Branded Content is a way of associating the brand with information or entertainment, which often has more value for the consumer than an association with advertising, and is often ignored or even counterproductive.

But for it to be effective and successful, you have to realize from the outset that, given the speed of the digital world, there is less time to plan and that monitoring and content management are becoming more important. Actions and reactions have to be almost instantaneous, since the public's focus of attention is dispersed and changing and opportunities for visibility are rare.

Branded Content you have to be attentive and understand what's happening with the public and try to keep them interested. engagement for as long as possible, differentiation and relevance are also decisive. Content that is different, that arouses curiosity, causes surprise and exceeds the public's expectations has a greater chance of generating interest, and eventually leads. But it must be relevant.

Since the branded content is based on social networks, it will only be disseminated if it is relevant. Interest will be proportional to its shareability. If engagment of the first people who come into contact with the content, it will not be considered relevant and shared, "dying" before it reaches the general public.

The importance of aligning the branded content with other content developed to boost the results, visibility and promotion of a brand, its products and services. This is not the same as content marketing. This is a common confusion and not even the branded content is a subcategory of content marketing, although they share tools.

On branded content all the focus is on positioning and publicizing the brand, while in content marketing, working on the brand may be one of the focuses, but it's not the only one. Another point of departure is the commercial issue.

Content marketing seeks to exert a direct influence to increase sales, which culminates in the so-called sales funnelIt is designed to take the consumer through all the steps, from discovering the company to making a purchase decision. The influence of branded content on sales is indirect. It develops from the public's feeling towards the brand, and this feeling is nurtured in a subtle way.

One example is a branded content demonstrating how a particular company prioritizes sustainability, which leads consumers to develop more respect and empathy for the organization. But not necessarily to buy its products or services. What's more branded content works with a campaign model very similar to that used in traditional advertising, with content designed for a specific and temporary context, while content marketing requires continuity, regularity and consistency.

Despite all the differences, the branded content and content marketing are neither competing nor mutually exclusive. Strictly speaking, the two strategies are complementary and, when used in this way, they guarantee an exponential increase in brand awareness and, consequently, the results. At the root of this complementarity and the success of these strategies is a good, well-told story.