumers to the unique propositions of a brand’s offering.

Here are 4 strategies for copywriters to take in 2014 to help make the transition from old-time content marketing to brand journalism:

1) Integrate Brand Journalism Into Your Overall Web Strategy

The act of branding the unique propositions of each client must be integrated into the overall web strategy of content marketers. The question to be asked is how to highlight the value offered by each company and relate it to overall trends in the greater macrocosm

2) Help Clients By Providing The Tools To Improve Their Knowledge

If potential clients are going to value a company’s brand and recognize the unique propositions, they need help to see the light. By employing visual, analytical and storytelling tools in the process of branding, you can lead and enlighten them.

3) Ask Questions And Learn The Mechanics Of Classical Journalism

If you are a content marketer but lack a journalistic base, ask the necessary questions and investigate the differences between copywriting and traditional news content writing. What are you doing that traditional journalists are not doing and why? What do traditional journalists do that you have not tried and why? By continually questioning with beginner’s mind, you will be able to learn and grow as your content marketing is elevated into brand journalism.

4) Never Ignore The Lasting Value Of Educational Journalism

At its core, all journalism is a form of educational journalism. By providing greater context and history, by sourcing references and cross-checking facts, you can offer a company’s potential clients educational benefits that will last beyond the site value. Such benefits will inspire them to return to a company’s site and become an acting part of a consumer community.

This is just the beginning. The learning curve is long and the challenge is great for content marketers as they strive to elevate tried and true web writing and content marketing to the level of brand journalism. By embracing a beginner’s mind and being willing to learn, the challenge can be faced successfully.