Content Marketing as a Tool for Promoting Mass Media Brand

Baranova Ekaterina Andreevna ORCID: 0000-0003-1794-9936 Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Communication Management and Relationship Management, RSSU 4 Wilhelm Peak str., Moscow, 129226, Russia kat-journ@yandex.ru Other publications by this author

In the modern media environment, where the audience constantly consumes huge amounts of information, the issue of the effectiveness of SMM promotion tools in media activities is becoming increasingly relevant. With the advent of the Web 2.0 stage in the development of the Internet, social media (social networks, video hosting, Internet services, etc.) began to actively develop, the audience began not only to consume information, but also to create content.

With the advent of Web 2.0, journalism has rapidly moved into the online environment. Gradually, more and more people began to prefer not only text, but also audio-visual content. Long texts without visualization have stopped attracting the attention of information consumers. With the development of social networks, many media outlets began to create and develop their pages on online platforms such as Telegram, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and Yandex Zen. The audience of mass media on social media has often exceeded the audience of websites.

Content marketing as a company promotion tool

With the development of Web 2.0, traditional marketing has undergone a rethink of existing strategies. More and more business promotion tools have been created on online platforms that "help promote products online, analyze competitors' supply and demand, and in some cases test the product" ^{[1, p. 63]}. Companies that wanted to remain competitive and attractive to consumers were forced to change their usual communication work. To implement the new digital strategy, they began to use Web 2.0 platforms to a greater extent, where the most important network marketing tool, the content marketing strategy, is being updated. It is focused "on creating a valuable experience for a potential customer. People are useful to each other by sharing valuable content that enriches the fan community and makes the company a leader in this field. Engaging content that is easy to share primarily helps consumers understand (and independently) that the company's product or service is vital to them" ^{[2, p. 50]}.

That is why, with the development of social media, content marketing is becoming the main tool for achieving success in online marketing campaigns. More than half of American companies have increased their marketing budgets since 2015: spending on content marketing increased by 13.3%, while spending on traditional advertising decreased by 11.5% [How CMOS are spending across the customer-buying cycle. URL: https://adage.com/article/btob/cmos-spending-content-buying-cycle/300181 (accessed: 15.09.2024)].

The question arose of creating special content for an online environment that would not only retain an existing audience, but also attract a new one.

Content marketing is an action aimed at successfully promoting a company through the free distribution of useful content that meets user needs. Such content inspires trust in the brand and increases its expertise.

The definition of "content marketing" has been actively used in scientific discourse since 2001 ^{[3, p. 37]}. However, they started using this marketing strategy much earlier. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin, promoting his own printing house, opened the first public library in the colonies. In 1732, he began publishing the annual Poor Richard almanac, which featured Franklin's articles on the development of literature, philosophy, physics, and others. Later, he founded a discussion group that became the basis of the American Philosophical Society. "All this not only increased his fame as a personality, expert, and professional in his field, but also increased the recognition and, as a result, the profit of his printing company" ^{[3, P. 38]}.

Business promotion using mass media began in 1924, when the American company Sears launched its own radio program aimed at farmers. The program provided useful tips for the effective cultivation of various plants, talked about ways to control various pests. This format was immediately loved by busy people who had the opportunity to educate themselves without leaving their jobs. This allowed the company to increase brand awareness and sales.

The above examples are based on the free delivery of valuable consumer information that promotes brand awareness ^{[3, p. 40]}.

Content marketing as a tool for promoting a media company in a digital environment

In the 21st century, the media began to actively use content marketing tools to increase brand awareness. That is why, on media sites, more and more importance has been given to content with valuable (sometimes at the household level) information for the consumer, which is good to share on social networks.

To date, a wide variety of forms of such content can be identified. Many of them are adapted to the most frequent search queries.

1. Materials adapted to the most frequent search queries

- Materials-useful household tips

Such materials can be presented in the form of various collections, as well as in the form of infographics, which can be saved in JPEG format and published not only on the website, but also on social networks. It allows you to tell a whole useful story using a single image. Back in the early 2010s, the AiF publication relied on the development of such content, it attracts the interest of users, providing additional website traffic and popularity to the AiF brand. An example of such material is the note "How to put things in a suitcase so as not to crumple. Infographic" [How to put things in a suitcase so as not to crumple. Infographic URL: https://aif.ru/dontknows/1225710 (date of access: 09/23/2024)]. It should be noted that "few people access the article after its publication on the site, and the material based on infographics is a "long–lasting thing" for 2-3 years, i.e. it is additional traffic to the site for a long time" ^[4]. The media deliberately adapts content to the most frequent search queries in order to increase the popularity of their own brand.

Similar tips for all occasions or recipes in the infographic, as in the article "How to cook chak-chak" [How to cook chak-chak URL: https://aif.ru/food/1144092 (date of access: 09/23/2024)] you can, if desired, print, save and use them in practice. The experience of AIF shows that this is a very productive area. Materials-useful household tips attract a large number of audiences, increase such ways of communicating with content as "share" and "save". Such relevant content is able to find the target audience on its own, and you want to share it.

Special headings can be created to adapt the content to the most relevant search queries on everyday topics. On the website aif.ru There is a section called "Current issues". In conditions of an overabundance of information, the news itself is no longer so important. It is important how useful and functional it is for a particular person. In the online editorial offices of many media outlets, they receive a large number of questions from users, systematize them, edit them, and often formulate the questions themselves, adapting them to the user's request.

To adapt the content to search queries, not only headings are also created, but also entire projects on the site. For example, on the website kp.ru The Women's Stories project has been launched, which publishes a large number of materials adapted to frequent search queries. The section "Dream book" of this project contains answers to the search query: "What dreams...?" (kittens, bedbugs, etc.) [What do kittens dream about in a dream book: interpretation of dreams about kittens https://www.kp.ru/woman/sonnik/k-chemu-snyatsya-kotyata / (date of access: 09/20/2024)] according to the dream books of Vanga, Miller, Freud, etc. It should be noted that in this case, the content on the media's website has little in common with traditional journalism, which is the activity of collecting and distributing socially significant information. It should also be borne in mind that in traditional journalism, materials are always "tied" to the information guide. Materials-useful household tips are often consonant with informational occasions. For example, the above note "How to put things in a suitcase so as not to crumple. Infographic" [How to put things in a suitcase so as not to crumple. Infographic URL: https://aif.ru/dontknows/1225710 (date of access: 09/23/2024)] or other material on the same topic "By roller or under vacuum? How to pack a suitcase correctly" [With a roller or under vacuum? How to pack a suitcase correctly https://aif.ru/travel/valikom_ili_pod_vakuumom_kak_gramotno_ulozhit_chemodan ?ysclid=m1ayayo5hc84107058 (accessed: 09/20/2024)] published on the AiF website in June-July and timed to coincide with the start of the holidays. Material-infographic "How to cook chak-chak" [How to cook chak-chak URL: https://aif.ru/food/1144092 (date of access: 09/23/2024)] or materials in the "Dream Book" section on the website kp.ru they are not linked to a news event.

Today, the creation of such content is one of the key tools in shaping the promotion strategy of any company, including a media company. The role of social networks in the dissemination of such content is increasing every year. For the modern consumer of information, social networks are a kind of filter in the flow of information ^{[5, P. 116]}.

- A special format for the presentation of "hot" news, focused on the search query

In order to constantly maintain their brand's presence on social media, the media uses not only materials such as useful household tips, but also a special format for presenting "hot" news: they prepare several versions of photos and messages in advance, depending on the outcome of the event, and immediately publish the message. For example, Russia won/lost the semi-final match. The response from such "hot" news is usually very high, and the media receives a large increase in audience on the site. At the same time, the labor costs of creating such content are minimal.

2. Collections of unusual and funny facts

A very promising form of content provision from the point of view of traffic is collections based on the principle of "A few facts about...." Information users today do not want to search for anything, they want everything to be briefly and succinctly outlined, perhaps visualized. The media became very popular, focusing on "funny lists, ... collections of unusual facts ... many respected newspapers adopted the manner of publishing lists and other light materials in order to get a fresh audience and spread better on social networks" ^{[6, P. 82]}.

3. Online tests

Interactive online tests with automatic scoring began to actively develop on the websites of foreign and some Russian media in the early 2000s. Online tests are usually accompanied by a large number of pictures. Many users pay attention to the photo.

In general, the entire mass of online tests can be roughly divided into three groups: tests to test knowledge in various fields, psychological tests related to the disclosure of the reader's personality, and entertainment tests.

The first category of tests includes geographical "Medusa" tests, among which tasks for testing knowledge about Russian regions are very popular with the audience. Users can see the percentage of people who chose each of the options.

In general, the entire mass of online tests can be roughly divided into three groups: tests to test knowledge in various fields; psychological tests related to the disclosure of the reader's personality; entertainment tests.

The first category of tests includes, for example, geographical tests, among which tasks for testing knowledge about Russian regions are very popular with the audience. Users can see the percentage of people who chose each of the options. Perhaps this form of content presentation is the modern development of popular science journalism, because many tests offer to test their knowledge in the field of history, art, cultural studies, etc. ^{[7, pp. 73-77]}.

Michael Stelzner (social media expert, creator of one of the most popular social media marketing blogs SocialMediaExaminer.com ) in the book "Content Marketing. New methods of attracting customers in the Internet age" among the characteristics of the content that attracts the attention of users, the educational aspect, ease of assimilation, visual attractiveness, invitation to dialogue are highlighted ^[8] – all these characteristics include educational online tests.

4. Posts on social networks of a media company with images of animals, natural phenomena, etc.

Another type of content that is often used by the media to attract an audience on social networks is posts on social networks with images of animals, natural phenomena, etc. They also encourage conversation with the audience, which increases the willingness for dialogue among consumers of the media organization's content. For example, posts that are not related to the specific activities of news portals have become the most attractive to users of the RIA-Novosti website: posts that "dilute" the news feed with humor or contain images of beautiful places or nature, and posts with gif files with animals have become the most successful. They scored the largest number of "likes" and "reposts" ^{[9, p. 252]}. It should be noted separately that not only MIA Rossiya Segodnya, but also, for example, Reuters, despite the socio-political and economic orientation of their content, are very actively developing a block of entertainment products, as this "allows to increase the attendance of their sites and attract a mass audience, and therefore increase the cost of advertising blocks, which contributes to to improve the financial situation of the company. The introduction of such a format has a positive effect on the loyalty of the audience, who are aware that they can contact agencies not only for factual information, but also for entertainment" ^{[10, P. 140]}. A distinctive feature of such entertainment content is the appeal to emotions.

It is also worth mentioning that news agencies have recently been organizing various awards, contests, promotions, meetings and clubs. This is mainly done to form and strengthen one's own image in the conditions of the modern information market, "as well as to enter the information field of other media not only as a source of any factual information necessary for publication, but also as a full-fledged author of the media industry. The brand's prominence in this area, its credibility and relevance makes it possible to increase the number of customers, as well as to increase the mass audience and the degree of its trust" ^{[10, p. 140]}.

5. Fake News

Another type of content that often goes viral is fake news. "Fake" became the word of the year in 2014. "Post–truth" is the word of the year 2016, according to the editors of the Oxford University Explanatory Dictionary. Fake news usually contains "false or misleading content – rumors, conspiracy theories, fabricated reports, always accompanied by illustrations. This type of content often goes viral due to a strong emotional load. Post-truth reflects circumstances "in which the facts of objective reality play a lesser role in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotions or personal beliefs" ^{[11, pp. 73-74]}. At the end of 2017, an American futurist and consultant on electronic media issues, E. Amy Webb marked the beginning of the era of fake news ^{[12, pp. 17-18]}.

As you can see, many media outlets today actively use entertaining, "light" content, focusing on attracting more users, which often affects the quality of published information. For example, online entertainment tests are often completely empty in terms of information content and at the same time touch on meaningless and immoral topics.: "How much do you like porn?", "And I recognize a cute one by the clasp" (find out that the way you put on a bra tells you about a woman's character), "Who are you: a man or a woman?" - these are the online tests that have been particularly successful on the site kp.ru . ^{[7, pp. 78-79]}. Perhaps they will bother the audience and lose popularity on media sites.

Content marketing as a translation of a company's strengths, mission, and values

Content marketing is also about broadcasting the strengths of a company, its mission, values, and creating a story that you want to be involved in and follow. "Strong brands are based on a story that tells about a company; authenticity is about conveying who you really are."^[13]

Today, large companies use various forms of native advertising and branded content to talk about their products or simply remind them of the brand. For example, the longrid genre in branded journalism is used precisely for this purpose, when a client wants to tell the story of the company's development ^{[7, p. 116]}. Many major media outlets today make similar longreads, telling about the history of their media company. On the website kp.ru in 2015, on the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of Komsomolskaya Pravda, a grandiose project "Favorite Newspaper of the country" was created [Favorite newspaper of the country URL: https://www.kp.ru/best/msk/kp90 /?ysclid=m1dnkpjweg45151708 (accessed: 09/23/2024)], telling about the almost century-old history of the newspaper. The media company's brands are often journalists who work for it or have worked for it, such as Vladimir Mayakovsky and Mikhail Sholokhov, famous writers and authors of Komsomolskaya Pravda. Or the former top RBC-TV presenters Igor Vittel and Maria Stroeva – many viewers still associate RBC with them.

Content marketing helps to reveal and show the brand's expertise. In the case of RBC, it is expertise in business and economics. The more a media company provides information to people about itself as a brand, the more loyalty to it grows: more people consume its content and comment on it. The economy is currently unstable and people are interested in content on this topic. They are interested in knowing where to invest money, how to do it, what can

maybe in the near future. The experts who work for the RBC TV channel constantly go on the air with new updated statistics and tell us how to act in a given situation. The channel's presenters participate in various events, economic forums, and are moderators of many plenary sessions. In this case, content marketing is aimed at the company's image. This is how media companies strive to create and use strong brands, usually understood as the capital or value of a media brand.

Thus, content marketing is a cyclical, ongoing effort to create a brand image. Key performance indicators for content marketing include:

• reach the target audience;

• user engagement (likes, views, comments, reposts, saves, time spent on the page);

• increased brand awareness;

• click-throughs or other specified interactions with the material;

• Increase audience loyalty and increase the number of brand advocates.

In the face of increasing fierce competition, the media are forced to look for new mechanisms to influence consumers in order to gain their trust and loyalty. One of the most progressive methods in the competition for consumers is the process of forming a media brand. It helps the media to focus on the needs of the target audience and differentiate themselves from competitors.

In the situation of the crisis of traditional mass media in the Internet space, traditional ways of creating media products and marketing technologies began to harmoniously interact. The global media space has become increasingly "gaming", which significantly affects the ways in which journalistic content is presented and perceived.

Technological advances have led to profound changes in brand creation in the new interactive online marketplace. The main catalyst for these changes is the accessibility of content distribution and consumption. New ways of distributing and consuming media content through various channels and platforms have created not only opportunities, but also challenges for media branding.

The consumption of media content through social platforms has led to an increase in the importance of the audience as part of media branding. The interactive audience has become a major part of the formation of media brand associations, product development, and content distribution.

The interactivity and accessibility of media content have increased the impact of the consumption experience, that is, the impressions that a modern reader, listener, or viewer receives when interacting with a media brand. These associations are becoming increasingly important in a highly competitive, fragmented and interactive media market characterized by an overabundance of information and media content.

Associations with a media brand in terms of content consumption on different platforms

Multiplatform consumption blurs associations with the brand. On the one hand, the development of information distribution channels improves audience reach, because the content of a media brand is available through several platforms. On the other hand, an increase in the number of content delivery channels may weaken associations with the media brand ^[9].

The audience's access to more content distributors has increased the proportion of media brand users who do not pay attention to the sources of the consumed media content. Many consumers of media content don't care which media brand distributes the content they consume.

Multiplatform content consumption leads to the blurring of brand associations.

For decades, content and the quality of information content have been the driving force behind media brands. Generation Z cannot imagine a world of information consumption without digital and multiplatform elements. This generation is used to enjoying life. Therefore, they expect the same thing from the process of consuming news content. This audience expects news brands to make their product useful, interesting, and fun ^[16].

Generation Z is very dependent on mobile technology and spends a lot of time on various social networks. The problem with news brands is that they and their products play a minor role in the lives of this generation.

A Reuters study has identified key aspects that determine the attitude of Generation Z towards news media. The news experience should be simple and accessible, for example, on social media platforms ^[16].

Content marketing strategies allow media brands to deliver content in a way that meets the expectations of a new audience. This requires the use of formats specific to mobile and social networks.

The trend associated with the search by journalists and publishers for new ways of presenting material that ensure the profitability of projects through access to a wide readership, who was offered easy and entertaining reading, found its vivid development back in the early 19th century [17. P.40]. In the situation of the crisis of traditional mass media in the Internet space, traditional ways of creating media products and marketing technologies began to harmoniously interact. In the 21st century . The media began to actively use content marketing tools to increase awareness of their own brands.