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Brand Journalism

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Brand journalism. What the heck is it? How can your brand benefit from it?

Brand journalism is a mix of content marketing, public relations and corporate communications. Rather than directly promoting a brand through traditional marketing methods or focusing on making a sale, brand journalism – sometimes referred to as “marketing through journalism” – focuses on building stories and other content that highlights a company or organization’s value from a different viewpoint.
Brand journalism’s goal is to garner affinity from prospects and current clients.
“A 5% increase in retention can boost profits 75%.” Have you heard this statistic from Bain & Company? It’s been frequently quoted since the study was conducted … in 1990. Clients are more likely to stay with you if they like your brand and like how the brand talks to them.

It’s said all the time that brands are becoming publishers. If your brand isn’t working to herald a narrative for its benefit, no one else is!

Here are a few great examples of brand journalism:

Advocate Aurora Health

UPS Longitudes

Red Bull Imagination Series

So many brands struggle with brand journalism, thinking it takes a stable of writers, bloggers, videographers and producers. Most organizations already have all the resources they need to start publishing right now. Many great brands outsource the content to freelancers or industry publishers.
Next time you are opening your email, browsing LinkedIn or on social media, start looking at all the content your favorite brands deliver. You will start to notice the very best brands are drawing you to them, not just amplifying the same old message.

If you would like to discuss some ways your organization can build the audiences you need through brand journalism, please drop me a note! I’d love to discuss how we’ve done this for best-in-class Suppliers, Distributors, IDNs, Hospitals and Physicians Offices.

3 Things healthcare marketers can learn from The Masters

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It’s Masters’ Week in Georgia. The Masters is arguably the best sporting event in the world. Each year, the greatest golfers convene in Augusta, Georgia for a week of tradition, reflection, and competition. I can’t think of another event that stirs the emotions and excitement of the golf world like The Masters.

With this being the kickoff to the golf season worldwide, the top brands release their very best marketing pieces right around Masters’ Week. I want to share one such piece with you from TaylorMade Golf.

https://twitter.com/TaylorMadeGolf/status/1114966371794690048/video/1

TaylorMade is the No. 2 brand in golf, behind only Titleist. Tiger Woods is the most recognized athlete in the world and arguably the most accomplished.

Here are 3 things every healthcare marketer can learn from this TaylorMade video of Tiger Woods:

  1. Deliver content your prospect wants. Brands are still amplifying their message to targeted prospects instead of delivering what the audience wants. Did you notice Tiger didn’t mention equipment once? In healthcare, brands keep screaming features and benefits, but this repels the people you’re trying to attract.
  2. Brands are rewarded just for facilitating the conversation. TaylorMade has golf enthusiasts watching Tiger talk about how he prepares for The Masters via their Twitter account. It’s content they can’t find anywhere else. The insight and emotion watchers attain because of this weighs favorably for TaylorMade.
  3. Be interesting. Today in the healthcare industry, your brand will look like a pioneer if you put out some interesting content. Unfortunately, healthcare brands continue to produce boring, functional, error-free content. How long would you have watched the Tiger video if he began with “My TaylorMade Driver is the most accurate, easiest to hit….”?

If you enjoyed this Marketing Minute, please share with your colleagues – especially if they are golfers!