WHAT IS A CONTENT STRATEGIST?
Perhaps because I work in marketing, my Instagram explore feed is full of experts in any and all industries, including other marketers, promoting their services in trendy Reels, trying to espouse value in their potential audience in 15-second bursts. In the onslaught of how-to tutorials and free tips from experts on social media, you may have seen the term Content Strategist floating around and wondered, “what exactly does it mean to be a Content Strategist?”
As someone who describes herself as a Content Strategist, I’d like to explain the job title in a little depth, why we can be invaluable to your business, and what to look out for in a sea of self-professed experts online so you’re more empowered to understand how to find a strategist that can help you reach your goals.
WHAT DOES A CONTENT STRATEGIST DO?
Simply, we are responsible for the strategizing, creation, and execution of content across all your channels – digital or otherwise.
A competent Content Strategist is up-to-date on the current marketing research, data, and trends, of course, but also has the ability to strategize what content your target audience needs to reach your brand’s goals, conceptualize that content, and execute it properly. And through this process ensure that your brand has uniform content that is consistent regardless of where it lives, so that everything your audience sees “reads” as you and carries a consistent narrative.
A full-time Content Strategist may also audit your existing content and shift gears as needed, to make sure that everything, from your website to your social media posts, aligns with your narrative and values.
WHAT DOES A CONTENT STRATEGIST DO FOR BRANDS?
While I do describe myself as a Content Strategist, I believe that we go a step farther than many other strategists in that we are also keenly adept at finding stories. We believe that where other agencies fall short is that they do not go deep enough to find and construct a brand narrative and identity that is profound enough to create long-lasting success.
Other agencies and strategists might tell you that your brand story includes: your “why,” your values, and a pretty mood board. Little more, if anything else, goes into constructing your brand narrative.
Our process involves:
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- Speaking at length with company leadership and collaborators/employees/shareholders to illustrate a current “status quo.” Who are you and who have you been until now? What drove the genesis of your brand and what challenges or victories have you had thus far?
- We seek to understand your unique Call to Action – what is the disruptive or predicted catalyst that is driving you to seek a better brand narrative?
- With interviews of key audiences (employees, suppliers, customers, and more) we begin to gather data on who the brand is now, including values.
- Through this process and upon the values of your brand, we find the unique combination of archetypes that will guide your communication. Two different archetypes will tell the same story very differently, and knowing which one(s) you are will be both freeing and empowering.
- We also define your brand’s plot and promise land. What journey are you on that you would like your audience to accompany you on, and what is the end goal?
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Only once ALL of these steps are completed do we begin to strategize and execute content.
Because without a proper narrative map to serve as our guide, we cannot hope to create content that is consistent for the length of your brand’s life. The guide will be the scaffolding upon which any marketer, whether we are still assisting you with content 5 years from now or an in-house agency, will be able to follow the same thread.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE A GOOD CONTENT STRATEGY?
I hope they will forgive me for saying this, but one of the clearest examples in my mind of a brand that has no idea who they are is Liberty Mutual, the insurance company. While its competitors Geico and Allstate have clear brand identities (both aim to be your ally, but one has chosen comedy while the other has chosen the archetype of the caretaker, respectively) Liberty Mutual flounders from ad campaign to ad campaign with no direction or purpose.
They attempt to be funny and fail because they are attempting to copy the lead of other brands instead of being true to themselves. Personally, all their commercials are cringe-inducing. I firmly believe that the agency or agencies that handle their campaigns have no strategy at all besides “get more leads,” and are incapable of digging deep and providing Liberty Mutual with an identity all of their own, and content that aligns with it.
THESE THREE BRANDS ARE UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY ARE TRUE TO THEMSELVES.
On the other hand, let’s look at car brands that are doing it right. These brands know who they are down to their archetype, and lean into it in all their communication.
Volvo knows it is not Maserati, which values luxury and sport performance above all else, and does not pretend to want to be. Even Jeep and Volvo, who are not luxury brands, have completely different audiences because they appeal to vastly different values.
Volvo builds safe cars that you know your babies would be safe in. They appeal to the caretaker in us that wants, above all, to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. They may or may not build the year’s Top Safety Pick, but when new parents consider a new family car, Volvo probably comes to mind first.
Jeep speaks to the adventurous spirit in all of us, to the explorer ready to push boundaries, leave the manicured asphalt roads behind and forge new trails. Even if we know we will never be mudding in some backcountry road with our Jeep, the brand makes us feel as though adventure awaits and all we have to do is heed the call.
Each brand is unique and recognizable, because when you find the values and archetype that define you, it’s easy to find and speak to your
HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A CONTENT STRATEGIST KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT?
Again, simply, they should be able to present results. If a content strategist is making pretty content but not getting conversions for a client, then something is misaligned.
In the case of New Lore Co., we proudly show our track record of success:
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- Client The Solution HQ saw a $1.5 million increase in revenue, up nearly 60% from the prior year, when we implemented a new communication strategy that included new graphic design and copywriting that led to more conversions and a brand presence online they hadn’t been able to cultivate until we helped.
- Small business Merlili Bridal saw a 300% increase in followers and a 400% increase in pageviews across their Facebook and Instagram profiles, which led to more appointments, when we revitalized their social media strategy and visual brand with their new, unique voice.
- Nurse-turned-entrepreneur Lazy Bear Solutions contracted us to do a completely new high-end branding and visual strategy for their brand and in the months since has seen their business grow 300% in revenue.
- Following a complete rebranding project for Cross Arrow Solutions, which included brand identity, communication strategy, and visual elements, they have attained multiple multi-million dollar contracts with their consulting work.
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These are just a handful of success stories from clients that have trusted us to refresh (or create from scratch) their entire content strategy.
DO I NEED A CONTENT STRATEGIST?
If you are doing amazing with your brand currently and are satisfied with your brand identity, content, and your goals, then you probably don’t need to invest in a Content Strategist.
But if you feel as though your content is not aligning with who you believe yourself to be, your audience isn’t responding to it, and you aren’t meeting the goals you set out for yourself then a Content Strategist might be a powerful ally in helping you correct course and therefore a valuable investment. Especially if that Content Strategist can show you proof that an improved strategy has led to tangible improvements for clients.
