One of the most important parts of building your brand’s digital presence is establishing your voice on social media. Since your social accounts typically give your audience that first glimpse into what you and your company are all about, what you post and comment lays the groundwork for how your followers will perceive your brand as a whole. Simply put, watch your language on social media!
No, we’re not your great-grandma reincarnated, wagging our finger telling you to watch your mouth. We’re telling you to be smart about what you’re communicating on public social forums. Use language that is compelling, that speaks directly to whomever you’re trying to reel in as a long-time follower/consumer. As someone once said, “life is all about language.” (I just pulled that off the top of my head. If it’s not copyrighted, I shotgun™ that phrase.)
When you’re just starting to build your brand’s voice, it can be a tempting – and even productive – to experiment with a few different writing styles. Think of it like trying on a hat. Maybe you’ve never bought a hat before in your life, but you’ve decided that today is the day that you’re gonna rock something on your head. You pick up a wide-brimmed hat; it looks fine, but a little too much – like you need an iced latte in-hand while you bask under a palm tree in order to wear it. You pick up a fedora; immediately, you put it back down. And then you see this black canvas baseball cap-style hat and put it on, and you know what? You rock it. You absolutely rock it. Establishing your brand voice is the same sort of process.
Creating your brand’s voice will take some time, as well as some trying out of a few different tones. But in the meantime, we’ve come up with some basic voice & tone guidelines to help you get started!
Avoid: Trendy Teen Lingo
Chances are, you’re not a teen anymore – and neither are most of your followers. While it may be tempting to try and learn whatever jargon kids these days are throwing around, please refrain from implementing certain slang into your brand voice. You have a vision for your brand, so make sure you stick to it. There is arguably nothing more cringey than a respectable brand remarking that anything is “lit”. (The 🔥 emoji, however, is perfectly appropriate, circumstances depending.)
Avoid: Embellished Job Titles
Fun fact: I once professionally referred to myself as a “word wizard.” It was a long time ago, and it was for one of my online writing profiles, but let’s just say it sends an actual shiver down my spine every time I think about it. It didn’t occur to me at the time that “writer” would suffice.
Job titles are job titles – they’re meant to be obvious descriptions of your immediate responsibilities, not play into your Harry Potter fantasies. While it may be tempting to spice up the description of what you do for a living, opt to keep it simple instead. For one, it’ll make you seem more authentic. Would you take anyone who refers to themselves as a “social media ninja” seriously? What about “marketing guru”? Unless you’re leading people through meditation in an ashram, stick to referring to yourself as a “marketer”. Other titles/adjectives to nix: “marketing rockstar”, “social media vixen”, etc. Be truthful and professional about describing your role, and professional respect will follow.
Avoid: Clickbait Content
When you’re first getting the ball rolling on brand awareness, posting content outside of your norms may be a lingering thought in the back of your mind.
For example: “What if I post this viral content, but use my own caption?” Chances are, if you post whatever viral content is going around, sure, it may get reposted and seen by a larger audience than your traditional posts – but it will not build your follower count, and will distract your current loyal followers, which you’ve worked so hard to keep, hooked onto your solid, creative content.
Clickbait content is an engagement temptress – avoid her. Stay true to your brand’s vision, and don’t fall victim to posting content you think will just garner attention towards only one particular post. Instead, focus on posting content that will keep followers around in the long run.
No matter how you establish your brand voice, just remember: keep it simple, stay true to your brand’s core values, and have fun! Your brand’s true voice will establish itself over time.
Michelle ✨
@serotinamedia
#KEEPSOCIAL
