ID3AS Blog

Are you aligning your content strategy with your brand’s personality? In this content-crazy world, it’s hard not to do something similar to the next guy. So, what can your brand do to stand apart from the rest? Time to bring out Ms. (or Mr.) Personality! Your brand personality (and strategy behind the who) should work with your content strategy to serve a mutual goal of growing and strengthening your brand. 

How can you fluff out your branding feathers to achieve the ultimate strategy for your business? First, let’s dive into what brand personality and content strategy is. Then, we’ll examine how your business has a huge opportunity to impact your audience’s perception through content creation. 

Creating a Brand Personality

Feel The Brand. Be One with The Brand. 

No, but seriously! When shaping your brand personality, and creating a branding strategy based on that, you need to spend a day in your brand’s shoes. We know your brand isn’t an actual person. But it does have an identity. Your brand has goals, it has a vision, it has values, and it has a story. So be it and tell it. 

Your brand’s personality will be reflected by your brand voice and the content that you put out into the world. Start with a small list of characteristics that if your brand were a person, they would emulate. Designate how those characteristics should and shouldn’t be expressed when creating content. 

For example, if your brand is quirky, you may be comfortable paying homage to pop-culture references and using creative examples that go against the status quo. What you wouldn’t want to do is use references that are too-underground and will lose your audience or use jargon that doesn’t mesh with your personality. Click here for more about establishing your social voice. 

It’s also important to note that, just like humans, your brand personality is allowed to change over time! Are there customs and values that your brand just doesn’t jive with anymore? Maybe an outdated policy or way of doing things that no longer reflect who your brand is and the direction that you’re trying to move in? That’s okay! Just like us, your brand is allowed to change its mind and grow. In fact, it would be concerning if it didn’t! 

What is a Content Strategy? 

No matter if you’re a novice or a seasoned vet, it never hurts to revisit your content strategy plan. You’ll want to be sure that it’s up-to-date, engaging, and innovative to keep ahead of the competition and intrigue your current customers and prospects. A content strategy is all about executing your business goals and letting your brand shine via the content that you create. 

How do we round-out our content strategy at D3? Take a peek into how our team shares original content across all platforms; 

Social Posts, Email Blast, and Blog from D3 - all three shared based on the same blog topic. 

Another example is, if the goal of your business is to increase brand awareness, you may focus your content strategy on increasing website visibility through organic SEO (blogs), Facebook, and Google Ads. If your goal is to drive sales, then you may gear your ads towards getting people to not only click on the ad but also make a purchase through a remarketing strategy by sending a follow-up email.   

Having a content strategy isn’t a luxury for any business.  It’s a necessity. Producing high-quality content to meet the needs of your business, and through that, your consumer is crucial in building trust and reaching success overtime. 

When developing a content strategy, you’ll want to consider the following: 

1. Who is your target audience? 

2. What problem are you solving with your content? 

3. How is your content unique? 

4. What formats will you use on what platforms? 

5. How will you manage the creation and publishing? 

Does that feel a little overwhelming? We understand. Good thing you know a few experts in the field who can help you out, right?

How to Use Both to Make an Impact 

Now the big question: how can your business integrate your brand personality into your content strategy to make an impact? To build a healthy, well-rounded brand, you have to work with intention, either from the beginning, or a new “starting point”. 

A well-aligned content strategy can involve all or just pieces of the following; blogging, organic social, email marketing, website content, paid advertisements, you name it! You want to use content to deliver a strategic message and use your brand personality and voice to guide the messaging. Interjecting a bit of personality helps your customers connect with you and trust your brand.

How can you be sure that your brand personality and content strategy are working in harmony? Consider the following; 

1. Your Target Audience is Everything 

Having a firm understanding of who your audience is, what they’re looking for, and where they’re looking for it can help direct your content strategy. This gives you insight into where to reach them, and how to meet their needs. 

2. Develop Brand Guidelines

Similar to defining your brand’s personality and sticking with it, it’s also essential to clearly define your branding standards when it comes to imagery and how your content should make your audience feel. A clear set of standards will help you make sure that your content lives up to the very best of your brand. 

3. Map Out the Journey

The content that you produce should follow your buyer on their journey. The goal is for your content to resonate with your audience no matter where they’re at in the process. Are you answering questions of potential customers at each stage of their journey? Does the content and messaging reflect the brand? Is it clear? 

The bottom line? How your customers perceive your brand is a crucial component when it comes to decision-making time and the success of your business. Creating a content strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your buyers, while also representing the personality and values of your brand, is key to building trust with your audience and leveling up your marketing campaigns. 

Need a fresh pair of eyes on your strategy or a friendly face to bring your content full-circle? We’re happy to help!