Steps in Finding Your Online Voice
While I do love vanilla ice cream, a vanilla sounding voice doesn’t work online. In the world of social media and online marketing, there is an avalanche of noise. In order to be found, be heard and be adored your content must break through that noise and say something different. Let’s read more about Finding Your Online Voice.
3 Quick Steps to Find Your Brand’s Signature Voice
1. When I started my marketing career in 2006 we used the term brand drivers; some people call this your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and now most people call it your WHY.
No matter what you call it, it is the reason people buy your product over competitors. It’s the thing that drives them to choose your brand. If you aren’t sure what this is yet, start a brainstorming list and fill in the blank to these questions. When you have your list filtered, look for gaps between what other brands are doing and what you find your theme to be. That intersection is where your online voice begins.
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- The thing I’m most passionate about is _____________.
- When it comes to my industry, the one thing people need to know is ____________.
- The thing that drives me crazy is ______________.
- In our industry, we are the only ones confident enough to say ____________.
- If I could tell people one thing about my industry it would be _____________.
2. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve been given to find a solution to my problem is to look outside of my own industry.
When we look for inspiration within our industry we’ll often find many people doing a similar thing. When we look outside of our industry we’ll find all sorts of things to inspire us–new business models, new ways to package goods and new ways to reveal our brands. You’ll find so much inspiration online that I recommend organizing it onto a Pinterest board. That way you can always come back to it.
3. In the era we live in, we Google everything!
Of course, I love that, but another way to draw inspiration and find your voice is to look offline. Take a walk downtown and look at flyers; what speaks to you? Head to a gift store and look at stationary. Do you love the way certain greeting cards are worded? Flip through a few magazines at the grocery store. Did you find something the feels like it’s part of your voice? Watch your favorite TV show and jot down notes when words or phrases stand out to you!
Take all of your inspiration from these three questions, pull it together and you’ll have a signature voice that stands out from the crowd.