There’s a buzzword that’s been going around the digital-marketing realm for quite some time now and it’s “lifestyle.” You might have heard of it and wondered what exactly it means. Thankfully, it’s not too difficult to understand! It’s also a powerful tool that you can use to leverage your own marketing efforts.
Lifestyle content defined
Simply put, “Lifestyle” marketing is a content category used as a branding tool by businesses to evoke the feel of their brand. Instead of showcasing products, services, or industry-related content on social media, businesses share lighter, more conceptual posts that shape the way audiences think about their brand.
Take Target, for example. Target does an amazing job at crafting up lifestyle posts that are true to their branding,
This post is not promotional or even informational in nature. It is, however, a post that has generated an immense amount of engagement (over 40k likes and nearly 500 comments!). The “feel” of Target’s brand can be described as home-y, genuine, lighthearted, and friendly. What evokes that tone better than a photo of a cute dog snuggled up in bed?
So… what’s the point of lifestyle content?
As mentioned earlier, lifestyle content helps shape a company’s brand image. It’s a lightened-up alternative to promotional content. It gives Instagram feeds a break from a business’s sales-related content, providing audiences an opportunity to really connect with a brand and discover what it’s all about. Instead of seeming like a corporate machine, brands are able to make themselves more relatable.
Now take a moment to compare Target’s lifestyle post with this lifestyle post from whey’d, a protein powder brand.
Both posts aren’t promotional in nature and don’t speak to specific products. In contrast to Target’s cute, cuddly photo, the one below evokes notions of strength, power, and athleticism… all core elements to the protein powder’s branding. Although both pictures couldn’t be further apart in terms of their vibe, they both accomplish the same goal: Building their brand’s lifestyle appeal.
Lifestyle content isn’t just filler content. It’s an effective tool in personifying a brand and connecting with current or potential customers.
How can I use lifestyle content to establish my branding?
First, you have to know who and what your brand is. If you’re a lighthearted brand, like Target, stick to fun and endearing content. If you’re a more intense brand, like whey’d, stay with more inspiring and motivating content. You can take your own images to share, or use websites that provide free for commercial use images, such as Unsplash. Purchasing photos from a service such as iStock will give you even more options to choose from so that you can share content that is really true to your brand.
Although this post has focused on lifestyle branding in a social media setting, lifestyle content can be used everywhere, such as in email blasts or social stories. Anywhere that you’d like to share the essence to your brand is a good place to utilize lifestyle content.
Now that you know what all the hype is about surrounding lifestyle content, you’re ready to get out there and start utilizing it to your own benefit. Have fun and get creative with it!
Once you start to gain traction with the type of posts that best represent who you are as a brand, you’ll be connecting with customers on a whole new level.
What sort of social media posts get the most traction for your business? Let us know in the comments.
