Branding speaks to a company’s identity; to its view of the world and of its place there; and to its mission, vision, and values. Branding is an integral part of the formation and evolution of any organization, but there’s a time and a place for everything — and for the most part, your content marketing isn’t the best spot to toot your own horn. Find out why less is more when it comes to mentioning your brand, and how to tell if you’re being too heavy-handed with your branding.
Why Not Tout Your Brand?
The reason that over-branded content isn’t ideal is pretty similar to the reason “We’re the best brand!” marketing has gone out of fashion: today’s consumers don’t want to be bombarded with sales pitches. In fact, some studies (like the ones cited in the image below) show that any sort of messaging that comes directly from a brand is viewed negatively.
When putting your company’s voice out there in blogs, articles, videos and more, make sure that your branded content isn’t over-branded.
Providing content of value, such as thought leader content that establishes your knowledge of your industry, is one of the best ways to engage your readers — millennial or otherwise.
Thought Leadership and Branding
When it comes to thought leader content, branding isn’t something you want at the forefront. The idea is to engage, educate, and inspire your audience so that they’re moved (not harassed) to learn more about you and your offerings. Referencing your brand and how fantastic it is at accomplishing x, y, and z isn’t appropriate for this medium; in fact, continual references to your brand will detract from that engagement and may lead people to abandon your content altogether.
The best way to assert your brand’s excellence in thought leadership is to display your expertise and explain best practices for your industry. It may be tempting to reference your brand, but instead you should use credible content to prove why the practices and strategies you’re referencing are the best — not why your brand is the best at accomplishing them. The above stats strongly indicate that readers prefer to make that connection on their own!
So what are 5 of the biggest signs you’re over-branding — whether in thought leader content or in other content marketing collateral?
What’s the biggest over-branding blunder you’ve seen?
