In July 2011, the Huffington Post debuted a U.K.-specific website filled with local, regional, and global news as well as content targeted to the U.K. audience. Now, it’s time for brands to get in on the action.
On the Huffington Post U.S. site, partner brands can publish blog posts as a part of their social media and content marketing efforts. The brands get excellent exposure and the Huffington Post earns revenue, not just from the partner brands but also in the form of more page views, which boost ad rates and revenues overall.
This month, the Huffington Post U.K. announced that branded blogs are coming to the site very soon. While partner brands have yet to be revealed, the potential for brands to connect with consumers via this new opportunity could be very big. Branded blogs are expected to launch on the Huffington Post U.K. site during the first quarter of 2012.
Branded blogs and brands as media are trends that will surely dominate 2012 marketing strategies as more and more companies realize the importance of social media and content marketing to connect with and engage with consumers. On the flip side, publishers need to find new ways to generate income. Traditional online display advertising isn’t enough anymore, and with brands actively looking for opportunities to connect with consumers on the Web, the trend could deliver big rewards for publishers, too.
As long as branded blogs aren’t overtly promotional, audiences are likely not to mind them. If brands publish useful and meaningful content targeted to the site’s existing audience, branded blogs won’t be intrusive. Whether or not branded blogs will succeed on Huffington Post U.K. and beyond depends on the ability of participating brands to avoid self-promotion.
Any way you slice it, branded blogs on popular sites like the Huffington Post U.K. represent significant opportunities for brands. What do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
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Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
