How to Build a Really Strong Content Strategy

[This post was originally published on the Dash Hudson blog.]

The one thing standing between you and marketing success could be your lack of a strong content strategy.

Follow our 6 essential pointers to remedy to that situation, STAT.

The Makeup Forever content strategy is built around the premise of makeup as an art form.

The constant flow of information that we’re bombarded with every single day can be overwhelming. Keeping up with it is often exhausting, but let’s be real: if it were to suddenly go away, we would likely cry foul. We don’t know how to not be connected anymore, simple as that.

We’re living in a time where visuals have become one of the most important forms of communication. People consume images to be entertained, to learn, to discover, to stay informed, to stay connected, to keep up with their loved ones. It’s also how they remain on top of their favorite brands, courtesy mostly of social media. This new requisite from consumers translates to businesses being held to higher standards and a necessity to hone in on that direct line of communication.

Really strong content output is required from companies to be able to reach their consumers via all of these visual touchpoints. Failing to do so can render them obsolete faster than you can say buh-bye. With so much competition on the playing field, it’s a simple question of sinking or swimming. And the great ones lead the race.

We see brands missing the mark on content all the time. It can be difficult to understand how a seemingly great business can get it wrong, as it’s meant to be an integral part of their identity. Wanting to telegraph how amazing your brand is to the world comes naturally to most, but here’s the caveat: the thin line between success and failure is drawn by companies that don’t have a firm grasp on who they are. This results in disjointed messaging, non-representative imagery, and off-target direction.

Translation: no bueno.

Music is Fender’s credo.

Businesses today need a robust game plan to connect with their consumers on every touchpoint, and with meaningful purposes. Seeing as people are increasingly savvy and demanding, there is very little margin for error. Approaching digital and social content with an authenticity is the first step to rockstar execution.

As for the rest, below are 6 pointers to follow for establishing a strong content plan that will be applicable not only to your social media strategy, but to each one of your visual customer touchpoints.

1. Examine Your Brand Values

Time to scrutinize what your brand stands for. The core values on which your business is based should act as the foundation for all the content you produce, serving as the proverbial guiding light. These are the principles that need to be reflected in all of your initiatives.

2. Get Cozy With Your Company’s Core Strategy

Every B2C company should have a brand strategy. There are no two ways about it, it is the number one pillar of all marketing activities. If this statement confuses you, you’ve got some soul-searching to do, my friend. It’s time to get über familiar with it because it should live through your content master plan. Everything you publish must derive from your brand strategy to avoid confusing messaging.

The Betches content strategy is solidly anchored in their brand strategy.

3. Establish a Mission

Consider your mission to be your whole raison d’être. Your purpose. Your brand’s life meaning. Every single piece of content you publish must be consequential to your mission. How will your content bring value to your audience as well as add value to your company? The answer lies in your mission statement.

4. Establish a Vision

What is your brand’s aesthetic identity? If you’re new and it doesn’t really have one yet, this is your chance to mold one. Every creative’s dream! Your vision is not the why, it’s the how. It sounds abstract, but it’s actually what you work towards to concretize. What do you visualize your content to look like, to sound like, how it’s formatted and delivered. What’s your aesthetic vibe, what topics do you want to broach, what hues are you keen on using? Vision.

5. Determine Your Voice and Tone

Developing a brand tone of voice is of utmost importance, and it’s something we’ve already covered ad mortem. In short, it serves as your business’ character. The voice is your personality and the tone is your delivery. Two incredibly important pieces of the puzzle to add dimension to your marketing efforts.

6. Identify Content Pillars

Let them be the foundation of every physical piece of content you release out into the world. Do this for each one of your touchpoints to ensure that you always stay on message and never stray from your strategy.

Fun videos about one of their most famous treats, the Blizzard, is one of Dairy Queen’s Instagram content pillars. Now brb as we run to DQ to get one.

The goal of conceiving a content strategy is to align all of your messaging. Each of your visual touchpoints serve as an opportunity to connect with your consumers. It’s your chance to prove to them that you can add value to their lives, all while conveying your business’ point of view. Gotta be an authority in something to hook potential customers.

When it’s all said and done, spreading your company’s message by executing a thoughtfully concocted strategy that cultivates your brand identity is the best thing you can do to catch people’s short attention spans. Exactly what this generation needs.

And soon you’ll actually be able to identify which photo or video will garner the highest performance on what visual touchpoint. The sprites are working on it.✨

Want to learn more about content strategy and how to publish winning visuals? Get in touch today.