The Intersection of Content Marketing and Branded Content: A #CMWorld Twitter Chat with Amanda Milligan

There are people who assume branded content and content marketing are one and the same. But there are differences. Knowing what they are increases your chance of success. We found this to be true when we introduced two new categories to the Content Marketing Awards: B2B and B2C Branded Content Campaigns of the Year. (You can hear from this year’s winners in Chief Content Officer magazine.)

Amanda Milligan knows the advantages of branded content and content marketing. As marketing director at Fractl, she practices what she preaches. Her agency uses both to market clients and their own agency.

We invited Amanda to be a guest on a recent #CMWorld Twitter chat. Read on for a brief recap. Want a deeper look at these two strategies? We’ve curated the top tweets in a Twitter Moment.

Can a company be successful at both content marketing and branded content at the same time?

The answer from our community was a resounding “yes!” But when companies don’t have the right strategy, the results can be harmful.

A2. Absolutely! The key is that you can’t expect one piece of content to accomplish all of your goals. Make sure you’re creating content with distinct objectives and ways to measure their success against those objectives. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/ibB4tnWU6s

— Amanda Milligan (@millanda) October 29, 2019

A2: #CMWorld

Yes, you can be successful at both branded content & content marketing!

Go in with a strategy, assign resources, test how it performs, & adjust from there. Your strategy might include a lot of paid ads while others may need more content on their site.

Get testing! pic.twitter.com/nY83k2PHzI

— Click Control Marketing (@ClkContrl) October 29, 2019

A2: Yes and in fact, some of the most successful companies are having great success because they are rocking both of these elements. #cmworld

— Hannah Richards (@actPRHannah) October 29, 2019

Should the same internal team handle branded content campaigns and content marketing programs?

A6. It doesn’t really matter if the two parties communicate. I am currently working on a campaign with another team for the facebook branch of the campaign and we communicate weekly so everything is in the same or similar voice. Everyone needs to know their job however. #cmworld

— Hannah Richards (@actPRHannah) October 29, 2019

A6: the same team should oversee both, but not necessarily execute both. Teams using fractional content marketers for complex projects can get more done faster. #CMWorld

— Don Dingee (@don_dingee) October 29, 2019

A6: If I had all of the resources in the world…maybe no.
But since I don’t…usually yes.

I actually use a contractor for some content mkt campaigns that are long-term & difficult. It’s good to have outside perspective & consistency on those issues. #CMWorld

— Shannah Hayley (@shannahhayley) October 29, 2019

Is branded content currently a part of your efforts? Or do you plan to experiment with it in the new year? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Expand your knowledge and skills branded content and content marketing at Content Marketing World. Join our Slack workspace to be alerted when registration opens for our 2020 conference!