Often times, branding through social media or digital branding can be a risk factor. So the question arises, what kind of risk factors are there in digital branding? Imagine if someone tries to smear your brand through social media, imagine if your strategy goes wrong and creates negative buzz about your brand, then what will you do? Since social media is a platform where buzz can be promoted in a split second, then you can imagine if the buzz is negative. If you stick your hands in a bag full of social media tools, you’ll find a tool known as content marketing. Marketing experts understand that traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective and that there has to be a better way.

As Doug Kessler said, “Traditional marketing talks to people. Content marketing talks to them.” Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-disruptive marketing. Instead of presenting your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer smarter. At the core of this content strategy is the belief that if we as businesses consistently deliver valuable information to shoppers, they will ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. And they do. Content marketing is being used by some of the largest marketing organizations in the world, including P&G, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and John Deere.

But why is content marketing used for makeover? And is it that effective? Let’s take some of the examples whose digital strategy failed on social media. L’Oreal’s social media presence strategy took a big hit when it was revealed that they created a fake blog. Push marketing in the social media space is always a bad idea, especially when it’s so blatant. It was an innocent mistake. The Red Cross social media specialist (who was an intern) intended to send this tweet from his personal Twitter profile, not from the @Red Cross account. However, like Dominos, the Red Cross did a great job of acknowledging the error and even poked fun at itself in a subsequent tweet. It was a big mistake, but not a total failure. Push marketing rarely works as a social media strategy. Instead of posting a standard press release, use a multitude of social media channels to engage with your audience. If you do, your message is much more likely to get out there and get a makeover. Branding changes don’t have to be just in response to dire circumstances. In fact, successful companies of all sizes need to refresh their image periodically, says Allen Adamson, managing director of the New York office of Landor Associates and author of Brand Digital. A “Jack in the Box” Example in Damage Control Six months after food poisoning killed four “Jack in the Box” diners and sickened hundreds, sales fell 40%. Two years later, a makeover saved the company, whose revenues have tripled since 1995.

How to create a content strategy?

In a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute, 42% of B2B companies believe their content marketing efforts are effective, up from 36% a year ago.

• Determine goals for content marketing

• Measure your content marketing

• Define your audiences

• Research audience needs

• Create a content execution plan

• Create a content amplification plan

Be be effective in content marketing, it is essential to have a documented content marketing strategy. According to Roper Public Affairs, 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles rather than an advertisement. 70% say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company, while 60% say company content helps them make better product decisions.

Content is essential to support loyal and trusting relationships between brands and consumers. 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading personalized content. And 90% of consumers find personalized content useful. 61% of consumers say they feel better and are more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized content. Content is a primary driver of brand engagement on social media and motivates consumers to take action. Interesting content is one of the main reasons people follow brands on social media. 60% of people are inspired to search for a product after reading content about it.

Here are some of the stats about content marketing and how content marketing is being used for brand makeovers. Content marketing can help an organization be more proactive in how we address consumer and business needs, and be more responsive to behavioral changes and emerging trends. With encouraging signs of growth across the industry and bullish attitudes from marketing leaders, there has never been a better time to let our owned media channels start working harder for our business with a strategic content marketing program. And at the end an excellent quote from Bill Gates “Content is king”.