Brandscaping: Quickie Notes and Resources

Brandscaping- Unleashing the Power of Partnerships

By Andrew M. Davis

Introduction

KNOW THIS:

If you want people flocking to your products, you need to create a ton of amazing content for them.

DO THIS:

1. Leverage relationships with people/companies who share your same audience. Ex: a Beauty YouTuber creating looks from a popular movie. Fans of that movie will probably watch her videos.
2. Use the right media (video, audio, TV, print) for the right content at the right time.
3. Get really F-ing creative. "A big idea has the power to transform your business, even your industry."

Chapter One

KNOW THIS:

1. If you want to sell a bunch of shit, you need to focus on creating demand not awareness.
2. The more people buy your brandscape partners' product, the more they'll buy yours.

DO THIS:

1. Play the long game. Look for ways to increase the size of the market you're in.
2. Create content that creates more demand for the products/services you offer.
3. Dig up some dirt. What products/services are your customers buying before they need what you've got?
4. Try to partner with those companies.

"A rising tide lifts all ships"

Chapter Two

KNOW THIS:

1. “The right content, delivered on the right channel, at the right time, to the right people, can increase demand for whatever you sell.”
2. At the end of the day, your content has to actually sell your product.

DO THIS:

1. Create content your audience actually wants and needs.
2. Design that content around the reader/viewer not your product. Remember: it's not about you, it's about them.
3. Look for content your ideal audience is already into. Collab with those creators.
4. Make a list of the content your audience binges on daily. Figure out a way to piggy back on it.

Chapter Three

KNOW THIS:

1. "In today's web world, anyone can attract an audience."
2. Display ads are dead.

DO THIS:

1. Create content that drives demand for your product.
2. Create a content marriage vs. a one night stand. You should genuinely want the best for your brand partners.
3. Partner with authentic, successful creators who your audience is already in love with.
3. Stalk your peers (particularly the really successful ones). See how they engage their audience and understand the shit out of it so you're already on the same page when a collab is presented.

Chapter Four

KNOW THIS:

You need to play the long game for audience growth -- and use PR hits as the cherry on top.

DO THIS:

1. Listen to your audience (always!).
2. Use compelling stories to reach them on your channels (social, blog, etc.)
3. Get to know the journalists, bloggers & influencers in your space. Pay attention to the shit they're posting about; your audience is already into it.
4. Get your ass into groups and forums in your space. See what people are talking about and write about that.

Resources & Refs

HARO- reach journalists in your niche

Chapter Five

KNOW THIS:

If you want to succeed you have to be authentic and work with relatable people/brands.

DO THIS:

1. Find authentic people/brands to partner with that you actually already love. If the relationship is made up, people will see right through that shit.
2. Turn your company's founder and/or execs into branded personalities.
3. Start thinking like a talent agent. Try to team up with the "next big thing" in your industry.
4. Stalk your loyal followers. What are they writing about? Who's following them? Is there a hidden gem of content there that you could polish together?

Chapter Six

KNOW THIS:

There's already way too much content out there. Yours needs to be F-ing amazing and laser-focused to succeed.

DO THIS:

1. Find the most effective traction channels for your audience.
2. Get them used to regularly scheduled, relevant content (a daily vlog, weekly email, etc.).
3. Start building long-term relationships with quality customers through really F-ing great content that they actually want to consume.
4. Add value to your readers' lives.
5. Focus on one thing and do it better than anyone else.

Resources & Refs

The One Thing by Gary Keller

Chapter Seven

KNOW THIS:

The more focused your content is, the more successful you'll be.

DO THIS:

1. Meet your audiences expectations. If they follow your IG for workouts, give them workouts (duh).
2. Leverage the power of content subscription aka daily or weekly content they can count on.
3. Figure out exactly what you're going to send your audience -- and when.

Chapter Eight

KNOW THIS:

1. People aren't thinking about your product all day and they don't want to be pulled away from their IG feed to visit your website.

DO THIS:

1. Get in front of your audience where they are aka Facebook, IG or YouTube.
2. Help them realize they have a problem and that your product is the solution to it.
3. Create content around your solution to engage and educate them.
4. Use your website as the super brief, to-the-point destination that delivers that solution aka sells your product.

"The more you insert your brand into the world of your customers' everyday experience, the more relevant you become."

Chapter Nine

KNOW THIS:

Competition = opportunity.

They already have your audience, right? Why not collab vs. compete?

DO THIS:

1. Figure out who already has your audience.
2. Brainstorm ways to get your product in their hands.
3. Bring even more brands on board to create a virtual share-gy (too far?)

Chapter 10

KNOW THIS:

With the info-overload your customers see every day, you're better off piggy-backing with shit they're already consuming to get in front of them.

DO THIS:

1. Create a biz mashup aka pull resources from several brands and combine them into one kick ass product.
2. Try doing a joint video or webinar.
3. Partner with people/brands long term aka keep making content together, don't just do one collab.

To figure out who you should mash with...

1. Share content from people you're collab crushing on.
2. Tell them you shared it.
3. Use a trackable link or ask if they saw any traffic from your audience.
4. If they did, there's collab potential there.

Chapter 11

KNOW THIS:

Whoever you work and/or collab with reflects on your brand... choose wisely and treat them like mother F-ing gold.

DO THIS:

1. Elevate the people you work and/or collab with.
2. Leverage the audiences behind the people/brands who've embraced you.
3. Figure out ways to scale the reach of the people who are promoting your brand.

Chapter 12

KNOW THIS:

You need to stop trying to score a shout out and start looking for talent to team up with.

DO THIS:

1. Stalk YouTube, IG and Twitter for creators who align with your brand.
2. Understand what their goals are and do everything you can to push them forward.
3. Share their content with your followers.
4. Ask them how you can help them.

Chapter 13

KNOW THIS:

The best route to your customers is through brands they already trust.

DO THIS:

1. Seek partnerships that are already naturally occurring in the marketplace. Ex: moms buying strollers.
2. Team up with your competitors. Figure out ways you both can win.
3. Stalk your audience (as always). See what brands they're already wearing/buying. Collab with those brands.
4. Look at products like yours on Amazon. See what suggested products pop up and brainstorm ways to work with those brands.
5. Stalk the advertisers in the publications your audience reads. They might want to work with you, too.

Chapter 14

KNOW THIS:

“You watch television shows because the content is designed for you—not because the show was designed for the advertiser.”

DO THIS:

1. Treat your content like a product.
2. Think like a TV exec. Find a successful existing "format" in your niche and emulate it.
3. Figure out who's going to carry your content (talent, a brand you're collabing with, etc.).
4. Create a killer hook so its relevant and works for your audience.
5. Push boundaries. Do something that's worth it and repeatable.

Ask yourself...

If your content was a brand, what would it look like?

Chapter 15

KNOW THIS:

“If your content is good enough, branded well enough, and you can attract an audience, then it’s valuable content—content that magazines, digital publishers, television networks, and even radio stations will want to be a part of.”

DO THIS:

1. Shift from selling ad space to collaborating with those brands.
2. If you're paying for ad space, work on telling a story that drives demand for your product.
3. Cover issues/struggles your customer faces on a daily basis.
4. Get really F-ing targeted and less general.

Chapter 16

KNOW THIS:

You don't need a big, perfect production to catch attention; you just have to be good.

DO THIS:

1. Think of your content channels like a cable provider.
2. Use social media to create your own "channels" or "shows" for your company.
3. Start small on one channel.

Chapter 17

KNOW THIS:

1. “If your content is that valuable it becomes a revenue opportunity—an asset instead of an expense.”
2. Whatever you create is intellectual property.

DO THIS:

1. If the stuff you post isn’t valuable, quit now and start over.
2. Treat your content like an asset, not an expense.

Chapter 18

KNOW THIS:

1. “In the digital world, the value of your content is determined by the audience it garners on a regular basis.”
2. Views are cool, but subscribers are more valuable.
3. If you want people coming back for more, your content has to be good, served up often and relevant to the people you're trying to attract.

DO THIS:

1. Create some seriously kickass content.
2. Try interviewing people your audience is already obsessed with.
3. Rank the content your audience is into (1-10) based on frequency, quality and relevance to your brand.
4. Whatever piece of content ranks highest = the creator you need to be your new biz bestie.

"Delivering well-formatted content with consistent frequency builds relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust drives revenue." -Andrew M. Davis

Chapter 19

KNOW THIS:

“The format (not the content itself) is what an audience builds a relationship with—it’s what they get comfortable with.”

DO THIS:

1. Stick to the same general elements that keep your audience coming back.
2. Stick to a schedule. Daily, weekly, monthly... whatever.
3. Look at old content that did well. Figure out if it was the format or the content itself that made it work.
4. Try using the same format on different topics.
5. Keep tweaking until you find a winning combo (format, content, frequency).

Consistent format = Consistent audience

Chapter 20

KNOW THIS:

“Formats give your content structure—a hook gives it character.”

DO THIS:

1. Create a twist on a familiar concept or structure.
2. Make something people will talk about.
3. Dig deep to find your hook; it makes you stand out and it makes your content really hard to copy.
4. Brainstorm hook ideas with the people you're collabing with.

Chapter 21

KNOW THIS:

“Instead of contributing to information overload, your content must find its way into the content consumption habits of your target audience.”

DO THIS:

1. Build a relationship with your audience by delivering regularly scheduled content.
2. If your opt-out rate is too high, change your content or your audience, not the frequency.
3. Meet your audience where they are (iTunes, YouTube, inside Cosmo, etc.).
4. Stack your content aka keep creating complimentary content for the same audience so they'll stick around and binge watch/read/listen.

Resources & Refs

American Time Use Survey- find out what time of day is best to send your content

Chapter 22

KNOW THIS:

“The deeper you define your niche, the more relevant you’ll be—albeit to a smaller audience. But you’ll make a bigger impact.”

DO THIS:

1. Stalk your audience to see what their passions are.
2. Start with one niche at a time.
3. Find a brand or person you'd love to collab with and map out exactly how you can integrate both audiences from the first view all the way to checkout.
4. Dig deep into your niche's current content creators; figure out what their needs are.

Chapter 23

KNOW THIS:

“One piece of content can increase demand for a product or product category—it can happen any time, in any market. ”

DO THIS:

1. Turn your audiences passions into a movement.
2. “Offer your resources, support, and advice when you identify a trend, movement, or a passion point.”
3. Stalk your customers. Why did they click "purchase?"
4. Figure out what you can do to support the people who talk about your product.
5. “Stop putting your product first and start putting the passions and motivations of your audience first.”
6. Tap a trend and support a movement that drives demand for your product.
7. While you're scrolling through IG, start picking up on trends with what your audience is saying and/or engaging with.

Chapter 24

KNOW THIS:

“If you can’t find a content hole, you either don’t understand your customers, or you haven’t dug deep enough into their content consumption habits.”

DO THIS:

1. Niche the F down.
2. Make sure your content "speaks to" your audience.
3. Use fractal marketing to narrow your niche.
4. Stalk your industry's magazines. What topics aren't covered enough? What were readers into in the past? “What if you took the reigns and started delivering that content, with a talented persona attached, more frequently? And what if that content helped your audience grow their business?”
5. If you find any offbeat ideas in your research, jot them down. They just might be "the thing" that works.

Chapter 25

KNOW THIS:

“Understanding what and who influences your chosen audience will give you more practical insight into how the community works.”

How the pyramid works:

1. You and/or your company is the top.
2. Digital influencers are the second tier. They have their own platforms, their followers are obsessed with their content and they're using your product.
3. Prosumers are the next tier. They're writing reviews of your product and everyone looks to them for the next big thing.
4. Consumers aka your target audience are at the bottom.

ALSO KNOW THIS:

1. Influencers lead.
2. Prosumers seed.
3. Consumers read.

DO THIS:

1. Brandscape with digital influencers. Prosumers will start to spread the word and create momentum for you.
2. Leverage your resources to create a mutually beneficial partnership with those influencers from #1.

Chapter 26

KNOW THIS:

“If you’re going to successfully brandscape, your core values must be consumer-focused—not product-focused.”

DO THIS:

1. Draft a killer core value statement. Explain who, what and why others will align with you.
2. Provide your consumers with something no one else can.
3. Your value statement should be 1) unique, 2) consumer-focused, and 3) reflected in every F-ing thing you do.
4. “Constantly ask yourself and your team why you do what you do."
5. Make sure you understand what your statement isn't just as much as what it is.
6. Figure out why your followers/customers think your company is unique and run with that.
7. Stalk your peers. What's unique about them? Their values should help you see what's different about you/your company.
8. Stalk what people are saying about you on social.
9. Make sure your value statement is short and to the point. Simple is always best.

Chapter 27

KNOW THIS:

“Underwriting is a true partnership between a content brand (or creator/influencer) and a company that believes in the value of the content being created.”

DO THIS:

1. Don't try to be a media company.
2. Stop trying to create content yourself and start partnering with creators who are already doing it.
3. Build genuine, long-term relationships with content creators in your niche.
4. Become a brandscaper, not a publisher.
5. Underwrite stellar content vs. running ads or sponsoring posts.
6. Reach out to influencers in your space/area and see what you can do to help them make better content.

AVOID THIS:

1. Calls to action
2. Price or value information
3. Superlative descriptions or qualitative claims
4. Direct comparisons with other companies, their products, or services
5. Inducements to purchase (like a promotion)
6. Endorsements

Ask yourself...

1. Who shares the same values as your brand?
2. Who has the most powerful prosumer audience?
3. Which brands are closest to defining the need for your products?

“You don’t need anymore one-night stands; you need a series of marketing marriages designed to increase demand for whatever you sell.”

Conclusion: Start Small, Think Big

KNOW THIS:

“All you need is a partner with an email distribution list, a Facebook fan page, or a bunch of followers on Twitter or YouTube.”

DO THIS:

1. “Sit down with people in your organization so you can uncover the intellectual capital that they have about your business, your customers, your partners, and even your vendors.”
2. Start leveraging your audience as a marketing asset.

Quickie recap:

• The more you embrace fractal marketing, the more opportunities you’ll find.
• Surf the web like Galileo, and the less you’ll feel like Ptolemy.
• Question every ad exec, media partner, and PR person.
• Stop contributing to information overload.
• Value quality over quantity.
• Embrace everyone’s audience and their existing brandscapes.
• Look for talent and keep searching for the next big thing.
• Build a content brand instead of creating branded content.
• Start with Twitter, but dream of TV.
• Treat your content as an asset.
• Build a format and create a hook.
• Start a movement…tap into a trend.
• Find the content holes.
• Embrace the influencers, listen to the prosumers, and reach the consumers.
• Focus on your core values.
• Don’t try to do everything at once.
• Don’t try to be everything to everyone.
• Pick one audience.
• Find brandscape partners whose values align with yours.
• Build one success story.
• Then start again.
• Be a brandscaper.

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