What are some examples of unique Content Strategies to differentiate your brand in strategic marketing?

You would have heard this before — people remember how you make them feel, not what you told them or did for them. And that's precisely what storytelling does. It adds feeling and emotion to a tale that otherwise seems dry and pushy. Using an emotional quotient to connect with your audience is always the best way to leave a lasting impact on them. Every brand that has used this strategy and used it well, of course, has pretty much succeeded.

Storytelling only connects emotionally when the audience cares about what happens to the protagonist. So the safest move when you're a brand is to make the protagonist someone the audience can understand and relate to. Make their hero's journey with your brand something the audience would like to experience for themselves.

I have been consulting a D2C brand and few things on the content strategy bit has been an eye-opener 1. Influencer led UGC content 2. What are the pain points that the product solves 3. Using those pain points to create content 4. Last but not the least - the storytelling game needs to be top-notch. It should not only be emotional rather it should also tactfully talk to the ICP directly as if the product is meant for you Voila! Slowly you create the Brand

Here are some more examples: Nike's tone of voice has always been inspiring, promoting activity, and pushing users to their best selves. HSBC uses its logo and beautifully curated ads to showcase global experiences united through its card.

Distinguishing your brand in strategic marketing demands innovative content strategies. Embrace interactive storytelling to engage audiences actively. User-generated campaigns create a diverse community and showcase varied perspectives. Share exclusive behind-the-scenes content for authenticity. Augmented reality experiences offer immersive engagement, while data-driven personalization ensures relevance to specific audience segments. These strategies highlight your attention to detail, setting your brand apart in the competitive marketing landscape.

"Interactive and engaging content" is only useful when your audience wants to engage. When they're scrolling, they're often more inclined to just scroll, and tap the occasional like or repost button. This means you need to offer something that really speaks to them to snap them out of scroll hypnosis; a great reward for that engagement. Think about what that reward is first, then create the content — not the other way around.

Learning happens faster when the process is a two-way street, rather than one-way. When content is engaging, it allows your audience to participate and interact with your content and add in their perspective. This makes the process a lot of personal. One way to do this is to ask open ended questions and tailor-make the content to speak directly to your audience. But it's also important to keep in mind that not all audience wants to engage. Some like to simply scroll through your content. The key here to is create content that's unique and intriguing that even someone who is mindlessly scrolling will stop and interact with your post.

Most companies that go big with influencer marketing welcome user-generated content. A lot of Indian beauty and skin-care brands like Nykaa, Sugar Cosmetics, MamaEarth have aced influencer marketing to grow their business.

User-generated content is often sludge. Don't run it just to feed the beast. Have a purpose. And edit and reformat judiciously. Remember, you are usually the content expert, not them.

I have been diving more and more into how the largest brand accounts on tiktok have built their audiences. Something I see throughout is that they repost content onto their page. Regardless if it ties to their brand promotional message. Brands like ESPN, and Barstool have become pillars in cultural conversations because they utilize ugc so well

Experimenting with different content formats is definitely a good idea. But if you are experimenting with channels, something's wrong. Because you shouldn't be experimenting with content to find out if your target audience is on a certain channel, you should already know. And if you don't know, something's wrong.

more is better on almost every platform, with algorithms almost always shipping a for you model. Not all of you followers will see your content. Try new things and reach new audiences, it will work out.

Finally, an actual strategic point. Everything mentioned in this article up till now has had nothing to do with content strategy, they've just been tactics. Mistaking one for the other is how you lose. But aligning your content with your brand and its purpose is generally a good thing to do, but if you don't, you risk your brand and its purpose being nothing more than words on your "Why Us" page.

A wonderful example that I always share is that of HubSpot. They have effectively reached their target audience and continuously add value through every asset, template, and blog they share. It perfectly aligns with their purpose of making CRM, sales, marketing, and more business functions seamless for everyone.

For B2B marketers, it can be helpful to look for B2C for inspiration. B2C often have more room for creativity and experimentation. Try to keep a part of the budget aside for trying new things. If you’re trying something new, it may not work so be open to failure or learning from mistakes.

People don't consume a content strategy. They consume content. Don't get fixated on having a unique content strategy. Uniqueness in the strategy is not what wins. Delivering great content that serves strategic goals, at the right time, in the right way, is what wins.

"Ultimately, it's about meeting the demand for information and easing the pain points of the buyer persona. In my view, nothing bothers the buyer persona more than not understanding how the industry operates, the phenomena affecting it, the environment it operates in, industry trends, and how to tackle the main challenges within each sector. Therefore, I suggest considering a content strategy focused on educating or training the buyer persona to turn them into an industry expert

To create unique content, consider these strategies: Utilize platforms like Reddit or Quora to find queries, then directly address them in your blog. Leverage customer calls to pinpoint bottlenecks and incorporate these insights into your content. Incorporate relevant CTAs; for instance, direct customers seeking engagement insights to a report rather than a sign-up page. Include social proof to establish trust with your audience