Join brand content strategist Alex, who helps businesses define their audience personas, and Brian, who specializes in healthytips content, as they share essential insights on building a brand content playbook. They explore the shift from traditional demographics to audience personas, dissect the content funnel stages, and discuss smart strategies for crafting engaging content. Brian provides juicy tips on maximizing health-related content impact. Tune in for practical advice on forming effective content teams and driving engagement!
Understanding the content funnel is essential, as it classifies content into stages that cater to varying audience engagement levels for effective targeting.
Utilizing audience personas rather than traditional demographics allows brands to develop nuanced strategies that connect deeper with their customers' motivations.
Building a lean content team with clearly defined roles fosters collaboration and enhances the overall effectiveness of the marketing strategy, leading to better results.
Deep dives
Understanding the Content Funnel
The content funnel is a crucial framework for developing effective marketing strategies, dividing content into three categories: top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. Top of funnel content aims to cast a wide net, attracting a broad audience with relatable topics, while middle funnel content focuses on providing value and educational resources to nurture potential leads. Bottom of funnel content is targeted towards conversion, often incorporating direct product education and testing ads to optimize engagement. This tiered approach allows brands to tailor their messaging according to the audience's familiarity with the brand and their readiness to purchase.
Rethinking Audience Personas
Traditional customer demographics are often insufficient, as they focus on superficial characteristics rather than the deeper motivations and pain points of the target audience. Instead, the concept of audience personas, developed by Amanda Natividad, suggests a more nuanced approach by analyzing influencers, content preferences, and engagement behaviors. This method encourages marketers to consider varied personas, such as amplifier and attention personas, that interact differently with the brand's content. Understanding these dynamics can lead to crafting more effective content strategies that resonate with the intended audience.
The Importance of Research in Content Strategy
Conducting thorough research is vital for developing an effective content strategy, serving as the foundation for understanding industry trends and audience preferences. Utilizing tools like Google Trends and SparkToro can help marketers identify key topics, trending content, and successful strategies within their niche. This research provides insights into the specific needs and interests of the audience, allowing brands to align their messages more effectively. Failing to perform this research can lead to wasted resources on content that does not resonate or engage with the target audience.
Creating Impactful Content with Lean Teams
Building a lean content team involves strategically filling essential roles that contribute to a cohesive and effective content strategy. Key positions include a head of content to steer the overall strategy, creators focused on generating top and middle funnel content, and an analyst to provide data insights and ensure collaboration across teams. This structure fosters communication between departments, enabling the sharing of successful content insights across various platforms like email and SMS marketing. By clearly defining roles and responsibilities, brands can optimize their content creation process and drive better results.
Applying Unconventional Content Formats
Utilizing unconventional content formats can enhance engagement and drive organic traffic, as demonstrated by the case of a successful health-focused Instagram account. This account leveraged simple, slideshow-style videos to convey information in an engaging, easily digestible manner, even capitalizing on exaggeration and humor. By understanding audience desires for insider tips and 'secret' knowledge, content creators can frame their messaging to appeal to viewers' motivations. Ultimately, simplifying content production while maintaining relatability can lead to substantial viewer engagement and conversion opportunities.
In episode 34, Alex and Brian take a deep dive into the essentials of brand content strategy. Alex breaks down key components like audience personas vs customer personas, content types based off the content funnel, and building out a content team. Brian breaks down “healthytips“ content strategy and his juicy insights. This session is packed with everything brand content strategy, brand building, and practical tips for maximizing the impact of your content.As always, appreciate you all listening, and don't forget to leave us a review and submit your questions for Alex and Brian at the email address below. See you next week.
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