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The Ultimate Guide to Branded Content

© 2014 NewsCred / NewsCred.com / (212) 989-4100 / [email protected]

Content Marketing is More Than Great StorytellingIt’s a relationship-building tool that

empowers consumers to make

educated and informed decisions

about your brand. It’s an authentic

way for organizations to add value

to their customers’ lives, fueling

happiness and trust. It’s a powerful

driver for generating engagement,

providing entertainment, and

inspiring brand affinity.

You know great content when you

see it — but the process of creating

high-quality content is easier said

than done. The growing content

marketing ecosystem has amplified

demand for top writers, and

when you’re creating content and

distributing at scale you need all the

talented help you can get — and you

need them fast.

© 2014 NewsCred 3


This guide will help you master the art of:

› Crafting an operational framework that grows with your company

› Cultivating a team of all-star freelancers who are experts in their field

› Pinpointing the right content software and tools

› Measuring the ROI of your branded and licensed content

› Building a newsroom that can handle high-volume content production with ease

© 2014 NewsCred 4


Table of Contents

01 Branded Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

02 Brand Journalism: Working with Freelancers

03 Creating a Brand Newsroom

04 Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

© 2014 NewsCred 05

01 Branded Content & the Marketing EcosystemThe Ultimate Guide to Branded Content

Branded Content & the Marketing Ecosystem

It’s an understatement to say that content has

become the heart and soul of marketing. The idea

revolves around a fundamental trend in consumer

behavior that today’s buyers are highly self-

directed and research-driven. By the time that they

reach out to your organization’s sales team, they’ve

likely made a decision about whether or not to do

business with your brand. Great content is a key

influencer in this decision making process.

The end result of content marketing is clear ROI for

your business. When executed correctly, content

becomes a brand asset — generating a steady

stream of leads, sales, and revenue.

Evergreen content has an infinite shelf life. Unlike

paid channel advertisements or social media posts

that lose relevancy within a few seconds, content

lives on the Internet forever and has the potential to

generate leads for years.

Write one amazing article and it will appreciate in

value by gaining momentum through search engine

rankings and incremental exposure through social

channels — as audiences discover great content,

they’ll feel inclined to share it for years to come.

Here are a few statistics that

demonstrate how B2B brands think

about content marketing. It’s no

surprise that:

› 80 percent of B2B marketers who have

a documented content strategy are

creating more content than they did

one year ago1

› Using content-driven tactics saves an

average of 13% in overall cost per lead2

› 58 percent of B2B marketers plan

to increase their content marketing

budgets by the end of 20143

› 82 percent of marketers who blog see

positive ROI for their content-driven

marketing4

© 2014 NewsCred 06


Yahoo! uses a mix of original content to power its technology thought-

leadership portal, Yahoo! Tech. In addition to original content, Yahoo! is

leveraging the power of sponsored content to fill its content pipeline and

engage new audiences.

Yahoo! worked with Ford and NewsCred’s NewsRoom writer James Raia to

publish an original piece covering the intersection of the technology and

automotive industries. By leveraging Raia’s experience as a syndicated

automotive writer, Yahoo! Tech published a sponsored article on solar-powered

cars, which showcases both the Ford and Yahoo! brands.

Case Study: Yahoo! Tech’s “Original” Take on Solar-Powered Cars

Yahoo uses a mix of original content to power its new technology thought leadership portal, Yahoo! Tech

© 2014 NewsCred 07


Creating Content That Resonates: Quality is a Must Content creation is a major pain point for many

brands. Organizations will frequently delegate

writing tasks to entry-level employees or team

members who aren’t professional writers.

Businesses think that they are making a wise,

cost-effective decision, but here’s the thing: you

wouldn’t hire a lawyer to be your engineer, and you

wouldn’t hire an engineer to be your CPA. Writing,

just like any discipline, is a specialty that requires

both talent and genuine interest. Today’s audiences

can easily tell the difference between great,

mediocre, and terrible writing.

Great content can help your brand

accomplish the following goals:

1. Tell a unique and compelling story

2. Demonstrate subject matter expertise

3. Entertain and educate audiences at scale

Hiring an intern just isn’t going to cut it. In a few

years, they may become amazing writers, but

when interns are just starting out, they’re not

going to have the subject matter expertise that

your brand’s audiences crave. Paying an overseas

content creator ten dollars a blog post isn’t going

to cut it either. Forcing your data crunchers to take

time out of their days to blog definitely won’t cut

it, and will only present a distraction from core job

responsibilities.

When it comes to content creation, quality is a

must. Online audiences are bombarded with

information — and the competition for consumer

eyeballs is fierce. Studies on web use have shown

that humans have an attention span of about

eight seconds. A pet goldfish? Approximately nine

seconds. To stand out, inspire audiences, and add

value for your brand, your content needs to be

awesome. “Good enough” won’t be enough.

By creating lackluster content — for the sake of

creating a high volume of content — brands actually

waste money. Create amazing content, however,

and your brand will lay the foundation for a high-

value lead pipeline.

Where Branded Content Fits In

You have several options for creating branded

content.

High-performing content strategies require a mix

of licensed, original, and social content. Licensed

content provides a powerful way to connect

audiences with high-quality information at scale

and in real-time. Contributed audience content

provides an opportunity for your brand’s best

advocates to share their unique and authentic

perspectives and experiences.

Branded content will take your marketing to the

next level. By creating an asset that doesn’t exist

anywhere else on the web, you’ll distinguish your

brand as a thought leader, developing instant

credibility and new audiences by working with

writers who are established industry experts.

Attention span of a

goldfish? 9 seconds.

A human? 8 seconds.

© 2014 NewsCred 08


License content from publishers

Social content(user-generated content across channels, employee-generated content)

› High-value content from top

publishers is readily available, at

scale, for virtually any topic

› Highly cost-effective

› Vetted content that has undergone

multiple layers of editorial review

› Some of the best content that you’ll

find on the Internet — that already

has a track record for audience

engagement

› Extremely low-cost content channel

— it’s usually free

› Employees are typically available

and enthusiastic about helping

› In-house content can help build a

passionate brand culture

› Builds engagement with existing

stakeholders

› Some contributed articles may be

extremely compelling and high-

quality

› Brands have to renew licensing on a

semi-regular basis, even for evergreen

content

› NewsCred offers content from more than

4,500 publishers

› NewsCred provides access to millions of

full-text articles, images, and video

› NewsCred ensures that content is safe

and legally compliant for licensing

purposes

› Content requires detailed curation for

quality control

› Brands have limited control over

editorial direction

› Brands may need to tell their

audiences “no” to publishing a piece

of content (which is likely to upset

them)

› Editorial queues can be extremely

challenging to plan

› NewsCred has developed a library

of resources that explains how to

incorporate community engagement into

a holistic content strategy

StrengthsType of content Challenges Where NewsCred fits in

© 2014 NewsCred 09


Create branded content

› Requires dedicated resources and

strategic planning

› Workflow can take time to fully

develop

› The process of sourcing writers can

be a challenge (they’re typically paid

extremely well and in high demand)

› NewsCred is the resource on content

marketing, and we’ve vetted and found

the best freelancers for your branded

content. The best freelancers work with

us because we don’t take any fee on

content – every dollar you spend on

original articles goes directly to your

freelance team. As the world’s leading

content marketing platform, we’ve also

partnered with some of the most world-

renowned content producers, including

Getty Images and Visually

› Additionally, our platform makes it easy

for you to manage your team of writers

and create real relationships with them.

They become an extension of your team

and brand

› Finally, freelancers love us. That’s

why we have the best. We’re taking

care of the difficult stuff like invoicing,

tax documentation, and payment

processing. You never have to worry

about getting your Accounts Payable

department to pay your freelancers – we

take care of that for you

› NewsCred’s Content Marketing Cloud

provides tools for brands looking to

source writers, build workflows, and

measure ROI

› You will tap into the expertise of

established, high-demand content

creators

› You will have an inventory of

dedicated, branded content from

writers with established track records

for inspiring audience engagement

› These are professionals who

know how to integrate your brand

perspective in all freelanced content

› Freelancers can help your organization

build a content production engine to

create high-quality pieces at scale

› Technology is available to help

streamline the content production

process

› Freelancers are often influential,

and are happy to share your brand’s

content with their own networks

StrengthsType of content Challenges Where NewsCred fits inStrengths

© 2014 NewsCred 10

02 Brand Journalism: Working with FreelancersThe Ultimate Guide to Branded Content

Brand Journalism: Working with Freelancers

When we think of freelancers, several stereotypes

come to mind:

› They’re constantly hungry (and desperate) for any

work

› They couldn’t cut it in the real world

› They’re not invested in your brand, and won’t take

the time to understand your goals

› Their core talents are writing and writing only

Marketing leaders who buy into these stereotypes

will face a shocking surprise. Freelancers are in

high demand and are often paid extremely well —

some earn more than $1,000 per blog post. These

professionals left the traditional workforce because

they are subject-matter experts. They’re constantly

recruited for full-time roles, but will frequently

turn these opportunities down. They’re extremely

hardworking, client-focused professionals who

chose self-employment as a path to becoming

leaders in what they do.

When it comes to content marketing, your freelance

contributors will become invaluable business

partners. They’ll help you cultivate your brand’s

strategy and share insights about what they’re

seeing every day on the playing field.

It’s in your company’s best interest to treat these

business partners with ultimate respect. If you want

great content, you need to pay your writers well.

You need to woo your writers and build a strong

rapport with them, especially with the demand for

high-quality content being higher than it has ever

been. Skilled content creators know that clients

(and amazing opportunities) will always be there.

Make it worth their while!

© 2014 NewsCred 11


Why Top Content Creators Are Tough to Wrangle Marketing managers may think that recruiting

freelancers is as easy as reaching out to writers by

email or through LinkedIn. You may be surprised

that this process is much tougher and more time

consuming than you think.

Freelancers are small business owners who are

responsible for all business operations ranging

from sales to accounting and client services. In

other words, they’re unbelievably busy. They book

their services several months in advance, and

they’re spending their days doing more than just

writing. They’re highly focused on finding steady,

high-quality work. By building a reliable stream of

revenue with a client, freelancers can minimize the

administration necessary to manage their customer

relationships.

Brands can attract top freelancers by offering

competitive rates, being organized, and

communicating upcoming business plans. Focus

on building relationships, and get to know your

freelancers on an individual level. The more you

integrate freelancers with your full-time team, the

more empowered they will be to do great work for

your brand. Not to mention, you’ll have consistent

access to talented experts who will jump at the

chance to work with you.

Brands also need to be strategic about their

recruiting. Freelancers have varying interests,

skill sets, and areas of expertise. If you’re looking

for a technology writer, make sure that you’re

recruiting for the right background. Request to see

their portfolio, and check if they’ve freelanced for

notable brands. The more you can rely on your

writers’ expertise, the easier your job will be as a

marketer, brand editor, or program manager.

© 2014 NewsCred 12


10 Best Practices to Embrace Your freelancers have the potential to be invaluable

business partners for your brand. Successful brand

editors are skilled team leaders who take the time

to get to know their freelancers on an individual

level and cultivate great ideas from their contributor

networks. Follow these ten best practices to build

the strongest relationship possible.

1. Share your brand strategy, editorial guidelines,

and goals Content marketing is strategy-driven.

Your freelancers will be well-positioned to deliver

great content when they can wholly understand the

goals behind your marketing campaign. The more

they understand your brand’s needs, the more

empowered they’ll be to recommend ideas and

insights as well.

2. Work with a consistent team of freelancers Your

freelancers are in it for the long haul. They care

about your brand and want to help you succeed.

These relationships take time to fully cultivate. A

consistent team of freelancers will take the time to

learn and care about your company’s marketing

goals.

3. Assess your freelancers’ strengths and

passions Top freelancers are in tune with their

skillsets. Give them the flexibility to create content

they’re passionate about. This enthusiasm will take

a project from good to amazing.

4. Pay freelancers immediately Every freelancer

— at some point — has been burned by non-paying

clients. Paying freelancers immediately is invaluable

to building trust. While your freelancers may not

be starving, they are likely wondering if and when

they’ll get paid. Independent contractors don’t have

the same legal safety nets of a big brand. Paying

freelancers upon submission is a powerful sign that

your brand values these business relationships.

5. Set expectations Failed business relationships

are, more often than not, the result of one major

pain point: failed communication. Brands need to

keep the dialogue open with freelancers. Let them

know ahead of time how much (and when) they’ll

be compensated, how well-researched a piece

needs to be, as well as the formatting requirements

and number of editing cycles expected of the

freelancer. Setting expectations ahead of time will

save time by minimizing the revision process. If you

fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

© 2014 NewsCred 13


6. Make freelancers a part of your marketing

team Be as transparent as possible. Share planning

documents, editorial calendars, and content

performance. Freelancers work with multiple

clients and are valuable consultants for your brand.

They’re on your site and want to help your company

reach key performance goals.

7. Let them know how their work performs

Freelancers care about your company and will do

everything in their power to help your marketing

initiatives succeed. Like you, they are excited to test

new ideas and add maximum value with their work.

8. Provide constructive feedback Not happy? Talk

to your freelancers about it. They’re human and

open to learning. Work together, grow together,

and strive to improve as a team. Your freelancers

appreciate the feedback and are always striving to

become better in their work.

9. Give freelancers beats and areas of focus

Trusted freelancers can be given “beats,” much like

a newsroom, or other areas of creative specialty.

Trust your team to pitch stories in their areas of

interest and expertise. These beats will make a

brand editor’s job much easier — spend more time

optimizing your marketing program and less time

brainstorming ideas to write about.

10. Give credit to your freelancers Your freelancers

are proud of their work. They’re excited to share

bylined pieces with their social media communities

and other clients. Freelancers depend on their

track records to secure new business and evolve

in their careers. Give credit by giving them bylines

and providing great testimonials. Remember that

a simple “thank you” can amplify the success of a

business relationship.

© 2014 NewsCred 14


LogisticsA successful content strategy requires both

right-brained and left-brained planning. Success

requires structure, which is easier said than done.

Many brand editors will manage their freelancer

relationships over the phone or by email. That

works if you’re managing three freelancers. But

when you’re working with 10 or 20? Back-and-forth

communication becomes a mess. Word documents

and emails will quickly become your arch nemesis.

Remember that time is finite. You need to spend

your time brainstorming amazing content and

empowering writers to produce great work. If you

waste time chasing down back-and-forth emails in

your inbox, your content program will suffer. Using

a workflow tool like NewsCred’s Content Marketing

Cloud can streamline your pitch to publish process

with workflows, editorial calendars, and publishing

and distribution tools all in one place. Research the

marketplace and find a brand publishing tool that

best serves your brand’s needs.

Content Marketing Software

Method Pros

Excel Spreadsheets and Word Docs

› Workflows available offline

› Completely customizable

› Relatively inexpensive

› Software is already available and widely used within most organizations

› Includes tracking history for edits

Google Docs › Resources are easy to share with multiple writers and editors

› Collaboration is possible in real-time

› Cloud-based workflows are available from anywhere

› Documents can be fully customized for a brand’s specific workflow

› Drafts of all revisions are readily available and easy to access

› Free

Editorial Calendars

› Manage content creation, editorial calendars, writer assignments, and drafts in one place

› Solutions are designed for planning

End-to-end Marketing Software

› Plan your entire content marketing program

› Commission the world’s best writers, designers, and creatives from an exclusive network

› Manage content teams of any size

› Ideal solution for high-volume brand newsrooms

› Designed specifically for content marketers with full integration support for payments and

analytics

› Manage freelancers and content production from one central platform

› License content from top tier publishers and niche industry publications

› Integrate with all of your company’s brand publishing tools — including social media

accounts

© 2014 NewsCred 15


Method Cons

Excel spreadsheets and Word docs

› Limited automation, spreadsheets need to be consistently updated

› Customizations are limited to software features

› Excel and Word were not designed for collaboration with freelancers

› Disconnected from payment systems — payroll needs to be managed separately

› Track changes can quickly become a nightmare

› Revisions can get lost

› Integration with analytics resources is nearly impossible without engineering resources

Google Docs › Google docs need to be updated manually

› Workflows need to be built from the ground up, and tracking spreadsheets require constant updates

› Payment systems are disconnected

› Google docs as a tracking system is impossible to scale to accommodate multiple projects or just a few writers

› Virtually no automation

Editorial calendars

› Limited integration features for payment systems

› Few are designed with automation, analytics, and performance in mind

› Many editorial calendars are hosted on open source WordPress platforms

› Limited support features

› Do not support workflows with multiple team members

End-to-end marketing software

› Price may be too high for some content marketers

© 2014 NewsCred 16

03 Creating a Brand NewsroomThe Ultimate Guide to Branded Content

Creating a Brand Newsroom

Brand newsrooms are foundational to an

organization’s publishing efforts. Typically these

roles include a mix of strategists, editors, writers,

fact-checkers, analysts, and freelancers. These

roles require well-defined workflows and feedback

loops between production, engineering, and

analytical teams.

A mismanaged team leaves significant room for

error — without the right tools and systems in

place, chaos will ensue. It’s easy to lose track of

content, misinterpret data, or overlook crucial

metrics for performance measurement.

That’s why software is such an invaluable part of

your company’s content strategy — organizations

with streamlined workflows are in the best position

to develop creative, compelling, and growth-

focused marketing strategies.

© 2014 NewsCred 17

04 Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)The Ultimate Guide to Branded Content

Measuring Success: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Success in content marketing doesn’t happen

overnight. Content programs require testing,

iteration, and refinement. In other words — test,

learn, measure, repeat.

Content marketing KPIs are a direct reflection of

your company’s conversion funnel. Metrics should

track a lead’s movement through the funnel by

answering the following questions:

› How effective is your content in exposing new

prospects to your brand?

› How effective is your content in building interest

and engagement with your brand?

› To what extent does your content inspire

customers to do business with you?

› Overall, how effective is your content strategy in

driving revenue?

Metrics like brand awareness, page impressions,

and search rankings need to sync up with bottom-

line concepts like costs, revenue, profits, and

pipeline. The following framework will help you

connect the dots:

© 2014 NewsCred 18


ConceptGoal Metrics

Reach, Brand Awareness, and Virality

Loyalty and Engagement

Leads

Opportunity and Mobility

Revenue

Do your customers trust you, and do they see you as a reliable source of information? Are they sharing your content with their networks? Are they valuing your brand’s content over your competitors’ content?

Are you effectively boosting awareness about your brand? Is your marketing generating an echo effect that inspires audiences to share your content organically?

1. Growth in overall traffic to website across multiple channels including email, SEO, and social media2. Growth in traffic to blog, videos, e-books and other resources across multiple channels including email, SEO, and social media3. Time spent on individual pieces of content4. Pages consumed per visit5. Backlinks to content

1. Return visits2. Social media shares across channels including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest3. Subscriber count

Are prospects converting into customers? Are you connecting with new audiences, or strengthening relationships with existing customers? Where do you lose your leads?

What is the overall efficacy of your content program?

1. Proportion of consumers who make their way to the next stage of the conversion funnel2. Conversely, % drop-off

1. Deals closed2. Monthly recurring revenue3. Long-term value of all customers4. Long-term value as a proportion of customer acquisition

cost

1. Subscriber count2. Aggregate growth of leads3. Visits to “contact us” page from articles, videos, or webinars

Are your audiences interested in doing business with you? Is your content successfully pulling your audience through the sales funnel?

Metrics like brand awareness, page impressions, and search rankings need to sync up with bottom-line

concepts like costs, revenue, profits, and pipeline. The following framework will help you connect the dots:

© 2014 NewsCred 19


Creating great content is only half the battle.

You need the right software that can evolve

and grow with your organization — and you

can’t waste time by relying on disparate

sources for freelancer recruitment, editorial

management, and analytics.

Your brand newsroom has the potential to be

a powerful revenue source for your business.

This type of operation will need to balance

editorial creativity and storytelling with

strategy and analytics. With the right software,

analytical framework, content creators, and

marketing goals, your brand will shine.

NewsCred designed the Content Marketing

Cloud to be the brand marketer’s most

comprehensive, go-to tool. With the Content

Marketing Cloud, you have access to the

largest marketplace of licensed content,

paired with the world’s best branded content

writers, the distribution tools to find the right

audience at the right moment, and workflows

and calendars that streamline the chaos of a

content marketing brand newsroom.

Conclusion

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