• by Paul Kontonis , June 6, 2011

A new branded web series is born every day. 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. There's no doubt that discovery is a big problem.  No longer can a brand just develop online video content, wrap it in a paid media plan and launch it upon a target audience with hopeful expectations. 

To succeed, marketers must move beyond serving up content alone. They need a larger, strategic program. 

There are four content innovations that I encourage brands to explore as part of a branded content program. Although valuable on their own, they are also very complementary. By fortifying a content innovation strategy, you can create richness of experience, an increase of value for both the brand and its audience, and you can leverage the power of an audience design plan.

1.    Your brand as a publisher. It's time to think about video content as part of a long-term publishing strategy. This includes the origination, co-creation and activation of content.  Brands can tell their own story through content that reflects their core sensibilities.  We must all embrace this.  It is an opportunity to connect with consumers in a deeper, more meaningful way.  It is a way to generate earned media far beyond your last paid impression.  

The goal is to ensure your current branded content program can survive past your flight dates. At this point, the majority of content in the marketplace will not and, frankly, should not survive. Make sure yours does. 

For example, consider an unscripted series of moms talking about healthy eating.  Is there opportunity to extend this to your brand's principals and become recognized as a valuable publisher of smart eating habits for families? There just might be.

2.    Don't forget to curate.  Once a viewer has decided to engage with your content, then you have the opportunity to provide additional value. Through the curation of content, you can add additional value for the viewer and complement your content.

Do not mistake curation for aggregation. There is an editorial process involved in curation, which if done right, will increase the amount of time your audience will stay with your content program. Remember, running pre-roll at the beginning of curated clips is a simple way to connect your messaging to the curated content. Curation is a powerful tool that will make content destinations more relevant and more robust.

3.    No branded content should be an island, so where is your community? Some brands have an audience but no content.  Some have content and no audience. It's time to meet in the middle.  

Start with your target audience profile and then elevate it to the communities they participate in.

Do your research. Is your audience already getting their content needs met from elsewhere? If so, identify how you will differentiate.  By developing content for a community, whether established or underserved, you understand not only where the fish are but also what the best bait and tackle is. 

4.    Plan for "live & alive" content (no, not the Prince album). Live streaming content through YouTube, LiveStream and Watchitoo are amazing supplements to a branded content program.  

It injects excitement into a content program, and it connects directly to your most enthusiastic audience. Give your live audience a chance to participate and watch your branded content come alive. Simple tools such as chat, live tweeting with hashtags and polls can turn a live stream into a show with an engaged virtual studio audience. Plus all the content generated during the live show can be released on-demand for even more audience engagement.  

Brands create content to affect behavioral changes and to drive brand value, relevancy and sales. But to drive real results, implementing a complete content strategy today is a must. By tomorrow, these content innovations will be a checkbox in every branded content program.