For a long time, content planning felt to me like something I should be better at.
I had content pillars, lists of ideas, spreadsheets and plenty of things I could talk about, but I still found myself staring at a blank screen thinking, “What on earth am I going to post this week?”
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have enough ideas. If anything, I had too many.
The problem was that I didn’t feel 100% sure what I wanted Studio Lago Design to stand for.
So recently, I’ve been going back to my brand foundations and properly revisiting the strategy behind Studio Lago Design and it has completely changed the way I’m creating content.
Why your brand foundations matter for content strategy
When you know what your brand stands for, content becomes much easier to create. Instead of asking, “What should I post today?”, I can ask:
“What do I have to say about the things I care about?”
That is a much better question.
I’ve clarified my positioning, ideal clients, problems I solve, brand values and Anti-Beige philosophy. I’ve also been developing the wider Studio Lago Design world and thinking much more deeply about what makes my approach different.
Suddenly, all those ideas that had been floating around in my head have somewhere to go.
I stopped trying to manufacture content
One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is that I’m not really planning my content weeks in advance at the moment, and I think that’s a good thing.
I’m still working with my four marketing pillars:
Serve, connect, show services. action.
But within those, I’m allowing myself to follow the ideas that are coming up naturally as I work through my own brand.
I’ve been writing about Anti-Beige branding, brand worlds, creativity, visual identity, cake, curiosity and the things I’ve been learning while refreshing Studio Lago Design itself. You’ll know what i mean when I say cake, soon enough!
It doesn’t feel like I’m desperately trying to find something to post. It feels like I have something to say.
The difference between relevant content and “meh” content
I think this is where I was getting stuck before. Some of my content was perfectly relevant to branding. It was useful. It was technically “on strategy”.
But it didn’t always feel like me.
And I think there’s a big difference between content that is relevant to your business and content that is recognisably yours.
Your audience can feel that difference too.
The latter has a point of view. It sounds like you. It connects back to the things you genuinely care about. It gives people a reason to remember you, rather than simply consuming another useful branding tip.
That’s exactly what I mean by Anti-Beige content. It doesn’t mean every post needs to be outrageous or wildly creative. It means your content shouldn’t be interchangeable with someone else’s.
How revisiting my brand strategy changed my content
Going back to my foundations has given me a much, much clearer creative filter. My values of Curiosity, Clarity and Flavour give me endless places to explore.
My Anti-Beige philosophy gives me a point of view.
My Studio Lago Design World gives me inspiration.
My Brand Bakery gives me a way to talk about strategy and creativity in a language that feels distinctly mine.
And my ideal clients give me someone specific to talk to.
Suddenly, content ideas aren’t something I have to manufacture. They’re everywhere!
A museum visit can become a post about brand inspiration. A cake can become a lesson in memorable experiences. A client project can become a story about strategy. Something I’m struggling with in my own business can become an honest lesson for someone else.
Your brand strategy can become your content strategy
If your content has started to feel repetitive, forced or a bit “meh”, perhaps you don’t need another 30-day content plan.
Perhaps you need to revisit your foundations.
Get really clear on what you believe, what makes your approach different, who you’re talking to and what you want people to remember about you.
When your brand strategy is clear, content stops feeling like another job on your to-do list. You start noticing ideas everywhere. And, most importantly, they start sounding like you.
Want to make your brand more memorable?
If your brand is feeling a bit beige, unclear or disconnected from the business you’ve become, my free Anti-Beige Brand Guide will help you start uncovering what makes your business different and turn those differences into a brand people actually remember.
