Does Your Brand Have A Voice?

In 2018, the era where content and social marketing are paramount in connecting with the online generation, there are millions of brands for consumers to sift through. This is why content marketing has skyrocketed in the last decade. Strictly speaking, to survive and eventually thrive in the electronic community as a brand, your business must speak in a way that translates into what you want to say and how you want the brand to be perceived by the public.  This is referred to as a brand’s voice.

To successfully achieve this, the brand must ensure that a joining of the disciplines.

The Communication Process

The Interpersonal Communication Process

If you are familiar with the communication process, (If not, I’ve enclosed a simple diagram) you will remember that despite what we may believe, process distinctly presents that when a message is sent out from the source (brand) it’s encoded, flows through the channel and requires decoding in order to reach the receiver (brand’s audience). The receiver then provides feedback to the source, letting them know whether or not the message was received.

This process is standard and tells us, that if at any point the message that reached the receiver is not what the source intended, the source is at fault. Always. Simply, the communication process must be designed so that it cuts through noise (anything that may interfere with the transmission of the message) and encoded in such a way that the receiver is able to correctly decode this information.

Similarly, if a brands message is not translating to the audience in a way that the brand intended, whether that is because the message was not adequately encoded, or designed to cut through the noise (other brands, marketplace, confusion, etc.).

Your Brand’s Voice

A brand’s voice is represented by a consistent expression of your brand’s values, aims and expertise, usually represented through words, whether written or oral. It is important t maintain consistency is the brand’s voice across all platform and through all pieces of content expelled by the brand. It is possible to cultivate a brand’s voice through traditional market mediums, however, online content and its marketing carry a significant clout. Due to the speed at which feedback from the communication process can be achieved, an inconsistent or faulty brand voice can quickly come under fire and within minutes or hours be trampled, if not monitored and managed effectively.

The brand’s voice if not rigorously enforced, is also in danger of being drowned out by the sheer number and presence of other brands that are either direct competitors or alternate/substitute brands. Remember, many brands are just that nowadays, a brand that can represent a person, place, product, service, experience and the list goes on. Intangible brands can compete just as effectively with products and services if marketed the right way.

Your brand voice can be whatever you want it to be. Develop a strategy, execute and maintain it, and it will be heard.