Edition 46.

Spring forwarded me into a pile of pollen 🤧 Reporting this week with the sniffles but bringing the brand news without missing a beat.

Let’s go!

5 bite-sized brand insights to elevate, inform, or inspire your brand this week:

1️⃣ An influencer in *every* zip code.

Global brand behemoth Unilever has a new CEO who plans to increase spending on social media influencers—down to the zip code. In a fireside chat last week, CEO Fernando Fernandez expressed his plans to increase spending on social media platforms from 30% to 50% of the total advertising budget. He added that India has 19,000 zip codes, while Brazil has 5,764 municipalities—Fernandez wants one influencer in each of them. (Source)

On a smaller scale, consider working with creators in regions where most of your customer base is—or diversifying if your product or service is national. An agency like Hummingbirds helps pair brands with small, hyperlocal creators in the Midwest, and most UGC search platforms show you the city and state each creator is based in before you hire them.

2️⃣ VCs bet big on creators.

The days of pitching products and services in Shark Tank may be a thing of the past, as forward-thinking VCs are now eyeing and investing in the talent themselves: the creator.

“It’s community first, vertical first, and then you launch products and services on top of that,” says Megan Lightcap, partner at Slow Creator, a San Francisco-based venture capital fund leading the way with its first fund dedicated to helping content creators kickstart their businesses. It’s the “inversion of business-building.” (Source)

You’re probably subscribed to The Brand Bloc because you’re building your brand. But never forget the you in the formula of said brand. You can be an investable asset, too.

3️⃣ Clean (messaging) house.

Spring cleaning isn’t just for your house-house. If your brand messaging needs tidying this season, consider spending one weekend creating (or redefining) your well-defined messaging house.

This incredible, simple, and straightforward framework ensures your brand messages are consistent and aligned with your vision.

4️⃣ Your SEO staycation.

An SEO-optimized article targeting the keyword “staycation ideas” drove the most organic search traffic to Spoken Flames this week, and a recent article targeting the keyword “nightstand decor ideas” is already ranking in the top 10 in Google SERP.

While you’re spring-cleaning your messaging house, consider your SEO strategy, too. I outline all my SEO secrets.

What keywords relevant to your brand could drive organic traffic on autopilot?

Remember, social media channels are search engines, too. Repurpose your text as posts and captions on social.

I almost forgot! Scab vs. scar from last week.

Here’s what I learned (credit to The Amy Porterfield Show; What No One Tells You About Chasing Your First Million)—

5️⃣ Scab vs. scar—

A framework for setting boundaries that empower both our audience and customers.

From this week’s bite-sized insights, we’re seeing the heavy investment brands (and even VCs) are making in people (creators, influencers, etc.).

People trust people. Not brands, per se.

So, showing our human side as brand founders, operators, and builders is welcome.

The good and the bad.

But!

As leaders, it’s important not to overshare business wounds that haven’t fully healed—the scar.

There’s value in the scab—the damage was done, the lesson learned, and now we can guide and empower our audience with clarity.

But when the scar is still fresh, the trauma is unprocessed, and we risk oversharing or doing a disservice to our customers by speaking before we’ve fully internalized the lesson.

Use this as a mental guide when planning your messaging, brand, and content strategy this spring. 🌸

See you next Sunday!

P.S. If you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, please forward it to a friend!