Is your content “on-brand”?

The importance of making brand the cornerstone of your marketing strategy.

In my last post, I outlined the Great Organic Traffic Debate of 2025 and the implications it had for online search behaviour.

This time, I want to talk about brand – and your ideal customer.

If there’s one thing the HubSpot debate reinforces, it’s this: your brand should be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. No matter how well-optimised or trendy your content is, if it’s not on-brand, it won’t deliver a lasting impact.

Let’s talk about the term on-brand. Early in my career, it used to make me roll my eyes. I thought it was just a throwaway line people used to shut down creative ideas they didn’t like. I didn’t understand what it really meant – or why it mattered. But over time, I’ve realised how powerful this question can be when it’s used correctly.

“On-brand” doesn’t just mean your logo is in the right corner or your tone of voice is “professional yet approachable.” It means every single piece of content you produce – whether it’s a TikTok or a long-form blog – embodies your brand’s purpose, vision and values. It’s about aligning everything you create with the identity you want your audience to associate with your business.

When your content isn’t on-brand, it doesn’t just fall flat – it confuses your audience. If you’ve ever felt like your marketing efforts aren’t landing, it might be time to ask: is my content truly on-brand? Or am I just chasing trends and keywords?

Start with your ideal customer profile (ICP)

How do you go about ensuring your content is on-brand? It starts with understanding who your content is for. This is where your ideal customer profile (ICP) comes in.

Your ICP (sometimes called an audience persona) defines the people most likely to benefit from your products or services. It’s tempting to think you should target everyone, but narrowing your focus allows you to connect more deeply with the right people.

That said, there’s an important balance to strike. Your content shouldn’t exclude people unnecessarily, but it should still be purposeful. The goal is to focus on shared values, not hyper-specific differences.

When aspiring ICPs make sense

What if your audience is naturally quite niche? This is where broadening your horizons and catering to aspiring ICPs can play a critical role. Over the years, I’ve worked with businesses that took this approach, creating content for audiences who weren’t a perfect fit yet – but might be one day. It’s a long game strategy: by providing value early, you position yourself as the go-to solution when they’re ready to buy.

This is the strategy that Mercedes-Benz uses – the brand claims they “market from birth”. It’s also what I believe HubSpot was doing with their top-of-funnel content. Much of their blog traffic was coming from topics that, at first glance, didn’t seem to directly connect to their products or services. But by creating content that aligned with the people who may one day become their ICPs, they nurtured long-term brand recognition and loyalty.

It’s a strategy that works because it builds familiarity and trust over time. When those audiences eventually fit the ICP mould, HubSpot is already top of mind.

Prioritising resources for maximum impact

Of course, not every business has HubSpot’s bandwidth. If your resources are limited, prioritisation is key. It’s better to make one big bet than ten smaller ones that don’t pay off. For most small businesses or startups, that big bet should be on creating quality content for your current ICP.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore aspiring ICPs entirely. But make sure it’s not at the expense of your core audience. Remember, great content isn’t just optimised for trends or keywords – it tells a story. It can help, inspire or entertain – and always built trust. And if it’s not aligned with your brand’s purpose, it won’t resonate – at least not with the right people.

About the author

With a decade of experience in marketing, Cass helps brands craft content that builds familiarity, credibility, and emotional pull – so when it’s time to buy, you’re already top of mind.

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