Brand journalism is one of the top trends in marketing and PR. Technologies such as digital TV, mobile Internet and social media have transformed how consumers engage and evaluate credible, newsworthy content. The ability to understand and leverage brand journalism is critical to modern healthcare organizations that wish to build brand value and influence consumer choice to increase returns on marketing dollars spent.
Quality brand journalism requires a team of seasoned journalists and cutting-edge multimedia experts who can strategically develop relevant content marketing to boost reputation and influence consumer choice. So, what’s brand journalism?
Create news content on behalf of a brand
Brand journalism focuses on your target audience’s needs and interests instead of your brand’s objective. This type of content should never be highly branded; Leave heavy branding for your commercial or brochure!
Tell your story without selling your brand
The brand journalism approach to healthcare communications can be executed in a variety of ways. Many companies have adopted different variations of brand journalism, which together or separately can include content delivered via websites, blogs, social media outlets or digital newsrooms. The brands that master their brand journalism tactics produce content that is also frequently picked up by traditional news media outlets through a strategic media relations strategy.
A great example is The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The communications team uses a two-tiered approach to brand journalism, focusing on delivering content via company-owned social media channels as well as earned media. Their team, which includes brand journalists, media relation’s professionals, social media specialists and brand journalism partners, uncovers story ideas through a structured beat system. Brand journalists are assigned different areas of the hospital to mine for story topics. Once a story is accepts multimedia content is produced and delivered digitally on the hospital’s Multimedia Newsroom.
With brand journalism being integrated into more companies’ overall public relations, marketing, and communications strategies, the role of the brand journalist will continue to grow into a key part of every brand’s communications team.
Communicators should learn the skills to become brand journalists with the goal of identifying and creating stories that appeal to their target audience and move the needle of their brand.
