You can’t visit a marketing or advertising website without reading an article about the success of Denny’s and Taco Bell on social media. Writers will praise the quirky voices that those two brands have established, and how they’ve managed to connect with their fans by creating funny, unique, personable voices. Of course, this has led to a raft of imitators. It sometimes seems like nearly every brand you see on social is trying to be funny and quirky in the specific way that Taco Bell is funny and quirky. The problem is twofold: That voice works great for brands like Denny’s and Taco Bell, but not for all brands, and when everyone is using the same “quirky” voice, it loses value as everyone suddenly sounds the same.
So, how can your brand create social media voice that is interesting, unique, and engaging to your fans?
Here are some things to consider when trying to find your brand voice:
1. Think about what you make.
Your brand is an extension of the product or service you make. Your social media presence needs to be a reflection of that product or service as well. Taco Bell’s voice sounds like the funniest guy you knew in college. That makes sense as a disproportionately large number of their customers are in their teens and twenties. If you’re a big bank, you can still create a funny voice, but maybe it might make more sense for it to be a financially savvy, witty aunt or uncle. If you run an auto-dealership, a blue collar guy might make more sense. Always think about your product before you think about your voice.
2. Think about who you’re talking to.
We kind of touched on this in point one, but if the majority of your audience is college students, craft a voice that is compelling to them. If you’re Blackberry and you make products targeted as business-folks, create a voice that sounds like a business-person.
3. Whatever you do, don’t try to sound like someone else.
Please, please, please don’t ever try to craft a voice by trying to sound like your cooler, more successful competitor. You need to be you and let other brands be them. Your brand voice needs to show what makes you unique and differentiates you from the pack.
It’s also important, and very much related, to find a good content marketing voice for your brand. Learn more here.
