People in marketing describe Branded Content or Content Marketing in many ways. The Oxford Brooks University defines it in somewhat poetic terms: “Branded content is any content that can be associated with a brand in the eye of the beholder.”

Wikipedia defines it as: “… a form of advertising that uses the generating of content as a way to promote the particular brand which funds the content’s production.”

However you choose to word it, branded content provides marketers with many opportunities to engage current and future customers in new and evolving ways.

Marketers who come up with engaging content that attract consumers build relationships with their target audience… who will likely buy their products in the future. Once they purchase, they can nurture this relationship and be rewarded with loyal customers.

Branded Content is very effective for promoting your business. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. People would actually want to read it.

Digital marketing experts (such as Sharon Hudson of Marketingprofs.com) emphasize that Branded Content is really about storytelling. It makes sense to create valuable content that potential customers will be interested in for their own use.

For example, millennials who like to try new restaurants to hang out would be very interested in an article describing the artwork, landscape or setting that gives your place its unique ambiance. Foodies would want to know what makes noodles crisp, beef tender or the right temperature for blanching veggies.

When you create stuff that readers find useful, it sends a message that your brand is not just about selling products, but that you also care for your customers.

2. People like to share good content

In the world of social media, engaging articles quickly go viral through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and other major networks. We live in a culture that seems to put a premium on being the “first” to discover appealing information, which drives people to share them with their own circle of friends.

This is great for brands, of course. When people share content created by marketers, they are acting as some form of brand ambassador. They influence their network of friends because they believe that what they share has value.

A fashion article about “Dressing for Success” will be the type of content that young professionals will share with colleagues. The brand associated with that article will have the advantage of association when it comes to buying clothes to achieve that look.

3. It enhances your brand’s image

What you create should naturally highlight your company and products’ strengths. When your marketing campaign is properly blended with targeted branded content, it is a formula for successful messaging. The organic nature of your message would be welcome to many.

You’re not trying to sneak your brand’s message across, or telling consumers your product’s superiority. Rather, it reaches your target audience in a natural way, appealing to their interests and ultimately concludes with your goal all along… buying your products!