Post on 12-Apr-2017
#CMC16
Content Marketing Conference 2016
7 Steps to Developing a Resonating Brand Voice
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Erica McGillivray Senior Community Manager Moz
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Problem: Someone must write the words!
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“ “#CMC16
Voice is a mission statement. Tone is the
application of that mission.
- Kevan Lee at Buffer
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Find What Your Brand Already Has
1
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Historical documents
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Case study: Netflix’s Jessica Jones
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All the marketing channels
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Know your channels
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TV ad
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Know your channels
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social images
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Know your channels
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social responses
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Know your channels
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events and
press
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Know your channels
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landing page
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Visual design assets
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Visual design assets
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Office space
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Office space
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Emails outside your company
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PR (press and speaking)
Mike Ramsey at Nifty Marketing Someone at Google
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PR (press and speaking)
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“It’s not really about asking for a raise, but knowing and having
faith that the system will give you the right raise.
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at Grace Hopper Celebration of
Women in Computing
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Intranet
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Leaders
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“Howdy, Moz Fans!”
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Leaders
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#Nerdland
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Leaders
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Brand Values
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• Have fun • Do exceptional work • Experiment • Pay attention to the details • Treat people right • Tell the truth • Give back • Keep learning
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Brand Values
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Brand Vision
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• spirit of innovation and excellence • desire to create positive change • commitment to transparency
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Personas
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Building a Team
of Feedbackers
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Makers
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Customer success
Content UX tech writer
Customer support
Community
PR
UX content
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Other stakeholders
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But we don’t have “writers!”
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Who is already doing this work?
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Team Exercises and Psychology
3
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Personas
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Demographic: location psychology
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Local culture go!
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National: tone it down
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National: tone it down
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"Don’t use UNC-Chapel Hill lingo and insider references…. For instance, spell out all acronyms and explain proprietary items such as the OneCard or C-TOPS."
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International: tailor it to countries
IKEA India IKEA US
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International: tailor it to countries
Siemens US Siemens South Africa
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Interest affinity: psychographics
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Affinity: Spotify and Star Wars
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Affinity: Spotify and Star Wars
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How is your brand helping?
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How-to: find adjectives
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How-to: find adjectives
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How-to: find adjectives
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Activity: card sorting
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3 current adjectives
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step #1
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2 aspirational adjectives
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step #2
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3 negative adjectives
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step #3
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Defining brand adjectives
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Fun We're engaging, not snarky.
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Creation How-To: Voice & Tone
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bit.ly/brand-voice
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A)
Statement of purpose
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B)
Explain brand adjectives
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Brand lexicon
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Trademarks are not verbs. Correct: The image was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop® software. Incorrect: The image was photoshopped.
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Grammar: pick a guide
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C)
List how the brand's
communicated
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Context is everything!
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Broken reports 404 page: Oops! Roger MozBot got lost exploring and our system is temporarily down. We hope to find him soon, so check back in a couple of hours. Meanwhile, why don't you watch a puppy battle himself?
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Context is everything!
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D)
Address specific audience needs
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Non-marketer: this is creepy
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CRO tool = intense personalization
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E)
How-to: humanize your brand
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My, Your, We
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My, Your, We
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My, Your, We
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Humanizing
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Humanizing
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Humanizing
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F)
Good and bad examples
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Overweighthaters.com
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Cheerios
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G)
"When in doubt" disclaimer
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Great brand guides
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Empowering Staff and Clients
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Teach and empower
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Time and consistency
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Shortcut
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Words provide meaning and ritual
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Words provide meaning and ritual
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Words provide meaning and ritual
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Words provide meaning and ritual
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Internal: too big to fail
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Show Results (Channel Audit)
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“ “#CMC16
Plans are nothing; planning is everything.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Your audit coverage
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Audience Messaging
Topics (audience + messaging) Content
Purpose
Voice and tone
Sources (who will
create this) Overall
category
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Audit worksheet
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bit.ly/cmc-audit
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount Topics: Star Wars
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount Topics: Star Wars Purpose: holiday sales
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount Topics: Star Wars Purpose: holiday sales Voice and tone: fun, love of fandom, ritual
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount Topics: Star Wars Purpose: holiday sales Voice and tone: fun, love of fandom, ritual Sources: email marketer
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Case Study: Superhero Stuff
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Audience: Star Wars fans Messaging: May the 4th discount Topics: Star Wars Purpose: holiday sales Voice and tone: fun, love of fandom, ritual Sources: email marketer Category: email
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there Topics: company
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there Topics: company Purpose: recruiting
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there Topics: company Purpose: recruiting Voice and tone: welcoming, unique
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there Topics: company Purpose: recruiting Voice and tone: welcoming, unique Sources: HR
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Case Study: Buffer
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Audience: potentials Messaging: who’s Buffer and why work there Topics: company Purpose: recruiting Voice and tone: welcoming, unique Sources: HR Category: landing page
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends Topics: on trend color recommendation
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends Topics: on trend color recommendation Purpose: branding
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends Topics: on trend color recommendation Purpose: branding Voice and tone: authoritative, seasonal
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends Topics: on trend color recommendation Purpose: branding Voice and tone: authoritative, seasonal Sources: sm marketer
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Case Study: Stitch Fix
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Audience: fashionistas Messaging: spring trends Topics: on trend color recommendation Purpose: branding Voice and tone: authoritative, seasonal Sources: sm marketer Category: social media
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Going beyond Guidelines
(Your Own Voice)
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Allow employees to lead
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Disruption
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How can you push your
brand’s voice and tone?
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THANK YOU! Erica McGillivray
erica@moz.com @emcgillivray
@emcgillivray