Develop Your Brand Voice

On a weekly basis we meet with dozens of small business owners; from the local deli to the automotive superstore, everyone is trying to leverage social media to boost their business. We've noticed the folks having the most success all have something in common, they have a definitive voice. Voice in social media is all about extending your brand via words, by tweet, status update or video posting, your voice is how people hear you when they consume your content.

Here are 5 Tips for Finding Your Social Media Voice

1. Use Humor - using humor will let people know that you're approachable. By being approachable people will feel comfortable interacting with your brand and they'll ask questions when they need something. Humor also implies that you're not a selling machine and that you don't take yourself too seriously. People also want to do business with people that are fun; fun people make us feel good and feeling good can lead to a purchase decision. So be sure to work a little humor into your voice.


2. Self-Deprecation - this is always a sure thing because people love it when we make fun of ourselves. Think about all of the self-deprecating actors/actresses and comedians that you've been entertained by. Now think about why that was effective in terms of making you laugh. For one, you can probably relate to some of the self-deprecation. For two, it demonstrates a sense of humility. Self-deprecation also implies a level of self-awareness and that more than likely means you'll be aware of me as well, your potential customer.


3. Dumb Things Down - whenever possible, dumb-it-down. Your audience does not want to be bored with all of the details of your product line. They just want to know what it does and how it works. Keep it high level and save the details for a later conversation. This eliminates a perception of pretentiousness can come through when being too detailed on a given topic. Knowledge is power, but too much can lead to the lights turning-off.


4. Refresh & Recall - point out older blog posts or content that support your current initiative. This will demonstrate consistency of your brand vision and commitment to sustaining it. Refresh your audiences memory about what you're trying to achieve and point to anything you have available to support your effort. Recalling past client experiences or sharing testimonials can also be powerful in demonstrating not only credibility but transparency.


5. Call to Action - your social media voice should contain a call to action. This does not mean that it needs to be over the top and salesy. Just make sure that you're asking people to do something when you interact with them. Whether it's contacting Customer Service or sharing a story with you about their experience or even downloading a