Building a Useful Brand: Leveraging Content Marketing to Boost Market Differentiation

In today’s hyper-competitive markets, the most successful brands aren’t just the ones with the best products or the most recognizable logos — they are the ones that truly serve a purpose in their customers’ lives. These are the brands that go beyond mere transactions, offering value, solving problems, and consistently delivering experiences that resonate. This is what it means to be a “useful brand.”

And being useful makes you different if you do it well.

It is not only about having a different product from your competitors. Product differentiation is important. This article is about how your brand is differentiated from the other players in the market.

It becomes part of your business strategy.

As consumers become more discerning and demanding, brands must find new ways to stand out and remain relevant. Content marketing and branded content have emerged as powerful tools in this effort, enabling brands to engage with their audiences in meaningful ways. By providing valuable information, insights, and entertainment, brands can build stronger connections and reinforce their usefulness in the market.

But how does being useful translate into a more effective branding strategy? And what role does mental availability play in ensuring that a brand remains top-of-mind when customers are making purchasing decisions

In this post, we’ll delve into what it means to be a useful brand, and how content marketing and branded content can be strategically deployed to build that positioning. We’ll also connect these ideas with Byron Sharpe’s model of mental availability, showing how a brand’s usefulness can increase its visibility and salience in the minds of consumers.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your brand’s presence in the market or simply curious about the interplay between content marketing and branding, this post will provide you with actionable insights and strategies to help your brand become more useful—and more memorable—in the eyes of your audience.

What is a useful brand?

A “useful brand” is one that transcends the traditional product or service offering by delivering value in a way that genuinely enhances the lives of its target customers. This concept goes beyond utility; it’s about being an indispensable part of the customer’s daily life or decision-making process. A useful brand is one that customers turn to not just for the product itself, but for the knowledge, expertise, and support that come with it.

As Michael Brenner, founder of Marketing Insider Group, puts it: “It’s not about what you sell, it’s about what you know.”

Defining usefulness in branding

To define what it means for a brand to be useful, consider the following attributes, what “being useful” brings to the table:

• Problem-solving: A useful brand addresses real pain points or challenges faced by its customers. Whether it’s through the product itself or the content and support provided, the brand consistently offers solutions that make life easier for its audience.
• Educational value: Useful brands empower their customers by providing them with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions. This could be through educational content, tutorials, or even industry insights that help ideal customers stay ahead of the curve.
• Convenience: A useful brand makes the customer’s life easier by streamlining processes, offering easy access to information, or simplifying complex tasks. This convenience fosters loyalty, as customers come to rely on the brand for making their lives more manageable.
• Emotional connection: Beyond functional value, a useful brand often creates an emotional connection with its audience. By understanding and aligning with the values and aspirations of its customers, the brand becomes a trusted companion in their journey.