Do NOT make branding an afterthought in your marketing. In this post I’m sharing 5 absolutely crucial elements of your brand that you must get RIGHT before you write.
Hey guys! It’s Alex. This week, I’m talking about a topic that a lot of copywriters and business owners still – even today as we enter the 2020s – tend to leave till the very last minute or skip altogether when it comes to making their marketing masterplan…
Which is a very, very big mistake. Yes, I am talking about BRANDING.
And NO, I don’t mean logos, fonts, and colors – all those obvious things you think of when hearing the word “branding”. Now don’t get me wrong, those are all important visual components that create your overall Brand Identity, but what I’m talking about today is your Brand Messaging…
Or as we in the Copy Posse like to call it, your Brand Voice.
Listen up, guys. No matter how small, every company needs a clear Brand Voice.
Especially in today’s battlefield of trying to win over the hearts AND minds of our ideal audience. Markets are getting more and more saturated and sophisticated…
Audiences are growing more aware…
And the lack of a clear and CONSISTENT brand narrative is NO longer tolerated.
Your Brand Voice drives your sales and marketing by articulating your unique positioning, your story, the reason WHY you exist, and the experience you promise…
All to help your customers get excited about investing in your product or service so that they can confidently say, yup, that’s my go-to source for… Parenting advice, or recipes, or yoga mats, or copywriting training… {fill in the blank}.
Trust me, skipping over the important step of defining your brand voice, will often backfire.
You may think that it’s wiser to jump straight into writing that sales copy or creating that marketing campaign, and you’ll just figure out the rest as you go. But guess what? Your customers may not be so keen on buying from you if they can’t figure you out immediately.
But it’s more than a marketing tactic, it’s about forming a lasting and trusting bond between you and your audience.
Without a clearly defined brand voice, you run the risk of drowning in the crowd, failing to get your point across, not engaging and connecting with your audience, or even worse, confusing the hell out of them or appearing incongruent which completely ruins your chances of ever turning them into a customer.
Before working with any new client, I ALWAYS ask them about these 5 elements that I’m about to share with you. And if they shrug their shoulders and say, “Ummm…. Alex, nope we don’t have anything like that.” Then I offer to help them create a Brand Voice Guide, before my team writes a single piece of copy.
This powerful document is then distributed among all teams, contractors and partners of the business – from designers to the traffic team to the support team to the CEO – so there is absolutely no confusion around what the brand stands for and how it should be communicating at all levels of the organizations.
Today, more than ever, people engage with brands LOOKING for a reason to not buy from them. Yes, NOT buy from them. With so many available options out there, they are looking for a reason to say “great, I can cross this one of the list because they’re incongruent / not my vibe / confusing / unrelatable / focused only on sales”…
Hey, I know that may sting a bit but my promise to you is to always keep it real, so you can stay relevant.
That is what I’m here for so if you want to get more proven copywriting techniques and formulas so you can uplevel your skills and scale your business with crazy good copy, go ahead and join my newsletter as I release a new tutorial every week.
Now, let’s get into what you came here for shall we?
Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to dial in your own copy, or a freelancer writing copy for your clients, there are 5 VERY IMPORTANT things you must identify in order to create a memorable brand voice…
And these need to be crystallized before you write any website, email, ad, or even blog post!
Okay — here we go! Brand Voice element #1…
#1: Unique Selling Proposition
A unique selling proposition or USP is a statement that succinctly embodies what differentiates your brand from your competitors. It needs to promise a benefit or feature that others can’t or don’t offer.
For example, Glossier, one of my favorite makeup brands, often uses the phrase “Beauty Inspired By Real Life”.
And it perfectly sums up what their brand is all about. Glossier makes products for people who prefer minimal makeup, and skincare for those who want fuss-free regimens.
Which is why you see all kinds of fresh, real-life faces from their global community modeling their products across their marketing platforms… from their Instagram account to their online store.
Now Brand Voice Element #2…
#2: Mission Statement
A mission statement tells your audience WHY you exist, WHAT you want to accomplish, and HOW you plan to get there. It’s one of the strongest messages you can communicate because it sets the intention behind your brand.
Mission statements should also convey your purpose in a way that intrigues, inspires, and motivates both your customers and the people within your organization.
For example, Patagonia, the world-famous outdoor clothing company, describes its mission as,“To build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
Patagonia addresses what they’re trying to achieve, why, and how – all in a single statement.
Now, your mission doesn’t HAVE to revolve around a cause. This is just a great case study of how effective brand messaging can drive both engagement and sales.
In 2018 alone, Patagonia’s revenue crossed the 1 billion dollar mark! Yet, they remain authentic to their mission by producing sustainable, eco-friendly clothing… and contributing a great deal of their profits to environmental causes. That’s pretty cool.
Alright, here comes number three on our list…
#3: Brand Story
Hubspot defines Brand Story as the recount of “the series of events that sparked your company’s inception and expresses how that narrative still drives your mission today.”
This is where the art of storytelling comes into your brand voice and messaging.
Think about it… Most people know the backstory behind their favorite heroes and villains, because they are compelling and memorable!
Just like a Superhero’s Origin Story, a strong brand story basically covers three pivotal turning points:
- The Status Quo: This is the old norm or origin of your situation, that eventually led you to…
- The Challenge: Basically some form of problem, conflict or adversity that disrupted the status quo and motivated you to find a solution. And finally…
- The Discovery: This is the epiphany or resolution that led to a personal breakthrough your customers can emotionally relate to. According to research, over 70% of customers are more likely to recommend brands they can emotionally connect with!
Let’s quickly use TOMS Shoes as an example.
In 2006, Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina and witnessed the hardships faced by children in poor, rural areas growing up without shoes. That is the origin of Tom’s Brand Story.
Blake was so moved, he felt determined to help these children, so he worked hard to come up with the most effective way to do that yet sustainably. Therein lies the challenge.
Ultimately, he founded a for-profit business that was completely sustainable, scalable and not reliant on donations – a pair of shoes given for every pair bought. The TOMS famous One For One mission.
TOMS empowers every customer to create instant, tangible and traceable impact on a child’s life. Talk about an emotional and powerful resolution!
Okay, the 4th element for a memorable Brand Voice is…
#4: Personality
Your brand personality is about the real qualities, expressions, and emotions it embodies the most. Yes, you need to give your brand HUMAN characteristics. I mean, if robots can have personalities, so can your business. Am I right?
Identifying your Brand Personality will play a huge role in determining the tone, feel and flow of your copywriting and messaging. Is your brand conversational and playful? Loud and assertive? A young millennial who loves to travel? A Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist? Haha who can name that Superhero?
Comment below and let me know.
Now, another part of Brand Personality is clearly defining the Brand’s Phraseology, or the common phrases, sayings, words, sign offs or slang that are often used in marketing, content and customer communication without much thought.
For instance — you might’ve noticed that I always sign off with “The Right Phrase Pays”. And I always start my videos with “Hey Guys!” And I’ve been known to say “Rad!” from time to time, haha.
When working with clients to create a Brand Voice Guide, I’ll create a Glossary of their most common Phraseology so it can be documented and given to anyone who communicates on behalf of the company.
A very powerful first step to clearly defining your Brand Personality is to get crystal clear on who your ideal customer is! To do this, I recommend you check out my blog where I walk you step-by-step through my Customer Avatar Exercise.
Ok, and our final must-have brand voice component is…
#5: Values
Your values represent what your brand stands for, which is also what YOU, the person or team behind the business, stand for. They are the guiding principles that shape every aspect of your business — from your message, identity, customer experience, buying journey, policies, and so much more.
Once you’ve got a good idea of your unique positioning, mission statement, and brand story — it’s time to strip them down to your core values…
Or brand pillars, as some would call it.
For example, Rihanna’s fierce lingerie line, Savage X Fenty, “celebrates fearlessness, confidence, and inclusivity”.
They make lingerie that helps women of all shapes, sizes, and colors bring out their wild and sexy side.
Their breath-of-fresh-air brand hit the world by storm in 2019, seriously putting Victoria’s Secret’s outdated fashion show to shame.
It was really no surprise that Victoria’s Secret decided to cancel it last year. They are now spending some time to re-think and evolve their marketing and branding as reported by Harper’s Bazaar late last year.
Let’s hope they can stay alive as other brands with much more powerful voices rise.
So there you have it — 5 of the most important components that every business absolutely needs to stay REAL, relevant, and relatable to TODAY.
And, if you’re ready to learn how to craft a spellbinding Brand Voice that helps you stand out and effortlessly attract your dream customers – check out my Posse Eye Challenge!
In Only 5 Days, you’ll get my powerful Posse Eye framework: the 4-core storytelling and copywriting elements you need to craft a potent positioning strategy, evoke your Brand Voice and create messaging that will captivate your ideal audience, charm your customers and call in raving fans.
That all this week! Once again, thanks for reading, and remember to subscribe to my newsletter too!
Have a fantastic week guys. Till next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!
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