You're Doing It Wrong: 5 Ways to Do Sponsored Content Right - Say Media

Sponsored content or native advertising if you prefer has been the Holy Grail of integrated marketing the ability to tuck a brand message into the editorial experience in a seamless and responsible way is every brand manager39s dream But then The Atlantic forced a Scientology advertorial on their site and suddenly sponsored content is getting a bad rapWhile The Atlantic did label the proScientology advertorial as quotsponsored contentquot it looked no different than other stories on the magazine39s website despite having no connection to their editorial mission The whole flap has forced the industry to look in the mirror again Haven39t we learned anything from the payperpost daysDespite missteps like these and there will be more count on it content is still the leading marketing priority for 2013 So how do you make sure your publishing partner doesn39t put you in a position of having your name attached to a We Screwed Up apologyAt Say Media we learn from collaborating with our editors some of the most talented content creators in the business Their approach to the digital medium leveraging high quality visuals beautiful rich environments and a strong editorial voice sets the stage for an amazing reader experienceDone right sponsored content is just great content Here39s how we get thereFind influencers that lead not follow There are thousands of bloggers and digital properties that don39t start the conversation they follow it They line up their Google alerts and Twitter stream and monitor the top influencers then put their spin on things Working with followers means you39re always reacting to the conversation not starting it You want to work with people that start the conversation like Jane Pratt or Shayla Pierce not just people who amplify it They will guide you towards connecting with their readersCreate an experience The NY Times wowed the world withSnow Fall which delivered millions of page views for the paper and continues to generate buzz It wasn39t just the content which was excellent it was the whole experience of the piece with video music HTML 5 and the novel parallax effects Google and Arcade Fire wowed us with Wilderness Downtown in 2010 We39re now seeing glimpses that these experiences will emerge as one format for features on leading sitesamp8211 like the approach that Gear Patrol in Saxon Snow is taking blending well crafted edit stunning images immersive video with text overlay and innovative design to create a magical digital experience Just turn up the volume watch the video and scroll Suddenly it39s hard not to get pulled in and feel something in a whole new wayDon39t compromise quality Great digital media brands are successful because they know how to engage their readers and they have a conservative ratio of content to advertising They resist the urge to clutter their pages with too many ads Instead they focus on the best way to grow their audience by finding new ways to delight their readers that in turn drive more page views And smart brand managers understand and respect that After all sponsorship is another word for patronage amp8211 and a patron by definition is someone who supports champions and protects Doesn39t your brand equity get damaged by sponsoring lame contentWork with partners that understand pointofview The most powerful content has a pointofview It39s immersive visceral or deeply informative Love it or hate it it takes a stand pulls you in captivates you and makes you feel something It sparks discussion People are still talking about the Marissa Mayer workfromhome ban or Lena Dunham posing nude for Playboy Be transparent and have fun with it Embrace the partnership and tell a great story In some cases that means sponsored content will be as forthright as what xoVain did with thisspot or more subtle like this or this If it39s a great experience for the reader everybody winsDavid Tokheim is SVP of Media Solutions at Say MediaSay Media is a digital publishing company that creates amazing media brands Through its technology platform and media services Say enables its portfolio of independent content creators to build passionate communities around key consumer interest areas such as Style Living Food and Tech For more information visit wwwsaymediacomRead all Say Media39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Say DailyCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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