The Critical Mistake We All Make when Describing Our Brand Voice
“If your company voice isn’t loud enough, it’s because you’re letting it do all of the talking.”
The hardest part about developing your brand voice is that you’ll devote a ton of attention to it, but it shouldn’t draw attention to itself.
Vague marketing “gurus” tell you to describe your brand voice in adjectives. Your voice is “warm.” You are “bold.” You are “unique” and “cutting-edge.”
You and 14 million others.
I challenge you to forget adjectives for a hot second and stoke your brand voice with action verbs instead. How does a “warm” brand behave? They encourage, accept, empower. Bold brands call out, weed out, and draw in. Cutting-edge brands better sharpen up and prove their point.
No matter what your company culture, personality, or vocabulary is, you are a company of action. You have to be if you want to survive.
Don’t get lost in the details of “what” you are and forget your Big Why. Your purpose, mission, and vision statements aren’t accomplished by adjectives. They’re tackled by action verbs. Let adjectives be how everyone else describes you.
Your actions will speak for themselves.
Onward,
Bill
P.S.
This post was inspired by Joel Spoelstra, author of Success is Just One Wish Away, marketing genius and a Cohort guest speaker.
Along with a free copy of the book, our members took away a ton of thought-provoking marketing tips, including the fact that marketing isn’t complicated—as long as you focus on what simply makes you stand out. Learn more about our Cohort here.
Pretend your brand is a person (this shouldn’t be hard—you two are closely related). Have you and your team complete the following exercise in your brand’s voice.
Offer someone help.
Tell someone they are wrong.
Congratulate someone on a great decision.
Thank someone for their faith in you.
Ask someone to share something with you.
Say you’re sorry.
This week, take one of those darn adjectives that I know you’ve branded into your company playbook and align it with the action verbs to bring life to your core purpose. Not for just your customers. For YOU.
