1 | Do a Brand Analysis
One of the biggest challenges I have with businesses is how disconnected their idea of their brand is from their actual brand. There are small-to-medium businesses that rent office space, build a website, and start an Instagram account without doing a single branding exercise, and larger companies that are still referencing a 10-year-old style guide that has gone from fresh and relevant to stale and theoretical. Both are bad moves.
Wherever you are in your business journey, it’s always a wise decision to periodically check in to ensure that your comms, content, collateral, and culture are aligned and that showcase where your company is now and where you are headed. While you may not need to do a complete refresh, you’ll likely find a few tweaks that would give you an edge and save you the stress of a costly overhaul in the future.
Moreover, don’t merely focus on the messages you’re putting out. Pay close attention to what is being said about your brand. Explore platforms such as Glassdoor.com, Yelp.com, and other review sites to gather insights into your reputation among employees, colleagues, and customers.
2 | Create a Content Calendar
It is estimated that there are over 600 million blogs and 190 million e-books on the web, and the numbers are only positioned to grow higher. If you want to stand out in a sea of noise, you’re going to need to be strategic and create content that is relevant, informative, engaging, and optimized. This means that you will not only need to create a savvy content plan that touches on the right topics, but one that takes all of your platforms into consideration.
Use Google Analytics to get to know what your audience is enjoying on your website and market research to identify any gaps. Check out industry forums to see what topics are hot at the moment and browse other platforms to see what brands like yours are doing. Identify special days of the year, e.g., holidays, milestones and events that you’ll want to cover and mention. Finally, identify influencers, thought leaders, colleagues, and vendors you might like to interview or profile. Once you have done all of this, brainstorm until you have found ways to offer a fresh perspective on a topic that is relevant to your industry in a way that adds value and isn’t too commercial.
Finally, use Google Drive, Trello, or CoSchedule to lay it all out. Pick a weekly theme and write a blog that’s published on Monday. Promote it via email on Tuesday, Instagram on Wednesday, Twitter on Thursday, and so on. Choose different images for each platform and try to switch up the promotional verbiage and call to action. The point is to put a cohesive and unique editorial calendar together so that your content links together without repeating itself. It may be overwhelming the first time (OK, it will be overwhelming), but once it is done, you’re going to feel in control and ready to share your expertise with the world, I promise.
3 | Be Consistent
Writing blogs when you “have time” or “feel like it” is pointless. I don’t care how great your posts are, inconsistent content showcases a lack of direction, clarity,
If you’re ready to start communicating with your industry and potential customers (and you should), spend some time doing research on what they want to read about (see above). Then, start small and write 4 posts 200-300 word posts on a specific theme. Make sure to add an on-brand visual that you own or have purchased (no one wants a huge Getty Image fine or to be sued), and ask a question at the end of the post. Schedule all four posts for Monday at 10:00 AM- and voila!- you’re a month ahead in content. Your goal should be to be 8 weeks ahead at all times. If you set aside 2 hours a week to work on your content (I love Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoon), you will be.