Finding Your Corporate Voice

We’re long passed the days of staying silent. A company that only promotes a marketing campaign or sale is considered dry and money-hungry. Of course, we all need to profit in some way. But there are do’s and don’t’s that differentiate the greatest from the greediest.

Establish Your Persona

Creating an online “persona” helps your company feel more human and less like an agenda-pushing corporation. Typically, this is easier for nonprofits and charities because their intentions are clear and regarded as more “pure.” But that doesn’t mean a corporation cannot have a positive tone either.

Consider your brand as a person you want something from. Say you’re looking for a babysitter. Do you want a sarcastic, snarky babysitter to influence your children? Or do you want an encouraging, nurturing guide to make you children laugh? Probably the latter. Enter the iconic Mickey Mouse with his bright eyes, polite manners, and infectious laughter. His feel-good image and lessons with his friends are what frame the “Disney Persona.” When you visit Disney World, you expect a memorable experience full of positive energy, endless love, and warmth. People associate Disney with happiness, dreams, and family values, despite it being one of the world’s largest, multi-billion dollar corporations.

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

Memes and pop culture references probably won’t resonate as well with Baby Boomers, but Generation Z pretty much developed its own language revolving around them. Study your audience and make sure you’re on the same wavelength. Just because you’re a technical engineering company doesn’t mean that the normal consumer knows what a “DC only overcurrent protection device” is. They just call it a “circuit breaker.” So call a spade, a spade.

Provide Substance, Not Content

Anyone can write. Not everyone can write well. Just posting marketing messages and “fluff” increases the risk of being skipped, muted, or unfollowed. Be proactive in what interests your audience. Make sure the content you’re posting is valuable to them; make it educational, provide tips, and give facts. Provide them with something to take away, even if they don’t convert. At least they’ll regard you as credible and knowledgeable about your market and product. Also make sure to keep up on what’s happening on each platform and stay informed about trending topics.

Embrace Your Quirks

The traits that make people in our lives memorable are the same traits that a company should embrace. Maybe that’s a witty sense of humor, aesthetically pleasing photos, or plethora of puns. Seth Godin, renowned author in the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, cautions “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” Unique properties can help establish your brand’s tone and make it recognizable among the social media clutter.

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