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)


5

PersonaPlayful

Inspiring Casual

Authoritative Warm

Professional

ToneAuthentic

HonestHumblePersonal

DirectAcademic

Witty

LanguageSimpleSavvy

Jargon-filledFun

SeriousWhimsical

PurposeInform

EducateEngage

AmuseMotivatePromoteEntertain

Brand Voice


6

Brand Voice

Southwest Airlines Friendly

FedEx Straighforward

Forrester Authoritative

Yahoo! Personal

Virgin Tongue-in-cheek

W Hotels Surprising, indulgent

Progressive Fun, Whimsical


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


Target Hits Brand Voice Bulls Eye

8


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/target-fb

Target: Serving Up Value

9


Intel: News You Can Use

10


Intel: Smart and Savvy

11


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/intel-twitter

Kew: Escape and Enjoy

12


USAA Puts Its Principles Right Up Front On Its Website

13


14


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.”


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


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.”


18


Apple: Simplicity Refined

19


Apple: A Well-Rounded Personality

20


21

Source: Jennifer Aaker, 1997


22

Your Brandon

Your Terms


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


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.


Oxygen: Confident, Current

25


MailChimp: Voice and Tone

26


Warby Parker: Witty, Sincere

27


Warby Parker: Company Values

28


Donald J. Pliner: Sophisticated Luxury

29


Donald J. Pliner: Distinctive

30


MetLife: Value, Commitment

31


Allstate: Caring, Concerned

32


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


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


Cancer Research UK: Tone of Voice

35


Cancer Research UK: Flexibility

36


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


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


Thrillist: Whimsical and Fun

39


40

Thrillist unleashes its funny, “bro” vibe on Facebook.


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/thrillist-fb

CarWoo: Engaging and Entertaining

41


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/carwoo-fb

Geico: Personal, Value

42


Chubb: Strength in being Straightforward

43


American Family: Home and Hearth

44

“Living your dream is always in season. “


Allianz: Direct, Attuned

45


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


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


Trampoline: Fun, Fresh, Entertaining

48


Ocean Value: Fresh, Contemporary

49


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.”


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.”


52


Oxygen: Consistent Social Media Voice

53


Sharpie: Colorful and Creative

54

Sharpie on Instagram:Creative and Fun!


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/sharpie-instagram

Taco Bell: Irreverantly Intriguing

55

Taco Bell rules on Twitter with its weird but witty tweets.


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/tacobell-twitter

Sephora: Informational, Educational

56


Addidas: Healthy and Helpful

57


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/adidas-twitter

Doubletree: Here to Help

58


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/doubletree-twitter

ThinkGeek: Mastering Geek Speak

59


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/thinkgeek-facebook

HUGE: We’re So Witty, Oh So Witty

60


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/huge-twitter

Huggies: Engaging Mom and Dad

61


http://marketingland.com/20-great-social-media-voices-and-how-to-develop-your-own-18057/huggies-twitter

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


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.


» 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


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


Do As I Say nancypekala.com @nancypekala

66

Thanks! Keep the Conversation Going! » Twitter: @NancyPekala

» Website: nancypekala.com

» Email: [email protected]