7 Types of Content that will Revitalise Your Brand
When the world is focusing on Google Analytics and the conversation often turns to reach, follower count and engagement, it is understandable that many forget about the value of branding. As the often ignored side of digital marketing due to the fact that it doesn’t produce the instant results of a PPC campaign, it is one of the most valuable marketing assets around. But what type of content can you post to not only stay relevant to your brand, but stay relevant to your customers? We have put together a list of 7 types of content that will help to revitalise your brands in the eyes of your existing audience, but that can also help you capture new customers.
1 - TALK ABOUT YOUR COMPANY CULTURE
You may not run a personal brand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share content about who you are, what you stand for, and your incredible team. Aside from sharing insights to what occurs behind the scenes, there are plenty of ways to show your followers what your company stands for and how you work to provide products or services that align with your mission. From sharing your newest business cards, highlight how a colleague have excelled over the last month to volunteering - all highlight the people behind the business, even if your business is a non-personal brand. By allowing insight to your company’s culture, you are humanising your business, in turn increasing trust and reliability.
2 - EVOKE EMOTIONS
You can add personality without making your brand a personal one, and the best way to do this is by evoking emotions. Use quotes and other inspiring content to break up your social media feed from what can quickly become an arena for monotonous sales pitches. Breaking up your posting regime featuring CTA, client success stories and customer generated content with a dose of inspiration to evoke emotions is powerful - not only to build relationship with your followers, but to allow yourself some easily generated content as well.
3 - SOCIAL PROOF
At one point advertising was used to inform consumers and build trust and not only drive customers to buy. This is no longer the case, and consumers are increasingly aware of and unaffected by ads. However, client generated feedback is an excellent way to bolster your brand presence and provide social proof. In fact, social proof in the form of testimonials have psychological effect on customers, because the feedback is provided by other consumers and not the brand itself. This form of consumer generated content is seen as an endorsement from peers saying that the company, service or product is great, and provides proof that the overall customer journey has satisfied previous customers or clients.
4 - EDUCATIONAL
In any competitive industry you have to let your clients know why they should choose you. Do you provide them with a reason to why they should pick you above someone offering the same products or services? Establish a content strategy that is interweaved with educational pieces in the form of articles, blog posts, news, videos and pictures. Don’t only focus on industry facts and general tips - include case studies, breakdown of product features, or success stories on how you have grown your company. You should also remember that this type of content is evergreen, and should be redistributed now and then to keep new visitors aware of your WHY and HOW.
5 - PROMOTE YOUR BRAND
CTA’s don’t always make for compelling content, but promoting your brand is necessary. Use strong captions and powerful imagery that align with your services or products. A picture speaks louder than a thousand words, so working with a photographer who understands your brand feel and messaging is essential. Branded communication that will come off as much less ‘salesy’ when presented in a high-quality manner; the key being quality over quantity. If you are just starting up, use stock imagery and use overlays or play with colours to get a consistent look. You can also include your branding on images to increase brand familiarity amongst those who see your content.
Psst: Did you know it takes 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember a brand?
6 - DON’T FOCUS ON DIRECT RESPONSES
Branding works best when there’s no pushiness or sense of urgency. The world’s most effective branding campaigns don’t push you to take action, but focus entirely on associating a specific feeling with a their brand. Since the goals of a branding campaign are somewhat opposite to those of advertising campaigns, you should strive to keep the two separate. The aim of brand campaigns may indeed increase conversions, but these should be viewed as a lucky extra as the real value will only be visible long term.
7 - BANNER ADVERTISEMENT
Although we have pointed out that the aim of brand strategies is long term visibility, it is worth considering display (or banner) advertising as an effective way to expand your brand presence. The key to effective branding through display advertising is to find websites that attract a relevant and interested audience. If the audience viewing your ads are of the consumer demographic liekly to invest in your services or products, the advertisement will pay for itself when done right.
When we talk about branding, it is tempting to focus on conversion rates and short-term ROI as the barometer of campaign effectiveness. As a result, many will launch social, search and display campaigns with branding in mind, only to compromise them by optimising for metrics such as ROAS (Return On Ad Spend). Building a brand is all about creating an image carried forward by a strong and cohesive message. If you need help with your brand strategy, let us know! We’re ready to learn more about your business and how we can help it reach your goals.
