Creating a cohesive voice for your brand is an important element of your branding and content marketing strategy. We’ve seen that syncing your many copy writers to mimic one voice can lead your blogging endeavors to success. In creating a branding style guide, the standards you set for your company can become solidified to the reader; thus, helping the reader build a healthy relationship to your company and its products. So, how can you establish that cohesive voice among your writers?
When generating an effective branding style guide, you must always include specific examples to model the best practices to follow. Having your copy writers abide by these expectations will bring consistency across your company’s copy. Below are a couple of tips for establishing a consistent voice and incorporating creativity into your company’s writing, while remaining tasteful.
Informative Writing
Before writing any content, your bloggers need to view their branding style guidelines. Then, even before they begin writing, have them establish the purpose for writing and encourage them to reflect on the type of audience to which they will write. This means, tap into their prior knowledge and only write at the level of your readers. In doing so, you will set the appropriate tone and avoid being too redundant.
Audience Accessibility
Ultimately, the goal for blogging is to access a group of followers that share a common interest. Advising your copy writers of the tone of your blog will help to establish a consistent voice. Remember, branding and blogging is all about building relationships; think writing in a conversational tone that not only engages the reader, but also lets them connect to your company and relate to your product. Your style guide may want to include tips on how to address point of view, pronoun usage, and rhetorical questions.
Professional Enthusiasm
Even though a copy writer may lose a formal tone, incorporate something in the style guide about formal versus informal writing. Remind your writers to avoid sounding too informal and include daily filler language such as “totally” or “OMG.” Setting the tone in the style guide alone will help keep your writers professional and approachable. Understanding when to use colloquialisms can lead your blog from informal, inappropriate banter to informal, friendly and relatable content.
Personal Experiences
In addition to establishing a solid tone and foundation for blogs, the style guide can also present a good challenge for writers. You can encourage your content writers to be engaging. Going back to the old “5-paragraph essay format,” you’ll want your bloggers to grab their audiences’ attention from the get-go. Have them share personal experiences and have readers connect to you on a more personal level. From this simple addition, your branding content will be more exciting and will draw in a larger loyalty base.
Wondering why your brand needs a style guide? Find out here.
