Content is a brand’s currency to demonstrate relevance and, with emerging channels and interfaces like chat and voice, it’s bringing brands closer to their customers. But to succeed, company-driven content needs a more strategic approach that rebuilds a brand’s foundational and experiential elements.
Here’s the formula to strategically evolve your brand communication:
1. Rearticulate your brand story
Your brand story is the emotional narrative that expresses the vision and purpose of your organization. Adapted for different stakeholders, this story shapes understanding of your mission and value proposition.
There’s no better place to express it than on your About Us page. More than half of the 100-plus pages we examined were under-leveraging this 24-7 canvas.
The good examples range from the mission-driven Patagonia to the surprisingly unconventional General Motors.
2. Define your verbal strategy
Most marketers know they need a visual strategy, but few apply the same rigor for a verbal strategy, detailing these key components: Some key components you should build:
Messaging themes
The biggest ideas driving the brand are converted into actionable guidance for marketers and communicators. With proof points, copy blocks, and usage considerations, messaging flexes across touchpoints, channels, and content – while equipping you to tell a cohesive story that helps audiences understand who you are and what to expect.
Brand voice
Messaging is what you say, voice is how you say it. Voice also can modulate for different channels and subject matters – e.g., imagine how an insurance company’s voice might shift talking about the loss of a spouse versus talking about routine billing. A consistent voice should be applied across touchpoints and experiences from marketing to customer service. And yes, that includes call center scripts.
Naming and nomenclature
Naming companies and offerings to support your value proposition and business strategy is the first step. Next, you need to create naming logic across your portfolio to drive understanding and clarity. Sophisticated marketers also consider web navigation and audience experiences across the business’s offerings.
Portfolio thread
Storytelling is often done in silos at the business unit or market level. In a transparent, digital…
