If you’re just starting to venture into the world of inbound marketing and learning how blogging, articles and content can transform your marketing strategy, it can get a bit confusing. There’s so much unique industry lingo to learn.
Two popular terms are “brand journalism” and “content marketing”. Recently a reader asked me to shed a little insight on this topic.
Question: “Is there much of a difference between “brand journalism” and content writing/article marketing?”
~ Stephen Davies, Professional Internet Marketer and Manager PrimoQuest Marketing in Kingwood, Texas
Answer: Hi, Stephen! Thanks for reaching out with your question. With so many types of marketing in the playing field today, it’s tough to understand the subtle differences among them.
From a writer’s perspective, I see brand journalism as a specific type of content writing or article marketing.
In an overall sense, content marketing is using words and imagery — blog posts, social media updates, videos, podcasts, e-newsletters — to inform and inspire readers. Of course, since this is a business technique, there is an agenda. Content marketing is designed to generate brand recognition and ultimately bring business back to the publisher who generally sells goods or services.
So, when I talk about brand journalism, I think of it as a hybrid between journalism and marketing. Mix together research, interviews, statistics, quotes and a few other journalistic techniques with a company’s goals, new product launches or information about their services.
What you end up with it a relatable, reliable, informative piece of text that helps a company move forward in winning over their potential customers or solidifying relationships with their current fan base.
Stephen, I hope this gives you a little insight into the specifics of brand journalism and how it fits into a content marketer’s cadre of tools. This form of writing is one of my favorites since I get to flex my journalism muscles and get creative with a company’s marketing campaign.
Would you like to ask a question on Web Writing Advice? Send me a note and I might address your query in a future blog post! ~Angela
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