Why this disconnect?

Consider the brand’s pride in producing sustainable, high-quality slow fashion pieces, while also ensuring fair compensation for manufacturers and utilizing premium fabrics. With such a rich brand story, the question arises: why the discrepancy between their identity and content?

While some buyers might overlook this dissonance, placing greater emphasis on a brand’s mission than its social voice, it remains a precarious strategy. This underscores why I caution clients against blindly following social media trends that don’t align with their brand. Doing so risks losing your unique identity amidst a sea of conformity, undermining effective branding and a well-defined content strategy.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, a brand’s identity is deeply intertwined with its online presence. The interplay between a brand’s mission, values, and its social media tone can significantly influence its narrative, connection with the audience, investor relations, and more. The chasm between a brand’s essence and its chosen content strategy can reverberate far beyond social media, carrying consequences for the overall perception of the brand.

This stark contrast can disrupt the delicate equilibrium between a brand’s intended perception and how it’s actually perceived. Therefore, the disparity between a brand’s genuine commitment to sustainability and craftsmanship and its inconsistent social media voice vividly illustrates the perils of an unaligned content strategy.

So, what’s the solution?

For brands, a thorough analysis of both their content strategy and brand identity is advisable. Alignment between the two ensures a seamless continuation of branding efforts. Conversely, if they clash, it’s akin to chaining oneself to an anchor.

Begin by defining your brand’s values and mission. What personality and tone of voice does your brand exhibit? These elements vividly portray your brand’s online persona. However, it’s not solely about words and tone – it’s also about the substance of your message and how you interact in the world as a brand. Do you provide uplifting, lighthearted advice to your audience? Are you injecting humor into typically dry legal advice to connect with your audience? These considerations are vital when crafting a content strategy, and the answers should feel cohesive.

Your Brand Should Be Livable

Beyond cohesiveness, your brand and content strategy should naturally align.

Imagine for a second the brand Lamborghini. If they announced on a TV ad a new non-profit that helps children in Guatemala with cleft lip surgeries, what would you think? Probably that it’s nice. But in 2 hours you would never remember that Lamborghini was the sponsor because the brand and who they are doesn’t match the action. It’s kind but doesn’t suit them. This would be an example of a brand trying too hard to do something that doesn’t match their brand or their content strategy. They’d be forcing something that isn’t easily livable for the brand, which is hedonistic and showy.

Your content strategy essentially must contain two things:

1. Be authentically livable.
2. Be the roadmap that gets you to your objectives.

This is where the concept of a “livable story” comes into play. When your brand’s tenets – values, mission, etc. – are grounded in authenticity, they should organically guide your business practices, whether it’s interactions with stakeholders or your social media presence. A brand that champions kindness should genuinely engage with people in a kind manner. An innovative brand should inspire and exhilarate their audience by pushing the boundaries of possibility.

Living your brand should be second nature when you genuinely comprehend it. Similarly, crafting a content strategy that aligns with your brand should be a seamless process.

How this ties into Content Strategy

Once you know who you are and what your brand story is, then you can start to plot out the points of your content strategy. If you’re a fashion brand that claims to be authentic and ethical, then perhaps your content strategy includes sponsoring women in underdeveloped countries for their artisanal crafts, sharing stories about real women doing inspiring things, and educating the public on the benefits of sustainable fashion. What actions suit and tell your story? Those actions and content pillars can get you to your objectives, which might be more sales or more followers.

If you find yourself without a well-defined brand or content strategy, New Lore is here to be your new ally. As a branding and content strategy agency based in Miami, we cater to small businesses, large corporations, and non-profits across the US, Latin America, and Europe. We specialize in constructing a brand narrative and translating it into a content strategy that fosters authentic connections. If this resonates with you, reach out to us today for a no-pressure conversation about our services.