Channeling Success
Rachel Roberts Mattox
Beauty Brand Developer | Go To Market Strategist | Brand & Marketing Advisor | Founding Member of THE BOARD
If you've been following my GTM Playbook series over the past few months, you’ve probably noticed the structure that’s guiding the process.
I call it The 6 C's framework. It’s not the most inventive name—I might rebrand it someday—but for now, it’s straightforward, memorable, and gets the job done.
We began with Culture, taking a macro view of current cultural norms and narratives to explore where your brand fits within them. I outlined the dynamics of mainstream culture, subcultures, and countercultures, and how to identify the space your brand belongs in.
This led us to Community, the second C. Your Community Strategy pinpoints the groups driving the cultural narratives your brand aligns with. These are your people. Unlike consumer personas (which I address during the Brand Strategy phase), this is an actionable plan to engage with individuals who share your brand’s values, beliefs, desires, goals, tastes, and preferences.
Once you are clear on where your brand fits into the cultural zeitgeist and the communities it resonates with, the next step is to decide what you want to say and how to say it in a way that is ownable and unforgettable. This is your Content Strategy. Today, it's not enough to churn out content just to feed the beast. Brands that break through often break the rules. I explore this, and four other ways to avoid soulless content, in this piece.
As we move through each C, the funnel narrows from macro to micro, and the GTM Playbook becomes increasingly tactical. The fourth C is Channel Strategy. In my experience, this is the stage that can leave brand owners feeling overwhelmed. I get it. The sheer number of channels a brand must master to consistently show up, break through, build awareness, and drive sales can feel daunting. Plus, there are more channels than ever, with new ones emerging daily. Just for fun, let's look at a few of the most common ones:
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This is a lot. Too much for a pre-market, startup or early stage business. Even large companies with massive budgets struggle to consistently manage and cohesively integrate their message across all channels.
But I have some good news. After over a decade of working with founders to develop their brands and bring them to market, I've discovered that when it comes to Channel Strategies, simpler is better, less is more, and trying to do too much too soon is the quickest way to fail.
Become a paid subscriber to The Soul Of Brand to read the rest, including 10 ways to simplify the complexity of your Channel Strategy.
I ghostwrite Educational Email Courses for entrepreneurs with business schools and mentorship programs. Helped clients achieve 10x email captures and over 60% open rates.
2wEven if a company uses only one channel, with the right content strategy, communication, and buy-in, content can truly empower an entire organization. Sales teams can leverage it to close deals, customer success teams can use it to boost engagement, and product teams can rely on it to educate potential customers.