June 4, 2021

Hey, Friend!

Have you read Radical Candor? 

We read it recently as part of Overit’s Book Club. With reports that employees are resigning en masse to avoid going back to the office, right now seems like a good time to brush up on soft skills. 

Of course, the aftermath of reading a book dedicated to radical candor is that now I’m obsessing over everything that comes out of my mouth. I’m hyper-aware of how I give praise and critique, when I challenge directly or squirm out of it, and whether I am using my voice and tone to bring value. 

As marketers, voice and tone are critically important. 

As brands, even more so. 

Today, voice is more important because brands must fill all the new holes and channels our customers live in. Everything is more fragmented and more diverse. It’s not one blanked message to reach tens of thousands. It’s dozens of micro-messages, more finely targeted, on a host of different platforms, said in a familiar voice and contextually relevant tone. Gah. No pressure. 

As a colleague smartly said this week, brands must be consistent, but they must also be flexible. But how? 

By establishing not just what your voice is but setting rules for where and how to use it.  (That last part is most forgotten.)

Baking Voice & Tone Into Your Brand

We’ve gotten smarter. We understand voice and tone must be curated and built into our brand from the very beginning. Mega brands from Firefox to Mailchimp to Peloton have detailed (and public!) brand guidelines outlining the proper use of color, yes, but also regarding their values, preferred language, and how to adapt it for different platforms. We can start creating those rules by asking questions like:

• Who is your audience?

Are they male or female? Are they conservative, or do they like to push the boundaries? What type of language do they use on social media, in support emails, or during in-store face-to-face conversations? What do they value? Who do they look up to? What are they looking for?

It’s tempting to look inward when deciding on your voice, but your customers, their comfort levels, and the things they want of you will determine the voice you use to get their attention. Collect a good profile. 

• What is your emotional aftertaste?

I often steal the phrase “emotional aftertaste” from Ze Frank. I love it. Not everyone does. Some find it “gross.” That’s okay. I like it because you immediately know what he’s talking about when he uses it. 

Take the word “grandma,” for example. 

It has an emotional aftertaste. Maybe it’s good, perhaps it’s terrible, but it’s earned through a bunch of different experiences piled on top of each other. You think of your grandma, and there are vivid sights and smells that flood back. You remember them. Your brand needs that same recall. That level of recall is platform-independent.

• Who are you?

Sometimes to understand your emotional aftertaste, you need first to identify who you are, what you believe in, and the handful of things you won’t compromise on. Fleshed out, these become your key messages. Those power statements convey the values of your brand. 

There are many reasons to break your brand’s key messages, but one big one is that it forces you to identify not just what you stand for and your value but how you communicate it. Your voice and your tone, and the words that make up your brand. 

Curate Your Community Accent  

Compare how you speak at work vs. how you talk around close friends. It's a bit different, right?

There’s an accent of familiarity when we have a rapport with people. The in-jokes and slang create a bond.  

How can you build that common language with customers?

This is what separates strong brands from those who have read about branding on the Internet. It’s fleshing out your accent—the choices you make with language that form a connection with your audience. That melds you as part of their community. 

• What words will you use? Avoid?
• What topics do you talk about? Avoid?
• What’s your sentence structure like? Casual or formal? 
• Sentence length? 
• Are emojis good or bad? 
• How many exclamations points when you’re excited?

I love that Firefox’s personality guidelines include not just what to say but what NOT to say. They are human and empowering, but not too chummy or too soft. 

Mailchimp has a Word List that outlines words to use, words to avoid, and--wait for it--words to use carefully. 😍

Into & Overit has an accent. If I were to turn off the lights and scrub off the logo, you'd probably still recognize its voice.

When you choose words that resonate with your customers emotionally, you set off a little dynamite stick in their minds. Positive or negative. The words you use and the way you use them should feel distinctly you. 

Know When to Use Voice & When To Back Off  

I know I just called them sticks of dynamite, but language is a tool, NOT a weapon. Yield it appropriately. One lesson I’m still learning is that not every moment has to be a Moment. I don’t have to stuff every interaction with wit for you to know sarcasm is my primary love language. I can pick and choose when to unleash it for a more significant impact. 

A little voice can go a long way. 

For brands, turn up the voice in the moments of connection, but turn it down when being clear and understood is the primary goal.

BRING THE VOICE in your:

• Email subject lines
• Product descriptions
• Error messages
• Order confirmations
• Texts
• Every fifth tweet or social media update

Litter these up with voicey nuggets. Insert inside jokes and details about the brand that will give someone paying attention a chuckle and let them connect deeper. 

AVOID BEING TOO VOICEY in: 

• Product/service names
• Site navigation (!)
• During transaction moments
• When asking for personal data
• Talking to new audiences who may not get your jargon or community euphemisms

I’m forever the Fun Sponge wanting to call something what it is vs. something clever. Don’t lose a conversion because you got too clever with the Buy Now/Checkout/Add To Cart buttons.

* * * *

Before content was given respect and social media gave us a microphone, it was easier to hide behind a generic brand voice. We didn't have to flesh it out. Today that doesn’t fly. I need to recognize you, instantly, wherever you appear.

It might feel awkward at first. You might feel vulnerable. But once the right customer is being attracted to the right message, you’ll see the power. 

• Devin takes the idea of building a flexible brand one step further with some actionable advice AND real examples.  
• Catch a new episode of the Get Overit Podcast. In Episode 4, our host Chris Fasano talks to musician Matt Starr about how to make dreams attainable. Check it out and subscribe!
• Got plans for June 8? Be part of our interactive roundtable discussion titled Home Services Marketing: How to Use Data in Real-Time. Learn how to better manage and understand your marketing and sales data to grow your business.