You know that awkward moment when you read your company’s LinkedIn post and it sounds smart and quite refined. But then you scroll over to your Twitter feed, and it is like an entirely different personality took over!
Like someone is trying to portray an entirely different brand identity! Well, that happens to the best of us!
Brands- particularly the ones moving fast or growing quickly- tend to fall into this trap. Different teams, different writers, different platforms. What starts off as flexible messaging soon turns into an array of inconsistent voices that can leave your audience confused and even unconvinced.
Let’s talk about how to build a brand messaging framework that works- one that does not look good but also makes your content more unified, your team more confident, and your audience more engaged.
If you have ever read your company’s website, emails, and social media posts and felt these do not sound like the same brand, you have experienced messaging fragmentation.
It is not just a creative issue. It can create a trust issue as well. Customers can easily sniff out inconsistency and will leave you if your voice feels fake or all over the place. Today’s customers do not have the time to understand your brand’s multiple personalities.
So how do you get everyone in your company, including your copywriters and social media team, and product leads, on the same page without killing creativity?
The answer- a messaging framework!
A messaging framework, when done right, is the answer to all your woes when it comes to building a platform-agonistic brand voice. It is a structure that makes writing easier. It is like the blueprint for your brand’s voice- and is built for real people and not just corporate robots.
Here is what it needs:
This pertains to understanding why your audience listens to you. What makes them follow you open the links you provide in your communication? What kind of language makes them feel like you understand them?
Explore your reviews, sales calls or customer support conversations. This is where you will find the real language that works with your target audience.
We all hear and read about how important it is to be authentic. But have you thought about what it really means?
Instead of using generic lines or buzzwords, try to be more specific and confident about what you are offering so that they find you more helpful and not another brand vying for their attention.
Your audience behaves differently on different platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn. So, your voice needs to flex without breaking. You can sound playful on Instagram Reels and more educational on LinkedIn posts- as long as you still sound like you and your audience does not find your tones contrasting.
A practical way to do that is to make platform-specific messaging cheat sheets that show how your voice comes to life in different online spaces. Think of them as instructions for making remixes- not new songs.
Moreover, while you are investing time and budget into smart and consistent messaging, consider pairing it with a little extra traction – like a service that helps you acquire more real followers and authentic engagement. This may give your content the reach it needs to gain more exposure. Just make sure to choose platforms that value quality.
Still wondering if a messaging framework is worth the time? Here is what it offers you!
· Quicker content creation- Your team can stop spinning their wheels trying to get the messaging tone right. They know what it is and how they can use it.
· Fewer edits- Writers are able to deliver stronger first drafts. Managers stop rewriting everything.
· Better engagement- Audiences engage more when the voice feels familiar and trustworthy.
· Increases conversions- When your messaging is aligned and consistent, people know what you offer and how it helps them.
And here is something you can try- Take one blog post, one LinkedIn post, and one email from your brand. Read them out loud. Do they sound like they were written by the same person? If the answer is no, you need to bring your messaging across the board in line.
Your framework should be a living and breathing thing and must not be treated like a once-and-done document.
Build feedback loops and use tools that identify off-brand language. Track performance across different platforms. Also revisit your framework quarterly. This is necessary because you messed up at some point, but to ensure you sound recognizable, whether you are talking to a customer for the first time or the tenth.
Your voice is one of the few brand assets that cannot be copied. Competitors can easily cop your features. They can match and beat your prices. But they cannot replicate your tone, your rhythm, or how you make people feel.
So, if your brand voice is still giving mixed and confused messages, it is time to fix that.
However, as you try to fix it, do not shun creativity; instead, try to channel it. Give your team the tools to express themselves within a clear and flexible brand voice- and watch how your content starts to appeal to the masses, consistently.
Because the audience always notices. So keep trying to make your voice consistent. The result- a brand that sounds like someone with a personality- not just something.
Sources
https://www.siteimprove.com/blog/messaging-framework/
https://www.socialsamosa.com/2015/07/interview-emrgence-platform-agnostic-brand-voice/
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
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