Do As I Say: The Key to Unlocking Your Brand Voice
-
Upload
nancy-pekala -
Category
Marketing
-
view
67 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Do As I Say: The Key to Unlocking Your Brand Voice
Do as I SayFinding Your Voice in a Crowded World
Do As I Say: The Key to Unlocking Your Brand Voice
@nancypekala
Do As I Say nancypekala.com @nancypekala
2
3
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Choice of words and how we use them helps to build a consistent picture of who we are.
The way we say things is much more memorable than what we say.
While a brand has only one voice, it should alter its tone based on the purpose of the message.
Everyone in an organization needs to sound like the brand ….yet still be different depending on the audience and need.
What is Brand Voice?
4
• Voice is your communication style. (Quirky, Corporate, Personal)
• Voice is your personality. (Smart, Whimsical, Sarcastic)
• Voice is your vibe. (Confident, Competent, Energetic)
• Voice is your brand. (Innovative, Dependable, Contemporary)
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
5
PersonaPlayful
Inspiring Casual
Authoritative Warm
Professional
ToneAuthentic
HonestHumblePersonal
DirectAcademic
Witty
LanguageSimpleSavvy
Jargon-filledFun
SeriousWhimsical
PurposeInform
EducateEngage
AmuseMotivatePromoteEntertain
Brand Voice
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
6
Brand Voice
Southwest Airlines Friendly
FedEx Straighforward
Forrester Authoritative
Yahoo! Personal
Virgin Tongue-in-cheek
W Hotels Surprising, indulgent
Progressive Fun, Whimsical
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Step 1: Define Your Brand Purpose
» Why does your brand exist?
˃ Whom does it serve?˃ How is it different from every other brand?˃ What is the single thing about your brand you want every customer to
know?˃ Why is your brand special? What is it doing differently?˃ What do you wish would change about how business is done in your
industry?˃ Why does the world need your industry?˃ What does your brand stand for?˃ What is your brand’s point of view?
7
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Target Hits Brand Voice Bulls Eye
8
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Target: Serving Up Value
9
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Intel: News You Can Use
10
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Intel: Smart and Savvy
11
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Kew: Escape and Enjoy
12
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
USAA Puts Its Principles Right Up Front On Its Website
13
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
14
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
GEICO: Customer-Centric
15
“A big part of our corporate mission is to encourage active, involved citizenship.”
“Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we all pull together?”“Not only do we
offer products that protect our policyholders and give them peace of mind, we also provide incredible opportunities to do more than just work here.”
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Step 2: Define Your Brand Persona» Think of your brand as a person
˃ What does it look like?
˃ What kinds of activities does it like?
˃ What are its dreams?
˃ What is it emotional about?
˃ Who is it friends with?
˃ What kind of clothes does it wear?
16
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Apple: Clear and Focused Brand Story
“We sign our work. You may rarely look at it. But you’ll always feel it. This is our signature. And it means everything.”
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
18
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Apple: Simplicity Refined
19
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Apple: A Well-Rounded Personality
20
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
21
Source: Jennifer Aaker, 1997
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
22
Your Brandon
Your Terms
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Brand Attributes and Voice
23
What PERSONAL looks like
• Treat people as individuals• Think of communication as one-on-
one interaction• Use personal language (“How can we
help you?” vs “How can we be of help?”)
• Talk frequently about people, not policyholders or products
• Paint a picture with writing by using emotive quotes and case studies
• Use contractions. It makes writing easier to read.
• Vary sentence lengths. It keeps writing interesting.
• Sentences that begin with a conjunction is conversational and can make it stand out.
• Use descriptive language that people can relate to.
• Use adjectives that are specific.
What ATTUNED looks like
• Use active language• Craft sentences with active
subjects• Writing should be positive. Copy
is more engaging if it describes something that is happening rather than something that isn’t.
• Incorporate expressions of empathy and feelings
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Brand Attributes and Voice
24
What STRAIGHTFORWARD looks like
• Use clear and simple language• Opt for short words over longer
ones• Avoid technical jargon• Refrain from using abbreviations
or acronyms
What TRUSTED looks like
• Write in an authentic voice. Be honest and don’t shy away from writing about difficult subjects.
• Express empathy in writing. Remember there’s a human being on the other end of your communication.
• Be consistent.
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Oxygen: Confident, Current
25
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
MailChimp: Voice and Tone
26
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Warby Parker: Witty, Sincere
27
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Warby Parker: Company Values
28
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Donald J. Pliner: Sophisticated Luxury
29
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Donald J. Pliner: Distinctive
30
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
MetLife: Value, Commitment
31
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Allstate: Caring, Concerned
32
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Step 3: Apply the right tone» The right tone for the right audience
» The right tone for the right message
» The right tone for the rightchannel
33
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
34
What’s Your Tone of Voice?
» Warm but not gushing» Helpful but not cloying» Straightforward but not curt» Honest but not confessional» Playful but not zany» Witty but not sarcastic
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Cancer Research UK: Tone of Voice
35
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Cancer Research UK: Flexibility
36
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
37
Brand Voice
Editorial Promotional InformationalSocial
• Blog posts• News stories• Feature stories• White Papers• Newsletter
articles
• Social media channels
• Blog• Videos
• Annual Report • Infographics• Employee
communications• Customer service
documents• Transactional
documents• Business emails
Journalistic Focus Conversational Focus Marketing Focus Communications Focus
• Press release• Ads• Direct mail• Marketing
emails• Videos
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Different Audiences, Different Channels
38
• Annual Report• Press Release• Forms/Invoices
• Blog Posts• Social media• Internal
communications
• News articles• Feature articles• White papers• Newsletters• Business emails• Infographics
• Ads• Brochures• Marketing emails• Video
StraightforwardDirectFormal
HonestTrustworthy
Factual PersonalConversational
EngagingInformal
Promotional
Formal Personal
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Thrillist: Whimsical and Fun
39
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
40
Thrillist unleashes its funny, “bro” vibe on Facebook.
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
CarWoo: Engaging and Entertaining
41
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Geico: Personal, Value
42
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Chubb: Strength in being Straightforward
43
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
American Family: Home and Hearth
44
“Living your dream is always in season. “
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Allianz: Direct, Attuned
45
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Style Guidelines:» Abbreviations» Acronyms» Ampersands» Bullet points» Capitalization» Dates» Figures/Tables legends» Headings and titles» Initials» Italics» Titles (of individuals)» Numbers» References» Technical terminology» URLs
46
Punctuation Guidelines
» Addresses
» Colons/Semicolons
» Quotation marks
» Exclamation marks
» Hyphenation
» Spacing
Step 4: Use the Right Language
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
47
WordMap» Honest» Reliable» Competent» Dependable» Customer-focused» Helpful» Valuable» Positive» Benefits» Empathetic» Innovative» Creative
What words and phrases best map to your organization’s values?
Customer-focused
» Diverse» Warm» Personable» Trustworthy» Exceptional Service» Supportive» Integrity» Accountability» Stable» Security» Caring
» Superior performance» Specialized expertise» Financial strength» Quality» Teamwork» Winning spirit» Respect» Thought leadership» Consistency» Safety» Commitment» Empowerment
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Trampoline: Fun, Fresh, Entertaining
48
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Ocean Value: Fresh, Contemporary
49
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
John Hopkins: Innovator, Thought Leader
50
“We’re a business school designed to be among the best in the world. And determined to be the best for the world.”
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
John Hopkins: Problem Solver
51
“Timid doesn’t play well here. We believe that business, by embracing the bigger picture, has the power to change the world in a positive way.”
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
52
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Oxygen: Consistent Social Media Voice
53
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Sharpie: Colorful and Creative
54
Sharpie on Instagram:Creative and Fun!
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Taco Bell: Irreverantly Intriguing
55
Taco Bell rules on Twitter with its weird but witty tweets.
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Sephora: Informational, Educational
56
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Addidas: Healthy and Helpful
57
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Doubletree: Here to Help
58
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
ThinkGeek: Mastering Geek Speak
59
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
HUGE: We’re So Witty, Oh So Witty
60
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Huggies: Engaging Mom and Dad
61
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Discovering Your Brand Voice
1. Discover what makes people engagea) Use listening and monitoring to cull real-time engagement insightsb) Conduct a voice auditc) Identify and analyze engagement of key influencers and brand advocatesd) Measure engagement with real-time analyticse) Analyze search behavior
2. Develop a roadmap for a shareable voicea) Create workable content style guidelinesb) Conduct voice trainingc) Map messaging to story pillars
3. Monitor and measurea) Define analytics to measure voice impactb) Define positive measureable outcomes and actions (sales, reach, market share,
perception)
62
Source: Ketchum Digital
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
63
Unlocking Fundamentals of Brand Voice» Brand voice packs a powerful punch. The way you talk to people impacts
the bottom line.
» Voice comes from within. Everyone in the organization owns the voice.
» Voice is present in every niche of the company---from help centers to the CEO’s personality to the corporate website.
» Brand voice is unlocked, not learned; discovered, not concocted.
» BE the voice. Speak the way you write.
» Your brand voice should always sound like yourself.
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
» Your brand voice is unique. It should be difficult to replicate.
» Your brand voice should be consistent across all channels but the tone should match the purpose of the content and channel.
» Your brand voice should be flexible and grow as your brand evolves.
» Content should be written with the end user in mind.
» Writing should reflect your brand’s values.
64
More Fundamentals of Brand Voice
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
65
Cultivating Adoption of Brand Voice» Brand voice is an art, not a science. Resist the
temptation to regiment a brand’s language.
» Train staff to recognize when writing is adhering to the brand’s values.
» Encourage writers to put their own personality into their writing. Refrain from stifling writers’ own unique voices.
» Do allow writers flexibility to express themselves by writing in the voice of the brand.
» Don’t adopt a content-by-committee approach to writing. Good writing will get watered down and the writer’s original thoughts lost. The brand voice will invariably be sunk.
» Do change your tone---but not the voice---when speaking to different audiences.
“If you try to regiment a
brand’s language
you’re stultifying its
development.”John Simmons, Brand Language
Evangelist and Author
©2013 Nancy Pekala Do As I Say nancypekala.com
Do As I Say nancypekala.com @nancypekala
66
Thanks! Keep the Conversation Going! » Twitter: @NancyPekala
» Website: nancypekala.com
» Email: [email protected]