Posts Tagged ‘voice’

You wouldn’t know it by the way I run my mouth off sometimes, but I spend lots of time mulling over ideas of image, presentation, and messaging.  Today I’m thinking about authenticity…that hard to define, je ne sais quois that every company wants but not everyone can achieve.  All too often, I’m struck by the almost-right-but-oh-so-wrongness of a company’s message…the communications equivalent of a creepy pageant contestant who looks great but just doesn’t act like a normal human.  And an inability to communicate with genuine credibility is often to blame.

What’s authenticity? To me, the word “authenticity” defies a dictionary definition.  It’s the perfect balance and blend of truth, transparency, and individuality.  It evokes trustworthiness and comfort.  And it doesn’t shy away from warts, wrinkles, and hard-to-discuss subjects.

What do businesses and brands gain from authenticity? An authentic voice establishes credibility and familiarity, lending a “known quantity” feeling to a brand that creates trust.  Authenticity has a holy grail kind of feel…you want your message to come off clearly, simply, and truthfully, and you probably want even complex or crafty messages to sound unforced and truthful.

What’s the catch? The catch is that, by default, marketing and PR communications involve a level of thought, planning, and skill that at its core can come off as inauthentic.  Simply telling someone you’re great isn’t enough…in fact, it could be the worst possible thing to do.  Instead, there’s a complex balancing act that comes into play when creating authentic communications.  You have to imply your greatness (or funness, or usefulness, or whatever value your brand brings to customers) through demonstrable actions (results, benefits).  The problem?  It’s not enough to appear to be genuine. Yes, it’s okay to think through your communications strategy (um, a bit more than okay)…but if it comes off as forced, it won’t work.  Consumers smell inauthenticity.  They see it coming.  It’s the marketing equivalent of a blind date sensing desperation or a dog picking up on your emotional state.

So how do you foster authenticity?  Here are a few recommendations:

• Keep it simple.  It’s way easier to drive home one point at a time.
• Get your values in line.  Speak from a place of true conviction and passion.  If the underpinnings are right, you can’t help but nail it.
• Remember the humans.  Customers and clients aren’t just dollars…they’re people.  Fix a picture of your client or customer firmly in your mind…then talk to them!  No bull allowed.  It is shocking how many companies — big, well-funded, supposedly brand-savvy companies — seem unwilling or unable to acknowledge the needs, wants, desires, and realities of their customers as they are, not as they want them to be.
• Don’t hide. Develop a habit of facing objections, challenges, and pitfalls head-on.  Does that mean you need to broadcast all of your problems at all times?  No, but you need to be willing to address them in a straightforward and transparent manner.  Let the truth be your guide, even when it’s challenging.
• Practice.  Try out your message and see if it rings true.  Not hitting the right note?  Solicit feedback, tweak, and try again.

What’s your take on authenticity?  I’d genuinely (har) love to know.  – Erin

Let’s get this out there:  writing is hard.  Writing about your business?  Even harder.  As I help clients refine their communications, I am reminded again and again of the importance of voice.  Unfortunately, many business owners either never think about voice, or assume that their own will do just fine.  I’m here to challenge those assumptions.  Here are six ways to find your voice:

Know what you’re looking for.  What is voice, anyway?  It’s the sum total of your words, the impression left by your word choices, grammar, sentence length, paragraph structure, and style.  Hard to define, but easy to recognize, voice creates expectations and delivers information in a unique, recognizable way.

Go back to basics. What values and goals are behind your business?  Your voice should reflect them consistently, religiously.  If you’re committed to simplifying your clients’ lives, why are you bombarding them with complex sentences and long, droning copy?  Get clear about why you’re talking, and let voice flow from there.

Be unique.  Take a look at what others are doing…then dare to be different.  If you don’t understand what makes you stand out from the pack, how can you be sure that others will?  Take some time to brainstorm the qualities that make your company and approach unique.  Look at the list before you write.

Kick assumptions to the curb.  It’s easy to assume that your clients will respond to a certain writing style…until it turns out that they hate it, or are turned off by it, or don’t get it.  It’s even easier to assume that your writing won’t pass muster.  Question those assumptions at every turn, and chuck the ones that are getting in the way of your communications.

Trust your reader.  Writing creates relationship, a subtle give and take between reader and writer.  Resist the temptation to overtell or oversell.  You’ll overwhelm your reader and cloud your voice (two major no-nos).

Chill out. It can be scary to commit to a particular identity for your business, but guess what?  Everything is impermanent, and you’re allowed to tinker, waffle, even change your mind.  So relax…better to try and fail than do nothing.

Image courtesy of It’s Holly