Sponsored content—informational articles geared towards educating prospective consumers by truthfully sharing key value attributes—is a great addition to a multi-channel marketing strategy. Want to improve conversions? Here's why sponsored content is your new best friend.

Imagine this: You're scrolling through your feed, and suddenly, you stumble upon an article titled "I Tried [Meal Kit Brand] for a Month, and Now I'm a Culinary Genius." That is sponsored content in action. It's like word-of-mouth marketing on steroids, building social proof faster than you can say "influencer."

These articles help build social proof. When we distribute them across our network of content websites, magic happens. Conversions rise, and brands’ landing pages become more engaging and effective. Our top-performing content formats include Customer Reviews, "7 Reasons Why" articles, Competitor Comparisons, Aspirational content, and Expert Reviews. Each format serves a unique purpose in attracting and informing consumers.

Using sponsored content as your marketing strategy multiplier

Sponsored Content is a great way to diversify your existing marketing strategy. It helps to get out in front and elevate social results, leading to favorable opinions and behaviors toward your brand. The articles not only drive their own attributed conversions, but they also have a positive halo effect on your other marketing mediums. The average user is likelier to engage and convert with traditional digital marketing ads when sponsored content runs simultaneously.

For example, we partnered with a global fitness educator to implement a creative optimization strategy that combined radio, streaming audio, and digital channels. By posting sponsored articles on BMG360’s targeted content websites, we generated 125k new leads in just one year. This success led the client to transition their entire search and social optimization strategy to our team. (Read the full case study here.)

Why does sponsored content work so well?

Sponsored content is targeted advertising to consumers made to provide information, facts, and reviews. The content comes in as a third-party review, bringing reassurance and cutting through the noise of influencer ads. We hype up reasons for people to buy products or services through our content strategies, leading to enthusiastic customer engagement.

This strategy is as effective at the top of the funnel, helping consumers prefer your brand as they start shopping around as it is at the bottom of the funnel, helping consumers decide to convert with your brand over your competitors.

Tracking Success: Because Numbers Don't Lie

The performance and engagement of these articles are super trackable. Using a custom reporting setup, we can track and analyze performance as a part of our clients' overall strategy. Integrating Channel APIs, Funnel.io, Google Sheets, and Looker Data Studio connectors can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your sponsored content by streamlining data management, improving insights, and optimizing decision-making. Breakdowns by campaign, audience, ad level, geo/market, and other factors are also crucial for creating and optimizing effective sponsored content.

Sponsored content is a dynamic addition to your marketing strategy, bridging the gap between traditional advertising and authentic consumer engagement. It can significantly enhance your brand's visibility and credibility.

So, really, why not consider incorporating sponsored content to create a more compelling narrative around your brand and connect with your audience meaningfully?