Branding Your Brand Online: Creating a Content Plan

2017 © | F A C T O R B r a n d i n g , L L C | p. 1______________________________________________________________________

Building Your Brand Online:How to Create a Content Plan

Contact:

Abbey O’NealPrincipal & Chief Brand Strategist | [email protected] | 303.642.5461

FACTOR Branding, LLC 2017 © Not for duplication or republishing without explicit permission.

If you’re unsure about how to promote your brand online, or you’re tired of wasting money on social media that doesn’t deliver a return, you need a plan that delivers results.

Here is a process for thinking about how to create a content plan that aligns to your business objectives.


Social Media has Become Social Engagement

Digital has become a part of our every day and nearly, our every action. We are all online consumers in some way or another. Every person spending time online is a potential customer of a brand that also exists online, which means…

A brand not participating in the social conversation is one that will be left out of the buying decision.

Here’s the key - a brand must participate in this conversation in a meaningful way.


Social media and content shared without intent simply becomes

background noise.


Online Brand MarketingImpactful social promotion is only as strong as the brand strategy that stabilizes it and the content plan that guides it.

To achieve the greatest results, a company must:

1. Be clear on the brand purpose or promise

2. Characterize the types of customers it needs to reach

3. Determine where and how it makes most sense for the brand to be in the digital realm

4. Curate content that… a) Corresponds with the brand promise

b) Supports the customer experience

c) Speaks to relevant customers

5. Promote content on social platforms when and how customers engage on each

6. Understand how social media metrics translate to customer conversion

7. Measure content reach and response, as well as activity and behaviors of customers who engage

8. Iterate content and promotion methods, as necessary


Online Marketing with a Purpose

A few things to remember:

• All customers make buying decisions in stages

• Depending upon a range of factors, customers move through each stage at their own pace

• Some customers may skip one stage or more

• Customers with different preferences look for certain types of information during any particular stage

When a brand uses social media, every action must tie to an objective. Using the customer lifecycle stages as a guide, consider the patterns and preferences of your online audience.

Standard Customer Lifecycle


Online Content by Stage

Standard Customer Lifecycle

Articulate brand messages, promise, differentiators and the like

Inform and educate customers, and encourage them to want more

Predict questions customers have before purchase and address these concerns

Certain types of content has been shown to resonate better with customers at each point of the buying decision-making process. Some content types fit better with a brand than others. It’s also important to be realistic about the types of content you’re able to create.

Stage-Appropriate Content Should:

Make buying process effortless and incite customer use

Promote happy customer experiences and advocate benefits of brand selection to

new customers


Online Content TypesRemember, not all content should be promotional. Content to reach customers in earlier stages of the lifecycle can be brand-specific or offer general information. The key is to post regularly and avoid too much duplicate content, (whether you own the content or share from other sources.)

Topics covered will and should vary and content type can include any mix of the following:

• White papers• eBooks• Original articles/blog posts• Infographics• Industry news• Executive interviews• How-To guides• FAQs• Product landing pages• Animated demos• Product, customer or news recap videos• Media coverage• Case studies• Customer testimonials


Online Content ConsiderationsWhen it comes to content, your digital plan should define the:

• Types of content you want to pursue and promote• Social platform on which the content makes most sense• Calls to action to include, when appropriate• Ways to measure consumption of the content • What steps customers take to get to the content and where they go next, when

possible

Other factors to think about:

• Who, in your organization, will need to create/contribute to the content• Who, in your organization, can gather data to show customer conversion


A Plan Fit for Your Brand

Promoting your brand via social median and having a content plan steeped in strategy isn’t challenging. Though there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach.

To achieve results requires intention, often, iteration, and a common understanding of what success looks like.


• Are you ready for your brand to make a bigger impact online? • Are you investing in social media tactics but unsure how to measure ROI? • Are your social media efforts not converting customers?

Contact us today and we’ll get to work creating a plan fit for your brand.

Let’s get started.

Abbey O’Nealfbcworks.com303.642.5461

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