Companies go through rebranding exercises all the time. Often, it’s due to mergers and acquisitions, market changes, new leadership or the need to fix a damaged reputation. From Burberry to Dunkin’ Donuts and Lego, some of the world’s biggest have had to update their brand to stay afloat, grow, and improve their business. If you want your business to stand out from the crowd and cater to the modern consumer, you may need to rebrand as well. When you improve your visibility, it can lead to a much-needed increase in sales.
If you’re undertaking a rebranding effort, you need to pay close attention to your content in 2020. Rebranding isn’t just about getting a new logo or changing your color scheme. It affects your entire brand experience and it has to be based on solid research. You must be present where your audience is and for the foreseeable future, this means you must rank high on search engine result pages.
When we speak of content, we don’t just mean social media posts and the occasional blog. Content also includes images, videos, webinars, press releases, e-books, podcasts, and whitepapers. Not all of these will be relevant to your business or industry you’ll need to create at least some of them if you want your rebranding to be successful. Read on to learn some dos and don’ts as it relates to content creation during a rebranding exercise. Don’t Be a Mystery.
Now more than ever, your customers and prospects need to know who you are and what you stand for. They want your story, not just your products or services. People are hard-wired to enjoy stories so storytelling should be a key part of your rebranding if you want it to be effective. When you share your triumphs, challenges and unique qualities, your audience will appreciate it and they will reward you with trust, loyalty, business, and referrals.
Don’t Generate Content Randomly
Content creation isn’t always easy, but you shouldn’t generate content in bursts and then go dormant. You also shouldn’t neglect some of your channels. If you need to, reduce the number of platforms on which you’re present so you can create a steady stream of high-quality content.
Messages of any kind are more effective when they are repeated so posting one half-baked article each month won’t generate significant leads. Think about how many times you need to see a commercial or display ad before you make a purchase or even seek out more information. Your potential customers are likely to be quite similar. That’s why you must have a strategy for delivering helpful information to your targets. When creating content in 2020, you need to focus on both quality and quantity. Where appropriate, include clear calls to action so prospects aren’t left wondering what to do next.
Don’t Rely Solely on Social Media Content in 2020
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms are highly valuable, but you don’t own them. Changes in algorithms, falling engagement, and platform downtime can be nightmarish if you have no other way of communicating with your audience. Your rebranding exercise needs to focus heavily on your website since this is where prospective clients will go to learn more about your business. You should use social media to help direct traffic to your website but your content strategy is more than your social media strategy.
Do Create Original Content Which Offers Value
Your content needs to grab and maintain the interest of your readers. Don’t just copy content from another site and assume your audience won’t notice. Not only is this plagiarism but it does a disservice to your audience. They will know your content is copied and they won’t trust your business. They’re also highly unlikely to continue consuming your content if it doesn’t contain valuable information. You need to offer unique content which readers can’t get elsewhere so they keep coming back. Readers love having their questions answered and they also respond well to behind the scenes content and this is especially important when you’re rebranding.
Do Your Keyword Research
Search engine traffic will account for a large portion of the hits on your website – if you optimize your content. Before you begin to write any type of material, you need to do keyword research. That’s how you’ll know what prospective customers are searching for in your niche. Including relevant keywords in your content in 2020 will allow you to show search engines that you are an authority on your chosen topic. Remember to optimize your website pages, meta descriptions, title, and URL while avoiding keyword stuffing. Not only will this turn off readers, but the search engines won’t reward you for it. You need to meet the needs of both readers and search engines.
Do Encourage User-Generated Content in 2020
The majority of online consumers find user-generated content to be more influential than photos or videos generated by brands. User-generated content is an affordable form of marketing and you don’t have to put too many resources into creating it. All you need to do is reshare the content your fans and followers have created. That being said customers won’t automatically create content about your brand. You have to ensure that your rebranding efforts are unique and memorable. Whether your brand is inspirational, entertaining or highly informative, you need to make your audience feel like they are part of a community. Research the types of content your audience shares so you can make your campaigns share-worthy. You can also host a contest to encourage people to create brand-related content in 2020.
Regardless of why you’re rebranding your business, your strategy has to include a heavy focus on content in 2020. Content is a great way to share your brand experience with both existing customers and prospects. If you want your audience to get to know the new you, content is king.