What is your brand’s voice?
Every brand has a voice. Brand voice is the tone and spirit of a brand’s communications. The voice of your brand tells people a lot about who you are, what you stand for, and what it might be like to do business with you.
A brand’s voice includes more than the tone of the copy writing. It also includes the graphic design and brand image.
The qualities of your brand’s voice depend a lot upon your target audience. You want the voice to “speak” in a way that appeals to your target customers. Talk like they talk. Look like they look.
Is your brand voice spunky with some attitude? Light and fluffy? Serious and stodgy? Matter of fact?
Here are some examples:
Business #1: Century-old insurance company
Brand voice (attitude of the copy and design): Solid, deep, serious, gray-toned, precise, integrity, time-honored, staid, wise, educated. Think white-haired men over 60 in dark blue suits and white crisp shirts. How would they talk? Interact with customers?
Business #2: Shoe company that sells only brightly colored, lightweight canvas tennis shoes for young women.
Brand voice (attitude of the copy and design): Sprightly. Giggly. Light. Airy. Very casual. Buoyant. Playful. Carefree. Breezy. Super cheerful. Think summer camp for young teenage girls or college coeds hanging out in the dorm’s lounge.
Business #3: Office supply company with a target market of small business owners.
Brand voice (attitude of the copy and design): We are here for you. Timely. Cheerful. Helpful problem-solver. Hero to the rescue. The supply closet that has everything you could ever want in it. The spirit of a super-helpful 20-something office assistant.
Get the picture? When you tell your marketing team or your ad agency how to represent your company in all marketing and communications materials (including social media), be clear about your voice.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Strategy. Strategy. Strategy. It's not a buzz word.
Strategy is not a marketing buzz word to be thrown around lightly in your workplace. The word is often incorrectly used in marketing discussions. For example, junior marketers think everything is strategy, including marketing tactics.
I've worked with people who assume that if they say the word "strategy" once in every third sentence, they will look like geniuses to their bosses and co-workers. (Nope, sorry. You're just making yourself look silly to the seasoned people in your midst that know the difference between "strategy" and marketing tactics. They roll their eyes at you.)
Planning a strategy takes a global and satellite view of the situation to be addressed through marketing tactics. Strategy requires a deep understanding of your market, customers, competitors, product and goals.
Here's an example.
XYZ Company wants to double revenues in five years. For the past 10 years they have done very well selling just one product. But, recently, the product has become stale as their customers needs have changed and evolved.
The company's sales manager says, "If we just double our sales calls, we should be able to meet our revenue targets this year."
That's this year. What about next year? The product is already past its prime. XYZ Company can suck the last few dollars out of the marketplace with this product, but that won't be sustainable.
Basic blocking and tackling -- the standard marketing tactics of mailing more brochures, or adding new graphics to the website or making more sales calls won't lead to long-term growth.
Strategy? Ah, yes. A strategy must be developed using these steps.
1) Analyze the marketplace to see where it is going. Survey your current customers and prospects to see what they need now and in the future.
2) Collect current and past sales data.
3) Collect third-party data about industry trends. Is there really a need for this product over the next five years?
4) Study your competitors. What products have they introduced or retired?
5) Synthesize the information gathered in steps 1 through 4. See patterns forming? See where the industry in going? Any light bulbs visible to shed light on the future?
Maybe XYZ Company learned that their one product solved only half of the problems for customers. They needed to fill a new need in the market place. They concluded that if they added a few bells and whistles to the same product, their current customers could be retained, and new customers could be acquired.
Strategy? Yes, fill a new need and invest in product improvements. Create a re-envisioned product. Set the right price. Then, create a new and improved brand to support the product. Now, it's time to implement the marketing tactics -- sending the right message to the right customers and prospects at the right time. New brochures. Updated website. Add a blog and social media tactics.
See the difference? The strategy was to fill a need in the marketplace. The tactics generate the leads that result in new revenue.
Strategy is not a marketing buzz word to be thrown around lightly in your workplace. The word is often incorrectly used in marketing discussions. For example, junior marketers think everything is strategy, including marketing tactics.
I've worked with people who assume that if they say the word "strategy" once in every third sentence, they will look like geniuses to their bosses and co-workers. (Nope, sorry. You're just making yourself look silly to the seasoned people in your midst that know the difference between "strategy" and marketing tactics. They roll their eyes at you.)
Planning a strategy takes a global and satellite view of the situation to be addressed through marketing tactics. Strategy requires a deep understanding of your market, customers, competitors, product and goals.
Here's an example.
XYZ Company wants to double revenues in five years. For the past 10 years they have done very well selling just one product. But, recently, the product has become stale as their customers needs have changed and evolved.
The company's sales manager says, "If we just double our sales calls, we should be able to meet our revenue targets this year."
That's this year. What about next year? The product is already past its prime. XYZ Company can suck the last few dollars out of the marketplace with this product, but that won't be sustainable.
Basic blocking and tackling -- the standard marketing tactics of mailing more brochures, or adding new graphics to the website or making more sales calls won't lead to long-term growth.
Strategy? Ah, yes. A strategy must be developed using these steps.
1) Analyze the marketplace to see where it is going. Survey your current customers and prospects to see what they need now and in the future.
2) Collect current and past sales data.
3) Collect third-party data about industry trends. Is there really a need for this product over the next five years?
4) Study your competitors. What products have they introduced or retired?
5) Synthesize the information gathered in steps 1 through 4. See patterns forming? See where the industry in going? Any light bulbs visible to shed light on the future?
Maybe XYZ Company learned that their one product solved only half of the problems for customers. They needed to fill a new need in the market place. They concluded that if they added a few bells and whistles to the same product, their current customers could be retained, and new customers could be acquired.
Strategy? Yes, fill a new need and invest in product improvements. Create a re-envisioned product. Set the right price. Then, create a new and improved brand to support the product. Now, it's time to implement the marketing tactics -- sending the right message to the right customers and prospects at the right time. New brochures. Updated website. Add a blog and social media tactics.
See the difference? The strategy was to fill a need in the marketplace. The tactics generate the leads that result in new revenue.
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