3 Things You Can Do to Create a Brand VoiceYou've started growing your business. You've been a part of the #smallbiz community for a while. Now your old posts are totally cringy. You want to create one, consistent voice across all of your platforms so clients will recognize you as you. Girl, I've been there. Let me share with you three easy-to-implement tips to help you create a brand voice. 1. Decide Where You Are on the Scale of 1 to FUNImagine a little line...maybe I'll insert a graphic here. Here we have a scale that starts with extremely professional and ends with FUN! How are you interacting with your customers? Businesses that rely on high qualifications in order to perform a service (think surgery or law) should probably use a formal voice in their branding, because people need to trust that they are "serious" about their service or product. The professionalism encourages the client to trust the company as an authority. Other businesses might decide to go more casual, with the goal of sounding young, trendy, or friendly with the customer. Think less about what you prefer, and more about what would make the most sense from your customer's perspective. You can decide what level of professionalism you're comfortable with. Stick with it. It can be tempting to try to go overboard with trends or silliness, because it attracts attention. Unless it's what you've been doing, be careful not to lose rapport over a fad. 2. Consider a Slogan or CatchphraseThink of prominent brands that you know. Do you remember their slogan? Probably. Just do it. I'm lovin' it. With just 15 minutes, you can save 15% or more on car insurance. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch. I can also recite an entire Rhodes 60-second cinnamon roll commercial from 2007, so maybe I'm a bad example. What I'm saying is a good slogan will carry your brand. When you're writing messages across varying platforms, consider if you could include a unique and chippy slogan for your brand. Need more ideas? Can you come up with a name for your followers, a specific introduction, or a consistent ending for your pieces? Any of these would be a good place to start. 3. Use the Right VocabularyAlright, here's a pitfall. I worked with a client who, like many other business owners, is extremely educated about his niche. He naturally uses jargon (vocabulary specific to a particular discipline) and writes like an academic. He did not realize that his vocabulary might be excluding potential clients. Yep, sometimes the language that you use automatically restricts your content from those who are uneducated about the particularities of your business. It is hard to recognize that you're using words that other people don't understand. (Because, of course, you understand them, and if you understand it, can't everyone?) A good rule of thumb is to pretend that you are writing for a 7th grader. No, I'm not joking. The average American caps out at about 7th grade reading comprehension. Keeping the right vocabulary level for your clients is a great way to create an engaging brand voice. It will make your brand accessible to clients you wouldn't anticipate. Brand Voice for LyfeWhen you're ready to grow, don't overlook your brand voice. Sadly, it might be time to retcon your old posts in favor of consistency. You'll see a boost in direct traffic when your audience recognizes your content as your content. And remember, if writing all this content seems daunting, I'm always available to help you give your ideas a voice. Reach out on my contact form and we'll set some goals for how you can grow your business. That's all, folks.
1 Comment
Ben
1/23/2023 09:49:34 pm
This is brilliant. As I was reading this i was thinking about my favorite creators on social media. One in particular came to mind. He has millions of followers, but i almost never recognize his videos because of a lack of consistent branding. I always search him directly when i want to see his stuff where I would otherwise click in right away. Stellar content!
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Kate PlattI'm a writer, content strategist, and general wordsmith. I like to write personalized, spunky copy that generally follows grammar rules. I have one kid, one cat, and a lovely viking husband. I'm constantly looking forward to 8pm, which is when I get in my bubble bath and play handheld video games. Archives
February 2023
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