Create Your Unique Brand Voice

Your business is on social media – check! You’ve got your logo or your headshot up there – check. And you’re ready to rack up those likes and shares. Let’s assume your business is on social for the sole purpose of connecting with new and existing clients. So, what will make them want to follow your company’s Instagram account or Facebook page? If you’re assuming it’s your stellar services, positive customer reviews, and quality products – you’re wrong.

Those are legit reasons people will hire you and recommend your company to others. But that’s not what engages social media followers.

Your brand voice is what will bring all the boys to your yard.

Your brand voice showcases your organization’s personality, backstory, and values. It’s these emotional characteristics that will resonate with your intended audience and remind followers why they support your business. So, how do you know what kind of voice to use on social media?

First you need to identify your audience – who are you speaking to?

Be as specific as you can to create an audience persona that reflects the kind of people you want to reach. How much do they know about your subject matter? What kind of lingo should you use to best connect with them? What values do they have in common with your business’s mission? Sometimes, the answers to these questions aren’t so obvious. But I push my clients to deeply understand their audience so we can figure out the best way to connect with them on social.

Now that you know who you’re speaking to, you can develop the character or persona behind your brand.

Do you want to come across as friendly, authoritative, professional, playful? What do aim to do through your posts – educate or inform? Entertain? Sell? What tone will best deliver your message – personal, direct, humble, scientific?

One of the biggest mistakes I see clients making with their branding on social is to try being all things to everyone. They want to have a professional, educational account that’s also witty and sarcastic. If your brand voice is prone to dramatic mood swings and wardrobe changes, your audience will get turned off by the conflicting sides of your brand personality and wonder why they followed your account in the first place.

Ensure that everything your company posts on social – including your company profile description, images, and your responses to comments – reflects the brand voice guidelines you established. Before you click publish on your next post, ask yourself, “Does this sound like us?”