The importance of aligning your content with your values and beliefs. What does that look like?
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The importance of aligning your content with your values and beliefs. What does that look like?
Understand your purpose, and why are you doing what you’re doing. Have a strategy, a content philosophy that aligns to your personal brand, and follow your course.
G’day, my name is Trevor Young and this is my newsletter about positioning ourselves to take advantage of the opportunities that come with being an active participant in today’s ‘Reputation Economy’. You can subscribe by clicking on this button:
When it comes to creating content to build your personal brand and grow your sphere of influence, it’s pretty easy to just churn out a lot of stuff.
But unless that stuff aligns with your purpose and broader goals and objectives, you could be wasting valuable time and effort.
(And of course, when producing content, you also need to have your audience in mind too, but that’s a given, and a topic for another day).
For today’s article, let’s just stick with the bigger picture.
Firstly, it’s of enormous benefit to understand what it is you stand for, both personally and professionally.
I believe this is foundational to building a personal brand that’s authentic and true to oneself, and will pay dividends for you down the track, both internally (i.e. planning and decision making) as well as externally (consistent messaging and communications).
Once you’re clear on who you are and what you’re all about, then the challenge is to ensure anything you do from a content perspective is aligned with those personal brand values, core beliefs and philosophy.
What does ‘values-content alignment’ look like?
This aspect of personal branding can sound a little ‘woo-woo’, so let me try and bring it to life by way of some scenarios, or examples, of values-content alignment in action:
IF building trust and reputation is important for your brand, don’t fall for clickbait headlines or get sucker-punched into creating a ‘viral video’ that might get views but do little for your brand.
IF you value the power of story, commit to telling your story - as well as other people’s - through your content.
IF you believe in transparency in business and communications, create content that takes people ‘behind the velvet rope’ of your company (or projects, or professional life).
IF reinforcing a thought leadership positioning in the marketplace is paramount for your brand and your business, avoid publishing turgid listicles or creating content that simply ‘pumps your tyres’; instead, become part of a bigger picture – develop a point of view, put your ideas and insights out there and be ready to join in the debate on social channels.
IF being useful and helpful for people is high on your agenda, then go deeper on relevant topics than anyone else, and don’t forget to make sure this ethos carries through everything you do on social media (and in person, at events for example).
IF building and cultivating an engaged audience is important to you, avoid spamming your subscribers with too many over-the-top sales pitch emails.
IF you value authenticity in business, get our people out from the shadows of the cubicle farm; use social media and online publishing platforms to shine the light on them (particularly if, like you, they’re experts with a bank of knowledge that will help your customers with their challenges and needs, relevant to your business and expertise).
IF contributing value to the world is something you hold dear, give yourself permission to tell bigger stories, to build deeper connection with those in your ‘digital neighbourhood’, versus always be chasing more clicks and views with your content.
IF you employ people and they are genuinely passionate about your business and their role in it, let this shine through your content – let’s see the virtual sparkle in their eyes!
But most of all, don’t let yourself become derailed.
Understand your purpose, and why are you doing what you’re doing. Have a strategy, a content philosophy that aligns to your brand, and follow your course.
Onwards!
👇
I’ll shortly be launching the Credible Authority Academy, through which I will be teaching, guiding and supporting genuine leaders, entrepreneurs and experts to become influential thought-leading voices in their industry.
If you'd like to a heads-up as to when the Academy launches, please register here and I shall keep you posted. No obligation, of course 👊
Thanks!
Trevor