Yes, the brand ring of properties is just like you (a business) would normally have--a twitter, etc.
For example, if your brand is Swiss Cheese Condoms then you'd create
-Swiss Cheese Condoms Twitter
-Swiss Cheese Condoms Wordpress
-Swiss Cheese Condoms Tumblr
...
You'd create and optimize a dozen such brand properties.
Once created, you interlink them. Additionally, on a few of them, you list the complete list of all the dozen properties (with links to each).
The above is step one. It is just what a normal white hat business would do.
Step two is where the syndication comes in.
In step two, repeat step one, but instead of using your brand name,
you use a "persona" for each ring of properties.
A persona is supposed to look like some random follower or fan of your business.
So, for step two, you'd invent a name. Marla Meadows.
Then you'd create
-Marla Meadows Twitter
-Marla Meadows Wordpress
-Marla Meadows Tumblr
You just repeat step one.
I think the OP said he used "keywords" rather than a person's name. I haven't tried that.
Finally, step three. IFTTT.
You create "applets" in IFTTT so that every time Brand Property X--say, Twitter, posts content,
the same content is posted on all brand properties. So content is posted on Twitter, and that triggers the Brand Wordpress to post the same content.
And every time Brand Wordpress posts content, that (via IFTTT) triggers Marla Meadow's Twitter to post the same content.
When Marla's Twitter posts content, that content gets posted to all Marla's properties as well.