Shine On You Crazy Diamond: How to Build Brand Awareness through Personality-Driven Content

Eithne MacSweeny

Getting your digital agency noticed online is a battlefield rife with fierce competition.

But you’ve got enough drive to set up your own agency! So you’re not about to let a challenge send you into a tearful spiral and threaten to pack it all in and relocate to a remote island with no internet signal. (For longer than the 5 minutes of despairing that you’ll allow yourself, that is.)

There are ways forward and proven methods for increasing brand awareness online through your content.

There’s plenty to be learned about marketing your business from your peers who are doing it right. But that doesn’t mean that you have to become the Elvis impersonator version of those who have reached major success just to achieve your own, thank you very much.

In fact, trying to emulate someone else’s brand personality to piggyback off their success brings a certain Eau de Desperation to the table that absolutely no one ordered.

Well, then – what should you do?

While it might not be the answer for everyone, why not try creating content that is a little out there, deviates from the norm, and has that little je ne sais quoi you’ve always wanted for your brand? *Chimes sounding like a magical reveal in a children’s TV show*

Should you worry about scaring off your target audience with quirky content?

You’re as captivating as Meryl Streep in literally any role. And yet, when it comes to marketing yourself and your digital agency online, you tend more towards the part of the featured extra who asks to take her haute couture coat.

Now listen, we’ve all gotta start somewhere, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But why not explode onto the scene instead of a sheepish suggestion of an entrance?

You’re worried that if you really lean into your true self, you might scare off a few potential clients.

You won’t … but even if you did, is that really such a bad thing?

The cost of a bad-fit client may be far more significant than you realise.

Sure, you’ve secured yourself a client – which, on paper, is a great thing.

But if you aren’t a good match, you’ll waste so much of your valuable time and resources trying to please them – even though they’re realistically never going to be happy with your efforts anyway.

This will impact your ability to be present for and look after your other clients, too. And if you can’t give them the best version of your services due to bad-fit-client-burnout, you might really damage those working relationships.

When you take a step back from it all, it just makes sense to attract the kind of clients that align with your values, doesn’t it?

It’s the surest way to set your agency up for a sustainable future! And we love sustainability!

How writing with personality helps increase brand awareness

You’re not going to be the perfect fit for everyone. So stop trying to be.

I feel for you if your inner people pleaser is triggered – mine certainly is! But you’ve got to trust us on this one.

If you’re in an industry that leaves space for personality-driven content, writing content with a bit of an edge can actually benefit your digital agency in many more ways than playing it safe.

Let’s explore, shall we?

1. Humanises your brand

These days, some digital agencies are enlisting the help of AI to write their content for them.

And while the thought of having your own little R2-D2 content creator is thoroughly adorable, that’s not exactly how it works.

AI-generated content may offer a means to an end for companies working with zero budget; but, it simply doesn’t have the same impact as material written by real writers who understand the human experience.

You don’t need to be seen at countless local events shaking hands and kissing babies to humanise your brand.

When you write quality content with a little flair, your content is instantly recognisable as human, acting as social proof for potential clients and making it easier for them to trust you.

2. Makes you stand out

While vanilla may be the modest champion of ice cream flavours, it’s not something you want to be when marketing yourself online.

You’re a real one-of-a-kind, darling. So why let yourself fade into the background?

Drenching your content in your unique personality will help catch and hold your audience’s attention and will boost brand recognition, too.

It also leaves space for compelling storytelling, an extremely powerful copywriting tool.

3. Increases engagement

A whopping 80% of marketers have found funny content to be the most successful way to increase engagement.

Think about it from your perspective. You’re scrolling through what feels like tens of thousands of unoriginal social media posts. Suddenly, you’re met with a talking parrot doing influencer marketing for your competitors, rattling off their latest offerings while riding a unicycle and wearing those glasses with the nose and furry eyebrows attached.

Ok, maybe not the best example. (And it certainly says a lot about my Instagram algorithm.)

But isn’t it more likely that an incredibly creative and entertaining piece of content is going to be the one that draws you in?

Creating personality-driven content that reflects your brand personality is a highly effective way to grow your social media following, as it encourages your target audience to engage and interact with your brand.

4. Helps generate leads

Online algorithms can either be a blessing or a curse – it just depends on how you choose to view and respond to them.

The more you stand out online and people engage with your content, the easier it is for people to discover you online.

Whether you’ve got a post going viral on social media, a blog post with a high click-through rate shooting you up the ranks on search engines, or a piece of video content getting shared by the masses your agency is getting exposed to new audiences and valuable opportunities as a result.

Leaning into personality-driven content will increase organic traffic to your website and help grow brand awareness faster than you flee your desk when you hear there’s free pizza in the office.

How to let your unique brand personality shine in your content

When you don’t even know who you are before you’ve had your morning coffee, how are you supposed to infuse personality into your content in a way that reflects your brand identity and connects with your target market?

Honestly, it’s not as hard as you’d think.

1. Develop a clear brand personality

Before you can write in a distinct voice, you’ve got to create and refine your unique brand personality.

This will help you understand who you are as a brand, your values, and how you want to communicate your message.

From here, you can define your unique brand voice and start to infuse your content with the fun and flair that make you who you are!

2. Know your audience

While writing with personality can be super fun and gratifying on a personal level, you’ve got to consider and understand your target audience before you go off on a moderately demented tangent that only you will find amusing. (Guilty as charged right here!)

Think about the headspace of your audience and potential customers as they search for your products or services online.

Appeal to their emotions and their needs when creating content, and add a splash of humour or entertainment when it enhances your messaging. Bear this in mind when setting up referral programs, too!

3. Be authentic and consistent

86% of consumers are influenced by authenticity when choosing what brands to support.

These days, internet users are extremely media literate. Meaning if you’re going to make an attempt at connecting to an audience by jumping on a bandwagon for clout, they’re going to sniff it out. (Unintentional but very welcome rhyming!)

Always be faithful to your brand values and consistently stay true to who you are, no matter what.

You’re an agency owner, not Stretch Armstrong. So don’t bend yourself backwards just to fit in with a current trend – because it’s just going to wind up backfiring in your face. (Like Stretch Armstrong’s hand almost taking the eye out of small children around the world.)

Need a little help crafting engaging content for your digital agency?

As icon Marilyn Monroe said, “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

And we’re all about expertly written content that’s fun to read and is – above all – totally and utterly original!

Whether you need content for PPC advertising, social advertising, LinkedIn publishing, guest posting on other sites, or remarketing campaigns – make sure you stand out from the crowd with personality-driven content!

Ready to finally start creating content that reflects your true brand personality so you can boost your brand awareness and expand your client base?

Get in touch today, and our team of weird and wonderful copywriters can bring your content vision to life!

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