Mastering Branded Content Strategy: Lessons from Magazine Editors

I was a magazine editor for many years – more than I care to admit – and I’ve also worked with and learned from some of the best in the business. This group comprises a diverse array of characters, far from being monolithic. I once worked with an editor so old-school that he threw a milkshake across the newsroom when my second attempt at getting a headline right still fell flat. I also worked with an editor with the aesthetic eye of an Apple designer and another who could structure a lead paragraph with the detailed focus of an artist sculpting from clay (unlike this one). And so, there are not a lot of generalizations to be made about editors. Except this: The best magazine editors in the business excel in their role as audience specialists.

Here, there are some very important lessons to be gleaned in the world of marketing and strategic content creation.

The transformation of marketing into content creation has been significant and far-reaching over the past couple of decades, accelerated by the rise of digital technology and the internet.

As recently as a decade ago, marketing was still predominantly about advertising and selling products and services, often through one-way communication channels like TV, radio, print, and websites. The focus was more on the product or service rather than the consumer.

The Shift to Consumer-centric Marketing

However, the digital age has revolutionized the way businesses market their offerings. With the explosion of social media, and the increased accessibility of digital technology, consumers are now flooded with information and options. This has led to a shift from product-centric marketing to consumer-centric marketing, and one of the most effective ways of engaging today's savvy and informed consumers is through content.

Strategic content creation is now at the forefront of marketing strategies. This could include educational articles, how-to guides, thought leadership pieces, entertaining videos, interactive webinars, and engaging social media posts. The aim is to provide valuable and relevant content to consumers, build trust and relationships, and eventually guide them towards making a purchase decision.

The rise of strategic content is also a response to changes in consumer behavior. Consumers today prefer to learn about a brand and its offerings through content rather than traditional advertisements. They appreciate brands that help solve their problems or enhance their lives. They are more likely to trust and buy from these brands.

Moreover, content creation is no longer confined to the marketing department. It's a cross-functional responsibility that involves teams from product design to customer service. This is because all aspects of a business can provide valuable insights that can be transformed into content, contributing to a holistic and authentic brand narrative.

In essence, marketing has significantly transformed into content creation. Businesses that understand and embrace this shift are more likely to connect with their target audience, build strong customer relationships, and achieve their marketing objectives.

Yet many brands continue taking a product-centric approach while now using digital platforms to do so. Take, for instance, the continued proliferation of product videos across social channels. Although they effectively showcase a product's features, benefits, and uses, their primary role is promotional, often making them more brand-focused than audience-focused. Relying solely on product videos can result in a missed opportunity to build deeper connections, foster long-term customer loyalty, and improve conversion rates.

So why the prevalence of unengaging or flat content? Well, there are several factors at play, including the fact that brands often prioritize content quantity over quality, leading to repetitive, low-value content. Many also struggle with effective storytelling, resulting in disjointed narratives, and lack clear content goals aligned with their marketing strategy, causing content to be directionless and ineffective. Additionally, some brands misapply SEO by overemphasizing keywords and algorithms at the expense of content authenticity.

Importance of Audience Understanding

But hovering over all these factors like an alien spacecraft on a fishing line in a bad 1950s movie is lack of audience understanding. Many brands fail to thoroughly research and understand their target audience's interests, needs, and preferences. This oversight can result in content that, although well-produced, misses the mark in terms of engaging the intended audience, and fails to foster meaningful connections or drive desired actions.

Audience understanding is not just about knowing who your audience is demographically, but about gaining insights into their behaviors, preferences, and pain points. This knowledge shapes content’s tone, style, and distribution, and should form the foundation of all content strategies, guiding brands in creating content that truly resonates and prompts desired audience engagement.

Which brings me back to magazine editors. Brands can learn a lot from magazine editors who have long mastered the art of audience engagement. They excel at curating content that not only grabs attention but also keeps readers coming back for more. Their secret lies in understanding their readers inside and out and creating content that speaks to their interests, experiences, and desires.

Embracing the Magazine Editor Ethos

Consider this: Magazine’s play in niche markets where having a clear picture of their readers is central to the task of publishing something that will keep audiences engaged, coming back, and sharing the content they create.

Editors curate content across a spectrum of reader interests, ensuring their publication appeals to the reader's intellectual curiosity, aesthetic sensibilities, or entertainment desires. Editors excel in content planning, often building editorial calendars around their audience's expectations, seasonal trends, or significant events.

Editors also understand the importance of consistency in style, tone, and quality across all content pieces, ensuring each article, column, or feature aligns with the magazine's voice and ethos. They recognize the need for a balance of content—informational articles, human interest stories, interviews, reviews—that cater to the varied tastes and preferences of their readers.

Furthermore, magazine editors know the value of storytelling. They weave narratives that resonate with readers, inspire them, or provoke thought. Even in the driest of topics, the best can find an angle that makes the content compelling and relatable.

Lastly, magazine editors pay attention to reader feedback. Letters to the editor, comments on online articles, and subscription renewal rates all offer insight into how well the content resonates with the audience. They're not afraid to adjust their approach based on this feedback, ensuring they continue to deliver content that their readers value.

The thing is, there is often a wealth of these kinds of insights at the branded content creator’s disposal. That’s because leading brands have a treasure trove of market research about their target markets. It’s really a matter of shifting focus and parsing that data with a keen editorial eye.

Strategies for Effective Branded Content Creation

To create audience-centric branded content, consider these strategies, many of which are inspired by the magazine editor's approach:

1. Leverage Data-Driven Research: Use available data about your audiences to inform your content strategies, aligning with both the brand's objectives and audience interests.

2. Implement Social Listening: Use social listening tools to gain insights into audience sentiment about your brand and its content. Monitor audience behavior and adjust content strategies accordingly.

3. Engage Your Audience: Employ direct audience engagement methods like surveys or social media polls to yield valuable insights into audience preferences. Actively respond to audience feedback to tailor your content to their interests.

4. Create Audience Personas: Develop detailed audience personas using gathered data and feedback. These personas can guide content creation to ensure resonance with the intended audience.

5. Embrace Constant Iteration: Understanding your audience is an ongoing process. Brands must continually revisit and refine their understanding based on new data and feedback.

In a sea of relentless content production, brands should consider taking a step back, observing, and learning from the pros. It's time to borrow a leaf from the playbook of magazine editors to ensure content not only reaches the audience but also resonates, engages, and ultimately drives brand growth.

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