Good content marketing is imperative for distinguishing your brand and positioning yourself as an intellectual leader.
It can be hard to keep your ideas fresh all the time, especially because your competitors are going to be turning out content as well.
Not only that, but every time you come up with something new and exciting, you can bet that your competition will be following up your success shortly.
Here are six tips for differentiating your brand using content marketing.
Position yourself strategically
It’s important to differentiate yourself from the competition by using your content to show your unique perspective.
Before you can get your brand into a good position, you need to get to know your target market and do some research on what your competitors are getting up to.
Find out what sort of creative direction the competition is pursuing. Look at the kind of tone and aesthetics they favor. Some good places to get a sense of this are their logo, mascots, and even the colors they select.
- What sort of themes are they working with?
- What is their message?
- What kinds of campaigns are they running?
If you want to stand out, you need to know what you’re trying to stand out from. Make your brand unique so it can fill a niche. Take what your competitors are doing and do it better, or put a fresh spin on it.
The customer’s experience
“Customer experience can be an excellent way for you to differentiate your brand. Instead of approaching this with the mindset of there being one ideal customer experience, try and find out what your customers are looking for. Different customers use different brands because they enjoy the unique experience that brand provides,” writes Jerry Estes, content marketer at Revieweal.
The experience should align with your positioning; it should suit your brand’s personality and also include variety.
Creating quality content
There are a lot of good ways to create quality content your customers will love. One good way to start is figuring where your niche will be. Think about an area that is underserved and therefore hungry for content that appeals directly to them. You can amass a loyal following of people if you are able to appeal to a niche that has not been receiving much attention from other brands.
Another good direction is to make your primary focus educating and informing people. Find out what your customers’ most common questions are and create content that addresses those questions. Use forums and blogs to find out which topics are most popular when people search for your brand or industry, then create content based on that information.
Pursue a long-term growth strategy
Fads will come and go, but they should not determine how you lay out your strategy. Your strategy should be based on long term growth, and not the flavor of the month.
The internet has a very short attention span, and a rapid turn-around cycle. If you start trying to work this week’s sensation into your strategy, your brand will end up looking out of touch very quickly.
“Think long term and also see how far your boundaries extend. Look for new areas, that lie within your sphere, where you can expand and continue on with sustained growth. Just remember that you should make sure that when you do expand, you don’t contradict your brand’s positioning or message,” recommends Doris Tanguay, ecommerce content writer at Essay Services.
Improve your content writing with online help
A lot of people have great content ideas but struggle with writing good copy. The good news is there are many resources available online that can teach you how to write like an expert.
Here are some good ones to get started with:
- Studydemic / Academadvisor
Use these resources to get your grammar knowledge up to speed. You can really discredit yourself and your brand if you’re publishing content with bad grammar. - Assignment Writing Service / Essayroo
These online proofreading tools have been reviewed positively in Australianhelp.com review, and will give you content copy that is flawless. Just a single typo is all it takes to make you look like an amateur. - StudentWritingServices
Writing is so much easier when you’re using a guide. This writing guide will walk you through the process from start to finish. - UKWritings / BoomEssays
Editing can be tedious, and not a lot of people enjoy doing it, but these resources will make the process easier and faster.
Segmenting and distribution
A lot of brands struggle with segmenting based on the wants and needs of the different segments of their audience. When you’re segmenting your audience, it’s smart to be thinking about where each group lies in their journey, in terms of awareness, engagement, conversion, and loyalty.
Segment your content based on pricing, customer care, product lines, and services. It’s also important to factor in geographical location and relevance to your segmentation.
Conclusion
Differentiation affects both your short term profits and the long term viability of your brand. If you’re just a less interesting version of someone else, why would anyone bother with your brand? It’s important to position yourself well, and keep up with what other similar brands are doing, so that you can find a unique angle to work on.
What are you doing to make sure your brand is unique? Let us know in the comments section below!
Grace Carter
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- 6 Tips To Differentiate Your Brand Using Content Marketing - November 21, 2018
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