Does your brand sound like you?
Do people know it’s you before they get to your byline? Do they share your messages with love, exclaiming your writing magnificence? Do they eagerly await your next blog post or email message?
No?
Then you’ve got a brand voice problem.
We’ve been talking a lot about digital copycatting and what a muck-up it is for your brand.
In the Cure for the CopyCat Brand, I identified five key ways digital copycatting shows up. One of most common ways is what I call, “The voice of.” This is when you lose your own voice and starting sounding like somebody else – a mentor, a friend, a colleague or your competition.
This happens fairly easily and often subconsciously. It’s usually a result of spending a bit too much time watching/reading/listening to others and getting swept up in their particular style.
Maybe you love their sassy, no BS approach or their very melodic, almost poetic writing style. Or maybe you love the way they inject humour throughout the post, leaving you smiling all the way to the end. Or maybe you’re in awe of their ability to create such thought-provoking and inspiring prose.
It’s all about their brand’s voice.
A voice so clear and so THEM that you know it a mile away. You’ll read something without a byline but instantly know it’s them. You look forward to reading everything they have to say – and actually light up when you see an email in your inbox from them.
This is the power of a brand’s voice. It’s ability to connect and to persuade and to ignite emotions.
And you want a little bit of that magic, right?
So you channel your inner Danielle LaPorte or Marie Forleo or Naomi Dunford, and do you damnedest to sound cooler or hipper or smarter. And it kinda works – but mostly, your efforts fall flat.
It bears repeating that whenever you mimic or emulate someone else, you’re depriving your audience of the chance to get to know the real you. To hear YOUR voice. To be swept up in your style.
Instead, their instant BS reader picks up that you’re not being true to you, and as a result, they aren’t overly excited to read your blog posts or purchase your products.
The entrepreneurs who have their brand voice nailed down and put it out there loud and clear, have no problem attracting readers and customers.
Great brand voices have the power to mesmerize and inspire and absolutely enrapture their readers.
And when you’ve got this going on, you won’t be wanting for work.
But how do you find your voice?
If you’re like me, it’s been a particular challenge to unlearn the years of formal corporate speak. My degree is in communications and I spent many years writing promotional, informational and corporate messages. I can write well, but it doesn’t sound much like me.
This is still a daily battle. I re-read and scrap a lot of my writing when I get to the end and realize that it sounds nothing like me – the REAL me. The me I want to convey to you – the me that is this brand.
Because let’s face it. You’re not showing up here – reading this post to get some well-written, but rather dry article. You could get that anywhere.
That’s why cultivating and liberating your brand’s voice is so critical. It’s a key part of what makes you distinct. It’s why people come back for more. Information is a dime a dozen – you’ll come back here because you like my style, you like the way I write and the way I say what I say.
So, let’s talk about how you can identify and unleash your brand’s voice:
1. Write like you talk
It’s much harder to pretend to be someone you’re not (or sound like someone else) when you’re talking. So, if you struggle with voice, start by talking out your blog post first – then translating it to screen. Anytime you’re challenged with writing, talk it out and then hit the keyboard.
2. Keep writing
Your voice isn’t something you wake up one day and discover. It is revealed over time and that comes with practice. Every single time you write, if you’re conscious about your brand’s voice, you’ll start to sound more and more like you. Don’t wait to start.
3. Hit delete
I’ve written entire blog posts and then realized they sound nothing like me. Until your brand’s voice comes a little more naturally, don’t be afraid to write something and then scrap it. For example, when you finish up a post, re-read it and then ask yourself, “Does this sound like me? Is this the way I want my brand to be conveyed?” If the answer is no – don’t put it out there.
4. Turn off other voices
If you’ve got some serious writing to do – don’t spend any time leading up to that by reading your favourite writer’s stuff. Get them out of your head so you have a blank slate that isn’t filled with comparison, inspiration and ideas from others.
5. Focus on your readers
This isn’t the time to prove that you could have been a world-class novelist. Write what your readers want to read. Write it in a way that’ll resonate with them. This requires understanding your right person.
6. Bring out Brand YOU
This will be a challenge for any of you corporate escapees. But you gotta ditch the formal, no-personality approach. I become a champion of a brand when their point of view and voice is so strong that I know I can’t get it anywhere else. So, I want to see your quirks. If you swear – swear. If you’re funny – be funny. If like to write short sentences (like me) – write short sentences.
7. Develop your own brand language
Start to notice the words you use, and then use them frequently. Develop your signature brand language – a set of words, phrases and ideas that you reference regularly and that you come to be known for. For example, I coined the term “Digital CopyCatting” and I use the idea of this and me-too branding regularly. Every great brand has their own signature brand language. Don’t go overboard here – it’s always best to err on the side of simple, but a few key words and phrases can be great differentiators.
