What’s the Point of a Brand & Content Strategy?

It's like dressing up for a night on the town. There's a reason you give yourself a once over before heading out. If you live with someone, you might even shoot them a "Does this look okay?"

It's all about aligning your look to the occasion. A night out partying with friends doesn't require the same level of formality as a networking event. If you're single, may even consider your intentions for the evening. Are you looking to attract someone new or simply chill and avoid unwanted advances? You adjust your clothing to match and manage the expectations.

It's the same with brands and content. A brand strategy is essentially a dress code for your company. It's about aligning your look with the circumstances, setting up expectations for yourself and others, and managing how you present yourself in different settings.

A clear brand and content strategy takes into account the needs of customers, competitors, and the company itself.

It allows you to define

• Who you are,
• How you want to be perceived, and
• What kind of engagement you're going for.

It defines the kind of content you should create for different platforms, who it should target, and how it should look and feel.

That way, your brand is consistently presented in a recognizable way across all channels—from print to digital to broadcast media—no matter where potential customers come across it.

Having an intentional plan helps to ensure that you're aligning all of your marketing materials with one cohesive message. It sends a signal out to the world that you are serious about what you have to offer, which in turn builds trust and creates relationships.

Attract the Right Leads

Chris Do often talks about using your website, content, price, and overall brand experience as a gate to keep out people who aren't a good fit. When you share content on social media platforms like LinkedIn , you're putting your brand out there for people to find. People who don't know aside from a tiny profile photo, your profile page, and the content you share. In a digital marketplace, that's your first impression.

By refining your content's messaging, look and feel for the right audience, you can attract more high value leads and prospects.

How Retail Franchise, Vannie Kaap, Uses Content as a Magnet

VANNIE KAAP is a brilliant example of a brand that has used content to grow its online presence and influence. Vannie Kaap is a Cape Town-based clothing brand and it's are UNAPOLOGETIC about its brand identity and target audience.

Most of their content is written in Kaaps, or Afrikaaps — a language spoken by an estimated 3 to 4 million working class citizens in the Cape Town. To give you some perspective, the World Bank estimates South Africa's population at nearly 60 million as of 2021. That's 5% of South Africa's population.

Clear, Consistent Brand Language and Messaging

Their website's home page, for instance, is labeled "Hys", written in the Afrikaaps spelling rather than the more formal Afrikaans spelling "Huis". Similarly, the messaging across their social media channels is unapologetically urban, creative and humorous mixing English with Afrikaaps terms and phrases.

This kind of cultural awareness differentiates the brand from other fashion labels in the country and gives it an edge that other competitors are missing out on.

Vannie Kaap is no small business selling budget t-shirts and mugs either. It built a brand that speaks to 5% of the market yet it's stores are located in some of South Africa's biggest tourist hubs and their prices are on par with brands like 耐克 , and Under Armour .

This approach bridges the gap between the working-class citizens of Cape Town and the brand identity Vannie Kaap is trying to portray. It also increases their engagement with target customers, by elevating the experience of shopping locally and being proud of it.

And the tourists love it, of course! They can take home a piece of South Africa that they couldn't find anywhere else. The unique catch phrases, designs and signature black, white, and aquamarine colors have become a signature look for Vannie Kaap.

The brand has quickly become an iconic symbol of the Afrikaaps culture and identity. From Cape Town to Johannesburg, people are proudly wearing the tee-shirts, caps, sneakers and other apparel from Vannie Kaap.

Apply This to Your Content Strategy

So, here's how you can apply this to your content:

? Figure out whom you want to serve.

? Explore the language, images, and that will make them feel welcome

? What words do they use?

? What are their hobbies?

? What YouTube channels do they watch?

? What do they read?

? What is their philosophy in business and life?

Once you have a list, incorporate that into your messaging.

Create Consistent Brand Aesthetic

Next, consider the images, colors, and typography that appeal to the customers you're trying to attract. Like a single looking to mingle, your visual content should be attractive and inviting too. Vannie Kaap's models, photoshoot locations, and perspective on current affairs (Yes, their social media pages comment on news, politics, and everything in between) promote a business that reflects and understands their target demographics appetite for current, fashionable, and humorous content.

Craft on Consistent Messaging

Next, make sure your messaging is consistent across all channels and platforms. The same visual and messaging style should be used on all communications both internally and externally. Consistency helps build trust with customers and employees, and reinforces your brand as an authority in the field. Whether you’re posting on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or YouTube, using the same aesthetic can give your brand a recognizable look and voice.

Stay on-top of Trending Topics

Additionally, it’s important to keep tabs on the latest trends and adjust your content accordingly. Being able to spot current trends, whether it’s a viral hashtag or an up-and-coming platform, can give you a jump on the competition. Memes, infographics, videos, and other interactive content have become increasingly popular over the past few years, so make sure your content is in line with the trends.

Measure and Adjust

Finally, be sure to measure and analyze your content to see what works and what doesn’t. Implementing A/B testing to see which content is most successful, in terms of engagement or reach, can help you hone in on the most effective and compelling content for your target audience.

For instance, carousels and articles perform exceptionally on my personal LinkedIn content. So, I focus 80% of my content on articles and carousels and leave the other 20% for the occasional photo or video.

Having an understanding of which type of content is resonating with your readers can help shape future content decisions.

By creating a content marketing strategy, you can ensure that your business is positioned to make the most of this powerful tool. It’s important to remember that content is a two-way street - it’s about starting a conversation with your audience and potential future customers. Your content should be engaging, informative and relevant to the interests of your target audience. When used effectively, content marketing can be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website and increasing sales.

Happy Writing and may the odds be ever in your favour.

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