5 Things to Keep in Mind as You Develop Your Brand Voice on Social Media

Social media is a champion in the marketing world. From Facebook and Youtube to Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, there are several great platforms that will help spread your company’s message positively.

But creating a voice for your brand is difficult. You’ll want your brand voice to convey a certain feeling – and that feeling depends entirely on the product or service you provide.

For example, if you’re a company that sells makeup to young people, you may want your voice to be playful, inclusive, and fun; however, a brand voice like that probably wouldn’t work for a law firm. The firm may primarily want their voice to be professional, honest, and trustworthy.
Take a minute and think of your business. Do you run a coffee shop? A grocery store? A clothing company? A massage therapy service? Describe your brand voice in three words and then think of five of the best ways to create that voice for your target audience. There are a lot of do’s when it comes to creating a brand voice and sticking to it, but there are also some universal don’ts. Here are five to keep in mind as you start developing your voice for social media:

1. Don’t use passive voice. Social media helped your business, not your business was helped by social media. Passive voice can be difficult to avoid (you may even find a couple instances of it in this blog), but do your best to limit your use of it and construct your sentences carefully.
2. Don’t avoid issues that are important to your audience. If a hot button issue is relevant to your business, but you’ve been tiptoeing around it and hoping not to get involved, you may be hurting, rather than helping, your cause.
3. Don’t be too casual. In this instance, the word “casual” can be subjective. Casual to a law firm may not be casual to a makeup company. Think again about your voice and what’s appropriate for your audience, then stick to it.
4. Don’t lose sight of your audience and core message. Straying too far from either can be detrimental to your social media presence. Have fun with your accounts, but always remember why you have them – they’re to promote your service or product, not to air out a personal issue or start a contentious debate.
5. Don’t miss out on chances to connect with your audience. Did you get a bad review from a customer? Try to remedy the situation. Social media is a customer service tool and should be monitored closely. Don’t just connect with people who have had negative experiences – make sure you engage with those who are consistent supporters of your business. If they keep having great experiences online and in real life, they’ll keep coming back.