As a brand, the way you speak to your customers, how you address them and get a message across is very important. How you communicate is your brand´s voice, and it can have a variety of styles, however, it must feel true to what your brand stands for and its particular personality.
Be authentic. It will make you stand out from all of your competitors, and help get the attention of your ideal audience. Your voice will resonate with them, helping you build stronger relationships and an attentive clientele.
Finding your brand´s voice can take some time to figure out, but here are some tips that will help you find it easier and be true to your brand:
- Review your company´s mission statement: In order to find your voice, you need to understand your mission, so that your messages reflect your values. Review your company’s mission statement to figure out how to connect your communication strategy to what your brand stands for.
- Gather a sample of your content: If you have an online presence, you should look at the content you have already shared and find those posts or messages that are perfect examples that are unique to your brand, leaving those that could have been influenced by external elements such as your competitors.
- Describe your brand´s personality: Once you´ve identified the content that feels most like your brand, examine them with a critical eye and figure out what it is that makes them unique. Try to summarize those qualities into 3 to 5 words. You can think of your brand as a person and describe it as such.
- Listen to your audience: At the end of the day, your audience is the one that will receive your messages, so make sure to research them. You can select a few customers and determine their interests, how they express themselves, what they share on social media, and anything that could help you know who they are. Beyond knowing your audience, you should also listen to them. Ask their opinion about your brand´s personality or voice through polls or surveys. (How would you describe our brand? Do you think our tone is appropriate?).
- Take risks: As with many aspects of marketing, you need to take risks. If you have a better idea about what the style of your voice should be, try it out and monitor the response from the audience.
- Do´s and Don´ts: A great exercise to get closer to what your brand´s voice should be is to write down what your brand is and isn´t, since antonyms can be very helpful. (Your brand can be fun, but not careless).
- Document guidelines: Everything you´ve done so far can be put into a document that states what your brand is and how it should sound. You can also make a summarized version for better understanding. You can make a list or a chart, but make sure to include the traits of the voice, its description, and the do´s and don´ts we mentioned before, just focused on the specific aspects.
- Revisit your guidelines as the brand evolves: It is natural that your brand changes as time goes by. Make a note to revisit the document you created every few months or years, depending on the evolution of your brand and company. Make any necessary changes and stay true to where your brand stands in each moment.
Follow these tips and you´ll see how your brand´s voice will sound more like what it stands for, which will help with your overall marketing strategy. Use your voice to reach your goals and make sure that your social media handles are consistent with any other touchpoints your brand may have.
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