Does your organization have strictly defined or loosely understood brand standards? Regardless, when your brand begins engaging in social media, your voice needs to be strongly defined for the variety and volume of conversation you are now involved in.
Taglines and slogans can go a long way through ads in various spaces, but when you are speaking to and with real people in real-time social media experiences, a tagline just won't cut it. Strengthen that voice and confidently engage in conversation with these 3 steps.
1 - DEFINE WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU ARE NOT
It's a simple exercise to perform on a whiteboard or notepad. Use adjectives, personality traits, or even celebrity personalities that encapsulate what your brand wants to be perceived as. The only rules for this exercise is that in your organization should clearly understand the voice. Here are some examples of what this exercise looks like:
- - Educated
- - Insightful
- - Optimistic
- - Respectfully playful
- - Inclusive
- - Relevant
- - Arrogant
- - The class clown
- - Haters
- - Just reporters
- - Cold
2 - CHALLENGE THE MAN'S CALCULATED VOICE: USE NATURAL LANGUAGE
For B2B companies, it's especially important to remember that you can't just talk. Upholding an incredibly buttoned up and executive voice is a "safe" bet, but it's exhausting and difficult to connect with your audience. Challenge the temptation to use only pre-approved web copy, and provoke action from your audience. You've read it over and over again, but social media enables your company be a group of humans... So be human and hold a conversation.
When you take risks and talk in a personable manner, you'll see your social media engagement increase in quantity and quality. Step 1 is crucial to finding your medium between professional and relatable, so go back to it if needed and give yourself some breathing room.
3 - DON'T TALK ABOUT YOURSELF ONLY: USE A SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT EQUATION
You can't be 100% disinterested in everyone else at the party because you have an agenda. Consider what your audience wants and provide it. Typically, we break down our posts between the following categories:
- - Entertain
- - Engage
- - Inform
- - Convert
These 3 simple steps should get you moving in developing your brand voice. The fourth rule here is: DON'T OVERTHINK IT. You can always make adjustments, and odds are that you don't have extra time to burn. If you're creating valuable content for social media marketing and you understand the value blogging adds to your social efforts, a strong voice can be the missing piece to a strong content strategy.
Let us know if you want to talk more about developing your voice or if you have any questions for us to address in our blog. And of course, hire-us if you want it to really happen.