Why content-driven branding is the real fix for zero-click traffic loss

Digital marketing has, in many ways, come full circle to the pre-internet era when brand awareness and revenue defined success. Traffic and clicks still matter, but they’re only part of the picture now. In a recent interview, Rand Fishkin said the cure for traffic loss driven by search, AI and other zero-click levers is stronger branding:

“Brand marketing is where it’s at. How do you build a brand that’s memorable, emotionally resonant, that triggers something in people? A brand that sits and sticks in someone’s mind and becomes associated with the problem you solve — and with your unique solution.”

Branding goes beyond logos and color choices. It should infuse every touchpoint with the customer from awareness through customer service — including zero-click touchpoints that you can’t track with traditional analytics. Here’s how to do that. 

What is branding through content?

Branding through content is the practice of aligning all written, spoken and visual communications with your brand’s personality. That includes website copy, blog posts, articles, webinars and marketing materials plus newsletters, podcasts and videos.

It also shows up in app copy and alerts, customer support documentation and emails, social posts and replies and even trade publication handouts, conversations and presentations. You get the idea — your brand personality should shape every client-facing touchpoint.

For a long time, I assumed branding had little to do with me. Designers handled the logos, colors, stock photos and all the pixel-level details — the parts that felt like their domain. But after working closely with an art director on strategic decisions, my view shifted.

Dig deeper: If it tells the right story, brand fuels demand

Branding today must go beyond visual design to stay competitive. Leading companies curate, maintain and evolve their brands through every available channel — including the written word.

Let’s do a quick gut check. Grab your company’s style guide, skip past the visual rules and look at the written section. Answer these questions:

• Does your guide include a tone statement — something like “our writing is professional and friendly” or “helpful and informative”?
• Does your recent content match that tone?
• Do your recent topics stray from that statement?

If your answers were yes, yes and no, you’re on track. Go grab a cup of coffee. If not, stick with me.

Beyond the style guide: Brand building through content

If you don’t have a tone statement (or a brand guide) or your content deviates from those statements in tone or topic, double-check your content plan — or write one that serves your brand. Use these three points as guideposts to help you on your way.

Personality 

Your company’s story, the why behind everything you do, should inform the company’s personality in all contexts. That doesn’t mean you force a personality into your writing, but rather carry a thread of who you are through everything you do. From the words you choose to use to the trends you engage with, include the company’s personality.

Signal your personality through the details: the stories you choose to highlight, the details you feature, the experts you quote. This includes the standard list of words or phrases you choose to use or exclude from your copy.

Content choices: What you do and do not publish

Building a content calendar that works for your brand requires effort, but it’s not over once that calendar is published. You have to reinforce the brand with every content choice. That means saying no to the posts that don’t make sense with your brand, even if they could get you a short-term boost from impressions or social clicks. 

Dig deeper: How to scale content without losing your brand voice

That said, companies can get creative with trends or seasonal changes that fit their personality. There’s a reason food banks and non-profits hold donation campaigns around the end of the year, and no, it’s not because of tax deductions. 

The end of the calendar year often aligns with a season of giving message that fits their brand personality. Successful trend and seasonality campaigns start where the brand’s personality and the trend meet, not when you force the brand to fit the trend.

Customer commitments 

Your brand identity makes commitments to the customer and the customer then has expectations for your brand in return. If you bill yourself as The Happy Plumber, customers will react negatively if they encounter grumpy employees. Your logo, website, color scheme and written content all make promises that your company should keep.

Successfully branded companies make those brand promises with intention by finding their story and sticking to it with every customer communication. Building an intentional brand can feel like a lot of work, but finding the story that drives your company and your brand can make that easy.

Find your story, then build your brand

All too often, the company’s story, personality and reason for doing business boils down to not much more than “We want to make money.” And that’s a valid reason for running a business, but it’s not a compelling reason to work with your brand.

Your founder’s story of growing his business from a mall kiosk to a small warehouse doesn’t inspire most customers, and considering how many small companies start, it’s not even all that inspiring. Instead of attempting to elevate the founder to business demi-god status, consider the story that keeps employees and customers coming back. 

• What value does the business provide?
• What makes the business unique in its space?
• What story does that tell about the company? 

Find that story and build marketing content around it to make the difference between just another company and a brand that deserves customer loyalty.

Dig deeper: How AI reads your brand and why meaning matters most

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