A complete guide to your brand content strategy

Are you looking to stand out in a saturated market and create a lasting connection with your customers?

The first step towards this goal is a thorough understanding of your target audience's wants and needs. By investing in high-quality content, personalized and relevantand by adopting innovative delivery methods such as augmented reality or livestreams, you can capture your audience's attention in a significant way.

Ready to transform your content strategy and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field? Discover how a brand content strategy strategy can revolutionize your brand communications and transform your relationship with your audience.

What is brand content?

Brand content refers to all the strategic content produced by a brand. Its aim is to tell consumers a story or know-how, going beyond the usual sales pitches.

As Thomas Jamet, CEO of IPG Mediabrands France, explains, brand content is the art of communicating values rather than products. It's about creating content that the consumer chooses to watch rather than be subjected to.

Today's consumers are inundated with advertising messages. Brand content allows you to stand out from the crowd and :

• free themselves from traditional advertising and bypass the phenomenon ofad blindness;
• gain visibility ;
• create a relationship of trust with consumers.

Brand content helps build a strong, memorable brand image.

How do you develop your brand content strategy?

Identify your brand objectives

Before you start creating content, you'll need to define the objectives of your brand content strategy. These objectives can be :

• build brand awareness;
• improve your brand's image;
• retain existing customers;
• attract new customers;
• position the brand as an expert in its field;

Your objectives must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).

Understand your audience

An effective brand content strategy is based on a thorough understanding of your audience. Define your marketing personas by considering criteria such as :

1. Age and gender.
2. Geographical distribution.
3. Socio-professional category .
4. Hobbies and interests.
5. Consumer habits.
6. Values and concerns.

Choose your distribution channels

Select the most relevant channels according to your objectives and your audience's consumption habits. The main channels for brand content include :

• social networks (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.);
• your brand's website;
• video platforms (YouTube, Tik Tok);
• podcasts ;
• mobile applications.

Each channel has its own strengths and attracts different segments of your audience, so choosing the right mix can increase the effectiveness of your content strategy.

Creating branded content

Content types (articles, videos, infographics)

Brand content can take many forms. The most popular are :

• Blog posts to share ideas, stories and useful information.
• Videos, whether tutorials, interviews or product demonstrations.
• Infographics to present information concisely.
• Podcasts for conversations on topics related to your field.
• Webinars and e-books for educational and informative content.

Storytelling techniques

Storytelling is at the heart of effective brand content. It's about telling a story that embodies your brand's values. 

Think about creating characters your audience can identify with. Use a clear narrative structure and appeal to emotions to create a strong connection. You can use visual elements to aid the narrative. 

A good example of storytelling isIntermarché's"L'amour, l'amour" campaign. It tells the story of a romance and reaffirms the brand's closeness to its customers. The result? Increased brand awareness and emotional engagement on the part of consumers.

Some examples of successful strategies

Red Bull has become associated with extreme sports and adventure, creating captivating videos that embody thespirit of the brand without directly showing the product. The brand currently has over 15 million subscribers on YouTube and a 7% increase in global market share between 2019 and 2020.

Dove 's "Show Us" campaign invited women to share their vision of beauty, reinforcing the brand's values of inclusivity and diversity. The campaign generated over 5 billion media impressions and led to a 2% increase in Dove's global sales in 2019.

Nike excels in the art of storytelling. The brand creates content that highlights a world with which athletes identify, while revealing its products only at the end of its commercials. This approach enables Nike to create an emotional connection with its audience.

The "Dream Crazy" campaignfeaturing Colin Kaepernick generated over $43 million in media value and led to a 31% increase in online sales.

Lessons to be learned from these examples

These examples highlight the points to bear in mind when implementing your strategy: 

• Stay authentic. Your content must truly reflect your brand's values.
• Arouse emotions to create a connection with your audience.
• Bring value to your audience, beyond simple promotion.
• Stay consistent across all channels, and align with your overall brand identity.
• Involve the audience in content creation to strengthen the community around your brand.

How can you optimize your brand content?

Key performance indicators (KPI)

Define relevant KPIs. Monitor indicators such as :

• engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) ;
• conversion rate ;
• customer loyalty rate ;
• increase brandawareness ;
• website traffic ;
• time spent on content. 

Results analysis

Regular analysis of the results will enable you to understand what's effective, as well as what can be improved. Take a look:

• the types of content that generate the most engagement ;
• the channels on which your content performs best;
• theimpact of your content on brand perception;
• if your initial objectives are achieved.

Use web analytics and social media tools (such as LinkedIn) to gain insights into your content's performance. 

Ongoing adjustments and improvements

Based on your analyses, make ongoing adjustments to your brand content strategy. 

Adapt your content types to better resonate with your audience, and refine your tone and style to reflect your brand. Don't hesitate to experiment with new formats or distribution channels, and optimize the frequency and timing of your publications to maximize their impact. 

Listen to your audience's feedback and integrate it into your strategy, so that you can remain responsive to market trends and audience needs.

An effective brand content strategy can not only strengthen your brand image, but also engage your audience and set you apart from the competition. Are you ready to transform your brand communication and stand out from the crowd?

Start developing your brand content strategy today and see your brand take on a new dimension in the eyes of your consumers. If you want to further optimize your strategy and maximize the impact of your content, our team is here to support you. Contact us to find out how we can help you strengthen your market position!