Jeff Blundell

I began my communications career as a bartender. Night after night, I would listen to people tell me stories, and I in turn, would tell them stories. Actually, the later was much more common than the former. You see, the idea of a bartender being a patient ear that listens to your troubles is not really very accurate. Most of the time the person pouring the drinks is required to play the role of ‘the host of the party.’ They are there to entertain the guests and make them want to stay longer.

That’s what your branded content needs to do: be the host of a party. Your party might revolve around medical research, software development, or a new off-road truck. But regardless, the job of your content is to make people want to stay longer.
 

There are a lot of metrics to gauge whether your branded content is a success. Download totals or 'views' are certainly important. But I focus on a different number: retention. When someone clicks play on your podcast or video, my job is to keep them at the bar, all the way to closing time.