In content marketing, the words you choose when writing about your brand matter and the cybersecurity marketing world is no different. With the recent astronomical growth in demand for internet security solutions and the even greater growth that is projected in the coming years, separating yourself from the noise is necessary. Everything you write – whether it’s blog posts, white papers, case studies, eBooks, social media posts, or your web page – every message should be deliberately crafted and support your goals. It’s important to create an authentic relationship with your target audience through your brand pillars. This is how you can engage, build trust, and compel your audience to act.
What are brand messaging pillars?
Brand pillars are the touchpoints that set you apart from everyone else. It’s a combination of the values and characteristics that make up your brand. They are what you communicate to your target audience but it’s also how your audience perceives you. They are meant to differentiate your brand from everyone else in the marketplace and focus on the qualities your customers find important. It’s the color in the answer to “Who are you?”.
How to define your company’s brand pillars
Whether you are in the beginning stages of brand-building, your company is going through changes and brand pivoting, or brand messaging hasn’t been defined yet – the following series of questions will help you define the characteristics that you should be communicating to your audience.
What is the brand’s purpose?
The most fundamental question you should answer to effectively communicate your brand pillars:” What is the brand’s purpose?”. The purpose is the core of your business. Not only do you want to look at it from the lens of what the business is trying to achieve but also look at it through the lens of potential customers – why does the brand exist?
What is the brand’s identity?
The next question you should ask to define your pillars: “What is the brand’s identity?”. When you think of identity, this is the how the personality of the company is seen by the public. This brings a human element to your brand and helps guide you in interacting with your audience. People connect with brands they can relate to, it’s an emotional decision – not just about products or services.
What is the brand’s perception?
The third question is closely related to the brand’s identity: “What is the brand’s perception?”. Perception is how your customers and target audience view your brand. For this one, you’ll want to evaluate how current customers perceive your company. If how you are currently perceived isn’t in alignment with how you’d like to be, then you need to make changes in your strategy to guide that perception. Or, if you a new company, then evaluate how you’d like to be perceived.
What are the brand’s differentiators?
The fourth question that should be asked to inform your pillars: “What does your brand offer that the competition does not?”. To answer this one, you’ll need to perform some competitive research and analysis to identify your unique value proposition. Being able to communicate those unique benefits which make your company stand out amongst the competition is key.
What is the brand experience?
The last question that helps shape your messaging pillars: “What is the experience that your customers have interacting with your company?”. Think through how you interact with your customers at each touchpoint. You’ll want to create a positive and memorable experience where you stand out from your competitors.
Putting your pillars to use
Now that you understand brand pillars and have the questions needed to define yours, there is only one last question to ask: “How do we use them?”. They should be documented and distributed so that everyone in your company knows them, lives them, and breathes them. These should be used to drive all marketing, communication, and any customer-facing interactions.
Brand pillars are extremely impactful to a brand’s success and help everyone in your company stay true to the brand’s vision. Curious for other ways to be impactful with your content marketing efforts? Ensure you have an effective content marketing strategy in place and make your cybersecurity marketing content matter.
