Post on 12-Sep-2020
The im
portance of developing and using a cohesive brand voice
PU
TTING
A STEA
DY H
AN
D
BEH
IND
YOU
R B
RA
ND
Un
til rece
ntly it
wa
s mu
ch e
asie
r to
pre
sen
t a
con
sisten
t bra
nd
exp
erie
nce
to
custo
me
rs an
d
pro
spe
cts simp
ly b
eca
use
the
re
we
re few
er
cha
nn
els. O
ur
prim
ary fo
rms o
f co
mm
un
icatin
g w
ere
prin
t, rad
io
an
d T
V.
One com
pany, three channels. Piece of cake!
THEN
CA
ME TH
E WEB
Today there are a staggering (and still growing) num
ber of ways to connect
with custom
ers.
@
With
so m
an
y ch
an
ne
ls h
un
gry fo
r co
nte
nt a
nd
so
ma
ny p
eo
ple
re
spo
nsib
le fo
r ke
ep
ing
you
r m
essa
ge
s in
fron
t of yo
ur
custo
me
rs, m
an
ag
ing yo
ur
bra
nd
exp
erie
nce
cre
ate
s a
da
un
ting
cha
llen
ge.
@
HO
W M
AN
Y CO
OK
S
AR
E IN YO
UR
KITC
HEN
?
In any given month, the follow
ing people may
generate or influence your business’s content:
· Sales/business developm
ent managers and/or staff
· Vendors
· M
erchants·
Senior managem
ent·
Front line staff·
Web developers
· SEO
specialists·
Social media w
riters·
Consultants·
Interns
HO
W M
AN
Y CO
OK
S
AR
E IN YO
UR
KITC
HEN
?
That is a lot of different people playing a role in content creation. And if your organization doesn’t have a form
al brand voice that gives direction on w
hat to say, how to
say it, in what tone, w
hen, where, and how
often, your w
riters will inevitably proceed to w
rite it in the only voice they have…
…their ow
n.
DO
ES IT R
EALLY M
AK
E A D
IFFEREN
CE IF
EVERYO
NE JU
ST D
OES
THEIR
OW
N TH
ING
?
Yes. A costly and potentially devastating difference.
HER
E AR
E JUS
T A FEW
CO
NS
EQU
ENC
ES O
F N
OT A
LIGN
ING
YOU
R C
ON
TENT C
REATO
RS
• Inconsistent brand experience
• Corporate em
barrassment
• Inefficient inform
ation flow
• D
ecreased revenue •
Poor customer experiences
• Custom
er defection•
Increased production costs •
Confusion among your staff and
associated lost productivity •
Confusion of customers, prospects
and referral sources•
Coming across as disingenuous
Just like other areas of your business that need to be in sync, your content developers need to:
• H
ave a clear strategic vision
• H
ave a clear understanding of w
hat your company’s
brand voice is (and isn’t)
• Com
municate am
ong each other as a m
atter of course
HO
W D
O YO
U M
AN
AG
E YOU
R C
ON
TENT A
ND
A
VOID
MU
DD
LED C
OM
MU
NIC
ATION
S?
Step one
Develop and articulate a clear understanding of your brand,
your brand voice, and a strategy of comm
unicating to your custom
ers.
Step two
Implem
ent a process to ensure that all who influence or
create your content are effectively executing your strategy.
ESTA
BLIS
HIN
G YO
UR
BR
AN
D VO
ICE
The Litmus test
Do your em
ail campaigns sound like they
are coming from
the same com
pany as the one that w
rites your blogs (or print ads or social m
edia posts?
Or, w
hen viewed as a w
hole, do your com
munications seem
disjointed?
ESTA
BLIS
HIN
G YO
UR
BR
AN
D VO
ICE
The Goal
Your company needs to use a singular,
recognizable brand voice in every aspect of content w
riting wherever it appears.
@
CR
EATING
A S
TYLE GU
IDE
Develop a style guide covering:
• Voice and tone
• G
ramm
ar and style•
Key vocabulary and other keywords
• Stylistic preferences
• Your com
pany’s key services* Exam
ples of product descriptions•
Legal disclaimers
LAU
NC
HIN
G A
STYLE G
UID
E
Hold a kick-off
meeting w
ith those responsible for creating allaspects of com
munications
for your company
(not just the writers,
but the designers and others that affect your brand voice and look and feel).
A TA
LL OR
DER
Sales CollateralSocial M
ediaW
ebsite ContentCustom
er Service ScriptsR
adio SpotsPrint Ads
PodcastsPublic Relations
Video ContentBlogs
Retail D
isplaysW
hite PapersInternal Com
munications
Marketing Collateral
Trade Show D
isplays
The importance of getting everyone com
municating in a consistent voice is
often driven home by the num
ber of people in your company responsible for
producing the following:
THE G
ATEKEEP
ER
The Style Guide is
your team’s m
ap and com
pass.
Now
you need to assign a “keeper of the brand” to coordinate and review
all your com
munications to
ensure everyone stays the course.
THE G
ATEKEEP
ERYour gatekeeper advocates for telling the story of your com
pany in w
ays that ensure all of your content is:
• Relevant
•Adds value
• Upholds your brand philosophy
before it goes public.
THE IM
PO
RTA
NC
E OF A
UTO
NO
MY
To be most effective, the
keeper of your brand voice m
ust have the autonom
y to make the
best decisions in the nam
e of your brand even w
hen they may be
unpopular in the short term
.
THE IM
PO
RTA
NC
E OF A
UTO
NO
MY
Time and tim
e again, we
have seen that the strongest com
panies over the long haul are those that are true to their brand principles and brand voice.
DO
N’T P
UT IT O
FF Creating a content m
anagement strategy is
hard work, but the
payoff of gaining control, cohesiveness, consistency and clarity is vital to the survival of your com
pany.
REA
DY TO
GET S
TAR
TED?
Call us to today and we
can help you create a content m
anagement
strategy of your own!
19 Oaks
Shay Bellasshay@
19oaks.com(207) 619-7155, 18