This past weekend, my husband and I had the great pleasure of attending the retirement party of a very good friend of ours in Toronto, Canada. The Travel Gods were kind, offering an easy flight to and from Philadelphia. We had an eventful, fun-packed weekend and enjoyed some much-needed downtime.
During the party, I, the camera-wielding nightmare of my family, sought to capture the night with some photos. The man of the hour loathes being the center of attention almost as much as he hates “posed” photos. I ignored his protests and began choreographing some group photos to commemorate the momentous occasion. I got some great shots then, including one photo of all 4 generations of the men in their family.
As the night continued, and the cocktails flowed, (and people stopped letting me bully them) I gave up on the orderly pics and shifted to candid photos.
Stay with me, this is the revelation.
Your Brand’s WHY Factor
Everyone began their natural interactions in the beautiful way that a group of people who live and play together often do so well. And I began to see the Moments, not the pictures. I noted small but meaningful interactions, charged by the uniqueness of each relationship the lens captured. And it was astounding.
When we reviewed the pics over breakfast the next day, while everyone loved the posed photos for “who and what” they showed, it was the Moments that drew the best reactions.
Moments are about the WHY.
These images were not perfectly posed. The lighting wasn’t always exactly right. But the genuine feelings, and LIFE, the meaning, screamed from each view.
So, what’s the revelation?
As we parsed through the pics, the eye behind the camera, and the importance of that perspective, my perspective, became the resounding theme. My friends were ecstatic, and I was reminded that MY unique part in the creative process mattered.
I dialed into the WHY story of my target audience with my eye, making it both human and poignantly personal, and it hit home – in a big way.
As a content marketer and business owner, even I had to be reminded that I was a driving factor behind the voice of my work. My unique eye and perspective were as important a factor in the result as my audience’s needs were.
Break the Canned-Content Cycle, and Find Your Brand Voice
When we focus on producing high volumes of content, we often lose sight of our WHY. We lose our unique eye, which resonates less and decreases returns. This goes for small business owners and “lean” marketing teams as well. Bandwidth struggles turn content into a necessary evil instead of a chance for a unique creative expression of your offering.
Revelation #1: It is important to check in on your company’s WHY. Put a pause on the content churn to check in on your CEO’s vision, talk to your team about what your potential buyer needs, and shift the focus of your lens to the MOMENTS your audience finds themselves in when they look for offerings like yours, and build your messaging and campaigns around lens.
Focus on your EYE, blend that with your “WHY” of starting or joining your company, and what you want to do FOR your prospective clients. Then, apply that unique lens to your content creation across all channels. Your brand voice becomes a unique sound in the space, not more white noise built from buzzwords and jargon.
You’ll see the results in the caliber of clients you attract. I guarantee it.
