Content Co-Creation Strategy: How to Use it to Build a Global Brand

When you have a question, the internet is the first place you turn to for an answer. Your customers do the same. In fact, statistics show that Google resolves around 3.8 million searches per minute. The response to these search results is content.

Content marketing caters to a wide range of audiences. From blog posts to news stories, every individual is exposed to content daily. Publishing creative content is the key to establishing authority in the digital realm for businesses. Essentially, content marketing efforts influence SEO and allow brands to get in front of people and connect with them.

That said, building a content plan requires some finesse. This is why most companies leverage the content co-creation marketing approach to perfect their strategy. So let's look at how you can use content co-creation marketing to build your brand online.

What is content co-creation in marketing?

As the name suggests, content co-creation in marketing empowers companies to collaborate with third parties, including another company, an influencer, or an organization, to create a robust content strategy. Content co-creation can include all types of content, including the likes of ebooks, videos, and infographics, among others.

Essentially, content co-creation marketing provides businesses with several advantages. After adopting this approach, your business can see a massive difference from increasing your reach to infusing creativity in content ideas. Here are a few benefits of content marketing.

Increases your reach online

One of the most significant benefits of content marketing is targeting a much wider audience. Collaborating with other well-known brands or influencers allows you to get your business's name in front of your ideal customer.

This is why it is essential to partner up with a company that targets the same audience as you. But, this doesn't necessarily mean that you work directly with your competition. Instead, you can join forces with a brand similar to yours.

For instance, if you have an eCommerce store that sells scented candles, your content co-creation partner can be a brand that sells bath bombs, bubble baths, and other such items. This partnership can yield exceptional results that boost sales for both companies.

You can benefit from their marketing campaigns.

Another benefit of a content co-creation marketing approach is gaining access to tools and marketing ideas. For example, if you're working with a well-established brand that has created successful marketing campaigns, you can take advantage of the tools and strategies they employ.

This is particularly helpful for startups that don't have the budget to invest in expensive marketing automation tools. Essentially, the partnership can also serve as a learning experience for your teams, who can study the different techniques and approaches that other brands use to promote their offerings.

Build connections within the industry

Collaborations with other brands are also great for networking. Pooling resources with other firms within your industry can help you strengthen relationships and build strong partnerships that can be fruitful in the long term.

Let's say you start the relationship by crafting a content co-creation campaign that promotes both of your products. However, if your content strategies are successful, you can pave the way for larger projects, such as launching a combined product line.

Creating exceptional campaigns

Lastly, content co-creation partnerships enable you and your partner to infuse your creativity into compelling campaigns that yield optimal results. As you have twice as many resources and imaginative thinkers working on a campaign, these partnerships are rewarding for all parties involved.

Content Co-Creation Marketing Success Stories

Content co-creation marketing is beneficial for all the parties involved. In addition to helping brands gain recognition, the approach also increases sales and creates opportunities to branch out. Let's take a look at some content co-creation marketing examples next.  

Kanye West and Adidas: The Dream Team

One of the most successful content co-creation marketing stories is the partnership of Kanye West and Adidas. The Grammy-award-winning rapper collaborated with Adidas's high-end footwear brand to create Yeezy sneakers. This partnership resulted in significant revenue for both the parties involved, as the relationship increased Adidas' net income by 19.5%.

Alexander Wang and H&M: The Odd Pairing

One of the stranger content co-creation approaches is the partnership between H&M and Alexander Wang. H&M, an affordable clothing store, collaborated with Alexander Wang, a reputable designer creating luxury clothing, to make the brand more appealing to a broader audience.

In fact, H&M frequently partners with high-fashion brands and designers to expand its reach to a new generation of potential customers that prefer high-end clothing.

CoverGirl and Lucasfilm: A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

Another famous example of a content co-creation partnership is CoverGirl and Lucasfilm. This partnership bore fruitful results in 2015 when Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens was released. Lucasfilm (the series' parent company) initiated this collaboration, as they wished to expand their reach to a much broader and younger audience — CoverGirl's.

The strategic content co-creation marketing efforts were showcased in a creative Instagram post. The post featured the dark and light sides of makeup and promoted Star Wars by emphasizing good and evil.

This collaboration was advantageous for both parties, as CoverGirl also increased its sales by reaching out to a broader audience.

Content Co-Creation Strategies

Parallel to all other marketing strategies, your content co-creation approach needs to be strategic. Your business must plan the details, including the company you are partnering with, the type of content you are creating, and the marketing channels you're using. Let's take a look at how you can create co-creation content strategies.

Pick the right company.

The first thing you need to decide is who your content creation partner will be. While most brands take the traditional route of choosing a partner that sells similar products, you can also work with brands operating in a completely different industry.

That said, you need to consider a few things before selecting your collaborator, including the following:

• Does the brand have an audience you want to target?
• Can the brand's content compliment yours?
• Is their content impressive?
• Does your audience like the brand's content?
• Does the brand have a content strategy that your team can learn from?
• Does the business have a strong following on social media?
• Is the brand established on the platforms you're targeting?
• Is their product or service different enough from your brand, so they are not a direct competitor?
  

You can research all the companies and shortlisted firms that meet these criteria. Next, you can reach out to the businesses to assess if they are willing to partner with you.

Also, consider offering incentives to compel them to establish a relationship with your firm. If they agree, you can move on to the following content and strategy creation phase.

Pick the right channels.

The next stage is selecting the proper channels to promote your content. With content co-creation, the possibilities are endless. From creating social media posts to writing in-depth blog posts, you have the authority to connect with audiences in a variety of ways.

Essentially, your audience also wishes to strengthen relationships with brands in more ways than one. This means your joint efforts can create content for marketing channels, including emails, websites, ad copy, etc.

You can choose one or a combination of channels to promote the content resulting from your partnership. To do this, identify the platforms your target audience is most active on and proceed with the following content creation stage.

Create attention-grabbing content

Once you have decided which channel you want o to publish your content on, the next stage is to create the content. Of course, each platform has different requirements for the types of posts you make. However, it's essential to create posts that demand attention regardless of the channel you use.

If you want to create quality content that works, follow this three-step process:

1. Conduct preliminary keyword research to create content targeting your audience. Optimizing the content for search engines ensures the content is visible to the right audience.
2. Once you've identified the appropriate keywords, the next step is to form a content strategy. This would cover the types of posts you wish to create and the platforms you make them for.
3. Next, create idea captions, email copy, ad copy, and blog content using creative and engaging techniques. Your content should attract the targeted audience and encourage them to invest in your offerings.
   

After the content is ready for posting, you can move forward with creating a publishing schedule. That way, all your campaigns can be implemented at the optimal time.

Wrapping Up

To build a global brand, you need to increase your reach. Content co-creation strategies can help you present your brand to a broader range of customers. With this approach, you can also strengthen relationships within the industry, learn new tricks in content marketing, and build a foundation for future partnerships.

To implement a content co-creation strategy, you must select a beneficial partner, choose the right marketing medium, and create inviting posts that encourage customers to visit your store and purchase your offerings.

You can also reach out for assistance from the marketing experts at Lingble to improve your company's existing content marketing approach. So contact us today to see how we can help your brand grow online.