The Power of Branded Content, and the Key to Efficient Content Development
By Melanie Deziel | Founder, StoryFuel
Content – the soul of the information you’re sharing for your brand, self or organization. Content has the ability to be a total powerhouse or a complete bust.
Melanie Deziel, founder of StoryFuel, discussed the power of branded content, key to efficient content development, and shared literally hundreds of ways to capture our consumers with a single idea: Focus x Format. Generally, we as content creators can find ourselves stuck, trying to tell a story in a way that consumers will engage. However, the standard “Three-Step Approach” to amazing content doesn’t always work out. It tells us the “what” but doesn’t necessarily dig down to the “how”. Focus x Format allows us to start with our story and then helps us to figure out the best way to say it.
The StoryFuel Content Matrix described by Deziel defines the opportunity for this content. Some examples include a feature, overview, deep dive, history, DIY, resource, research, product, example, or opinion. We can cross those story ideas with formats including written, audio, video, info-graphic, map, game or quiz, guide or book, slideshow, timeline. The story fuel matrix also includes a multiplier which could be a year, season, life stage, budget, resources, situation, demographic or level of complexity. By combining all three, we can easily define 300 story ideas with a simple matrix.
When considering how I could use this in a dream role, I think about the world of advertising in higher education. Like any other brand, a college needs to have a clear tone, voice and portray a feeling to the people who are not only part of the school, but are prospects. By using the StoryFuel Content Matrix, the content creator for a college has the ability to share so many stories in a number of ways which will ultimately capture each of their audiences most efficiently. The Content Matrix could help to develop telling a story to a prospective student versus telling it in a different format to an alumnus.
Branding is incredibly important. Recognition, awareness, loyalty – all are elements of the story that a brand must be telling to maintain and grow its consumer base. In a world where we trust a familiar logo, the brand behind it must be honest, transparent and relatable. Branding contains all the ingredients that could create the perfect recipe. This stands true in the communications world for any brand large or small and will continue to remain important despite the market trends we see in sales.
Deziel’s discussion on efficient content development not only gave me further insight into brand development, but helped me to realize how easy it is to develop simple ideas. Sometimes it is not necessary to think “outside” the box in order to get your remarkable idea. Understanding how to tell a story in a multitude of ways allows a brand to capture the interest of all possible audiences as they may be reached through different media types and platforms. Giving the audience what they want in a way that they want it can be a major key to success.
Ultimately, Deziel‘s ideas around content strategy in regard to development are simply brilliant. The content matrix that she developed will not only be a resource, but a tool that I implement into my every day content development practices.
Theresa Messenger 
Leave a comment