Welcome back! Last week we talked a bit about branding and how it can help your business stand out from the crowd.
Its an important part of any successful marketing strategy. Let's expand on that a bit now. A successful branding campaign gives your business a unified look, feel and voice. When done correctly, your persona will almost take on a life of its own.
People will recognize it, like they do that guy from the gym with the nice butt.
ROWWWWWWRRRR.
(wait, where was I?)
In order for your brand persona to feel 'real', it has to have a voice.
What is a brand voice?
You use your brand voice to talk to your audience. It's a simplification, sure, but you get the idea.
Every time you write something, even something as small as a caption on a website photo, you are talking to your audience. What you say to them and how you say it is important.
That is the information potential clients will use to decide if they like you/your business. Long before they decide to buy something from you. In the same way we look around the bus in the morning and decide which person to sit beside, potential customers will make a judgement in the first few seconds.
Branding lets you put your best foot forward. It helps them see what YOU want them to see. Make sure that every word you write and every picture you post represents you, your business goals, and your mission. Then you know they are seeing you as you are.
Mixed messages can create confusion. Confusion can lead to incorrect assumptions or frustration. Don't make them guess who you are, what you want to do, or how you feel.
Tell them!
How do I craft my brand voice?
Last week we talked about creating a persona to represent your business. Now you have an idea about his/her/their age, interests, and goals. Great!
Take it a step forward. Remember our shoe salesman from last week? What would he sound like? What kind of language does he use? What kind of language DOESN'T he use.
I used a video clip of Al Bundy to add some humour to last week's post, but it's a good example to use. Unless you want to scare away all your customers, you DON'T want to use the same kind of language Al would have.
Certain words have nuances and connotations that we may not always think about... but they matter. If you want your business to present a positive, inclusive, respectful voice ... you would never talk the way Al does.
What do you want people to think of when they picture your business? What emotions do you want your business/brand to bring out in them?
Maybe the persona you're picturing would speak more like Oprah does. Think of someone who inspires you. Someone with the type of outlook and attitude that you wish your business to invoke.
It's time for some brainstorming...
Grab a pen and paper and jot down any descriptive words that come to mind when you think of this person. Write down as many as you can think of. Now read over your list. Some of those words may mean close to the same thing, but be aware of the connotations they may also have...
Side Bar Time!
con·no·ta·tion /ˌkänəˈtāSH(ə)n/ noun
-an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. "the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression"
Here is an example of what I mean...
Confident has a neutral connotation. It doesn't make you feel good, or bad. If you describe a confident person by saying they are conceited, it's bad. The word "conceited" is understood to mean OVERLY confident. If you describe a confident person by using the word "courageous", it has a much more positive meaning.
Here's another example, these 3 words have much the same meaning:
Neutral: different
Negative: peculiar
Positive: unique
Okay, let's get back to what I was saying.
Go through your list of words and remove any that have a negative connotation associated with them. Weed out any that just don't "feel" right.
Mentally add these words to your brand persona. Imagine what a person like that would say. What would they sound like? What type of words do THEY use?
Flip your page over and write down the type of words this person might use. What type of phrases? Is it formal language? Is it Uber casual? Would they use slang?
Add a section and list any words or phrases that your brand persona wouldn't be caught dead using.
What you're going to end up with is a pretty good idea about the language that will represent the morals, attitude and beliefs of your brand. This is the language that you will use consistently across all platforms as your brand voice.
Now the cute guy at the gym has a voice.
A deep, sexy one with a southern drawl....
(Ahem....sorry. Sometimes I get carried away.)
So to summarize...
your brand voice is a collection of words, phrases and language that your business will use to speak to your audience.
your voice should represent the goals, morals and attitude you want to portray.
be consistent! The more consistent you are, the easier you are to recognize. Recognition is good!
be aware of words, phrases and language that DON'T represent your persona and avoid them.
Most companies will create a Tone Guide once they have decided identified and fleshed out their brand identity.
This helps all the various parts of the company speak in the same voice and present the same persona. At all times and across all media, including social media platforms.
Next week we will talk about colour schemes and typography. I will teach you how the proper choices can help build your brand.
Toodles for now!
Remember, if you are interested in building your brand, but you're nervous about it, or you just don't have the time ... you can give me a shout any time.
I offer a Free 30 Minute Consultation to new customers. We can sit down over a virtual latte and talk about it. There's no obligation. I will provide you with some suggestions, a quote and some next steps to start building your own unique brand.
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