Digital Marketing 101: Organic versus branded content

Beckie Boyd
October 7, 2021

On any media platform, it is important for businesses to remain consistent and relevant to effectively reach their desired audience. The best way to accomplish this is regular content creation!

Marketers frequently use the term “content,” but what does that really mean? HubSpot defines content creation as the “the process of generating topic ideas that appeal to your buyer persona, creating written or visual content around those ideas, and making that information accessible to your audience as a blog, video, infographic, or other format.”

The possibilities for content creation are endless with the wide variety of technologies and apps available to us at our fingertips. At My Buckhannon, we use a wide variety of tools and social media platforms to share new content and updates on behalf of our clients daily.

Within the umbrella of content creation, we see two branches: organic content and branded content.

Organic content can be described as general business announcements delivered with the help of eye-catching imagery in the form of a photo, video, story or blog post. Organic content is fun because a business can really let their brand personality shine naturally. A TikTok video or a Facebook meme are fun ways to keep audiences engaged with your social media platforms while also getting a business message across.

Content like this can be created in-house or using an outside agency (like My Buckhannon) and is published as regular post on a business’s own media platforms. This content also creates conversations around your business that you may not otherwise receive. For example, giveaways are an organic way to keep followers engaged while sharing details about upcoming events or an upcoming sale, or to foster interest in your businesses that followers may not have had a chance to visit until now!

On the other hand, successful businesses also make extensive use of branded content. Branded content is the professional representation of a business through platforms like a website or a print ad, or through paid sponsored posts on social media platforms. This type of content is a good way to positively reach your desired audiences in a way that conveys professionalism and trust — such as in a newspaper, website or television commercial.

Branded content is delivered to audiences across a variety of channels and typically reaches a broader customer base than an organic post. However, that comes at a cost. Branded content is created and funded through an advertising entity, like My Buckhannon. Graphic design software and ad copy is the starting point for a successful branded content campaign. Let us take on the stress of designing the perfect ad for you!