tomevault-io Marketing & Brand
Core Principle
Spend 20% of your time creating and 80% distributing. The best content nobody sees is worse than good content everyone shares.
The 80/20 Distribution Rule
For every piece of content:
20% — Create it (write, design, record)
80% — Distribute it (repurpose, share, promote, engage)
One blog post becomes:
→ 5-10 social posts (different angles)
→ 1 email newsletter feature
→ 1 Twitter/X thread
→ 1 LinkedIn article
→ 3-5 comments on related discussions
→ 1 community post
Brand Voice Definition
Voice Attributes Framework
Step 1: Choose 3-5 voice attributes
Examples: Bold, Approachable, Technical, Witty, Empathetic
Step 2: Define each with "this, not that"
Bold: Confident opinions, not aggressive arguments
Approachable: Casual and clear, not dumbed down
Technical: Precise when it matters, not jargon-heavy
Step 3: Write sample sentences in your voice
On-brand: "Here's what we learned shipping to 1,000 users in 30 days."
Off-brand: "We are pleased to announce the successful deployment of..."
Voice Consistency Checklist
| Element | Questions |
|---|---|
| Tone | Would this sound natural if I said it in conversation? |
| Vocabulary | Am I using words my customer uses? |
| Perspective | Am I talking about them, not us? |
| Energy | Does this match our brand personality? |
Pillar Content Strategy
The Content Pyramid
PILLAR (1/month)
Deep, comprehensive piece — 2,000+ words, original research or framework
→ Establishes authority on a core topic
CLUSTER (4-8/month)
Supporting content answering specific questions within the pillar topic
→ Blog posts, guides, tutorials — 500-1,000 words each
MICRO (daily-weekly)
Social posts, comments, snippets from pillar and cluster content
→ Tweets, LinkedIn posts, newsletter highlights, community answers
Content Calendar Template
| Week | Pillar | Cluster Posts | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Publish pillar piece | 2 supporting posts | Social, newsletter, communities |
| 2 | — | 2 supporting posts | Repurpose pillar into thread + video |
| 3 | — | 2 supporting posts | Guest post or podcast pitch |
| 4 | Next pillar research | 2 supporting posts | Round up month's best performing |
SEO Playbook
Keyword Strategy for Startups
1. Start with long-tail, low competition keywords
BAD: "project management software" (DR 90+ competitors)
GOOD: "project management for 2-person dev teams" (achievable)
2. Match intent to content type
Informational: "how to..." → Blog post, guide
Navigational: "[brand] pricing" → Landing page
Commercial: "best [tool] for [use case]" → Comparison page
Transactional: "[tool] free trial" → Product page
3. Build topical authority
Write 10-15 pieces on one topic cluster before moving to the next.
Google rewards depth, not breadth.
On-Page SEO Checklist
- [ ] Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words, and URL slug
- [ ] 2-3 related keywords used naturally throughout
- [ ] Meta description under 155 characters with keyword and CTA
- [ ] Internal links to 3-5 related pages
- [ ] At least one external link to authoritative source
- [ ] Images with descriptive alt text
- [ ] Page loads under 3 seconds
PR Templates
Journalist Pitch Template
Subject: [Specific angle] — [Company name]
Hi [First name],
I noticed you cover [beat]. [One sentence about why this is relevant now.]
[Company] just [milestone or launch] — [one sentence on what makes it
newsworthy].
Key data point: [Specific metric that makes a journalist's ears perk up.]
Happy to share more details or connect you with our founder for a quick
chat. No pressure either way.
[Your name]
Press Release Structure
Headline: [Company] [Action] to [Benefit for Users]
Subhead: [Supporting context with key metric]
Para 1: Who, what, when, where, why — the news
Para 2: Quote from founder (vision, not feature list)
Para 3: Supporting details, context, market need
Para 4: Quote from customer or partner (social proof)
Para 5: Availability, pricing, where to learn more
Boilerplate: About [Company] — one paragraph
Community Building Framework
The Lurker → Ambassador Pipeline
LURKER (passive reader)
→ Make content easy to consume without joining
Action: Public content, no login walls
PARTICIPANT (occasional contributor)
→ Lower the barrier to first interaction
Action: Welcome threads, easy-to-answer prompts
REGULAR (consistent contributor)
→ Recognize and reward consistency
Action: Shoutouts, badges, early access to features
AMBASSADOR (community leader)
→ Give ownership and responsibility
Action: Moderator roles, co-creation opportunities, advisory board
Brand Identity System
Voice alone is not a brand. A complete brand identity includes visual consistency — colors, typography, and how they're applied.
Color Palette Structure
Every brand needs three color groups:
MAIN COLORS (backgrounds, primary text)
Dark: #______ — Primary text and dark backgrounds
Light: #______ — Light backgrounds and text on dark
Mid Gray: #______ — Secondary elements
Light Gray: #______ — Subtle backgrounds
ACCENT COLORS (CTAs, highlights, differentiation)
Primary: #______ — Main accent (buttons, links, emphasis)
Secondary: #______ — Supporting accent
Tertiary: #______ — Optional third accent
RULES:
→ One accent dominates. Never give all accents equal weight.
→ Test contrast ratios — 4.5:1 minimum for text on backgrounds.
→ Document hex values. Don't let "close enough" drift across pages.
Typography System
Choose two fonts maximum:
HEADING FONT: Distinctive, personality-driven
→ Carries the brand's visual identity
→ Used at 24pt and larger
→ Example: Poppins, Clash Display, Space Grotesk
BODY FONT: Readable, professional
→ Optimized for long-form text
→ Used for all body copy and UI text
→ Example: Lora, DM Sans, Source Serif Pro
FALLBACKS: Always define system font fallbacks
→ Heading: "Poppins", "Arial", sans-serif
→ Body: "Lora", "Georgia", serif
RULES:
→ Self-host fonts for performance and privacy
→ Use font-display: swap to prevent invisible text
→ Keep heading/body pairing consistent across all materials
Color Application Guidelines
Where to apply brand colors:
TEXT:
→ Headings: Main dark color
→ Body: Main dark color (slightly lighter for secondary)
→ Links: Primary accent color
→ Hover states: Darkened accent or underline shift
BACKGROUNDS:
→ Page backgrounds: Light/white
→ Card backgrounds: Light gray
→ Hero sections: Dark for impact, light for approachability
→ CTAs: Primary accent on light, inverted on dark
SHAPES & ACCENTS:
→ Non-text elements (icons, borders, dividers): cycle through accents
→ Use accent colors sparingly — they lose impact when overused
DARK MODE:
→ Swap main dark ↔ light
→ Keep accent colors or adjust brightness (not hue)
→ Test contrast ratios in both modes
Anti-Patterns
| Marketing Theater | Real Marketing |
|---|---|
| Creating content nobody distributes | 80% of time on distribution |
| "We need to be on every platform" | Own one channel before adding another |
| Brand guidelines nobody follows | 3-5 voice attributes with "this, not that" |
| PR blasts to 500 journalists | 10 personalized pitches to relevant writers |
| Community = broadcast channel | Community = conversations and relationships |
Power Move
"Build a 90-day content strategy for [product/audience]. Define brand voice with 'this, not that' examples. Map out 3 pillar topics with cluster posts. Then write the first pillar piece and show me how to distribute it across 8+ touchpoints."
The agent becomes your marketing engine — creating once, distributing everywhere, and building an audience that compounds.
Source: pingwu/solo-unicorn — distributed by TomeVault.