Having an authentic brand is essential for every business, but sometimes keeping your branding message consistent across all channels is a challenge. Sometimes, things sound pretty different on various networks:
- On Twitter: Yo we’ve got some mad discounts on office supplies today!
- On blog: In today’s demanding business environment…
- In email: OMG we have some amazeballs sales happening! Check them out!!
Whether you’re using social media, a business blog, email, or any other marketing tool, make sure you have consistent branding across all marketing channels; otherwise, you risk alienating your audience.
First, What IS Your Branding Message?
It’s imperative that you take the time to really identify your branding message. What are you trying to relate to your audience? Your purpose, passion, and personality should shine forth in every message you create via marketing channels.
If your message is “we’re there to help small business owners succeed,” you’ll stay on point across your marketing channels if:
- You deliver useful small business content
- You write in a tone that small business owners relate to
- You keep your tone consistent
But Wait, What Does My Audience Want?
You may need to back up a bit to first get to know your audience before you craft your message. Who are they? What inspires them? What do they care about? What type of message hits them hardest for best results?
If you don’t know, ask them. Talk to customers one-on-one. Email surveys. Ask questions on social media. A little insight can go a long way.
Next, Think About Voice and Tone
Your branding message is related in the voice and tone you communicate with. Consider whether your audience will respond better to a formal or informal voice. If you’re trying to reach teenagers, you’d do better with informal dialogue and lots of LOLs, while a middle-aged business-minded audience may respond to a conversational, informative tone.
Is your audience going to care more about links to content? Questions? Shares of others’ content? It’s imperative that you deliver what they want in your messages.
Train Your Marketers
In a best-case scenario, one person would deliver your messages across all channels. If you have more than one person managing your accounts, however, make sure each of them are trained on what you want in terms of messaging and tone. If the social media manager is using informal slang while the blog writer is more stiff and formal, there’s a disconnect that your audience will notice.
Create a training document that outlines the message you want to relate on all channels, as well as the tone you’re going for. It’s helpful to provide some background on who you’re trying to reach so your marketers can keep that audience in mind. Ideally, anyone reading content across all of your marketing channels won’t be able to tell the difference from one writer to another.
Your branding messaging is designed to help people understand exactly what you do and how you can help them. With clear, consistent messaging, your job is that much easier.
