Identify your brand values
Your brand values are at the heart of what your business does. In simple terms, your values make up your business’s personality. When you’re clear on your brand values, the running of your business becomes easier. You’ll know what products and services you need to offer, the kind of customer you want to attract and the kind of staff you want to work with.
Consequently, it’s really important that you get an understanding of what your brand values are. Don’t confuse values with your goals. Goals are where you want your business to be, values are how your brand acts as it embarks on that journey.
Get stuck into some research
Have a look at the values expressed by your competition. It’s likely that you’ll share similar values, but it’s important that your values are different in some way. Building your own brand values is about standing out. Focus on what makes your brand unique.
While you’ve got your research hat on, it’s important to take this opportunity to learn more about your target audience. Brand values work best when they appeal to those who are more likely to buy your product or service. This helps to encourage brand loyalty. Look at the people in your target audience, think about what they value, and work from there.
What does your brand stand for
The easiest way to figure out what your brand and business stands for is to think about what you would tell a friend or family member if they asked you about what you do. This helps you look at your business from a different perspective, and you should be able to see the core of what your business is all about.
American Express is an example of a brand that’s completely nailed their brand values. You can use them, or your favourite brand, for some inspiration when thinking about how to approach finding yours. Once you’ve figured out what your brand values are, you can start to look at your brand voice.
Develop a clear brand voice
It’s not just about what you say, it’s how you say it. Why is brand voice important? Put simply, having a clear brand voice allows you to be consistent. And if content is king, consistency is queen. It’s been found that brands that are consistent see a 33% increase in revenue, so it’s important to make sure you’re doing what you can to make sure you’re on the ball.
Bring your content to life
Without a brand voice, your content will lack personality. People might feel confused when they read your content if the tone of voice is constantly shifting. When you’re clear on your brand voice, it brings your content to life. It helps your audience feel that when engaging with your brand, they’re engaging with a human being.
How to define and use your brand voice
Once you’ve figured out your brand values, you can then start to hone in on your brand voice. What kind of content are the people in your target audience engaging with? Do you want your content to be authoritative? Quirky? Funny? Whichever words describe how you want your content to come across are the foundation blocks of your brand voice.
Once you’ve nailed these words down, you can then expand on them and create a word chart, and a document of dos and don’ts for anyone who writes content for your brand. This will ensure your content is consistent and the tone of voice used is the same across all channels.
Now that you’re clear on your brand values and voice, you’re in a good place to create content that’s authentic and engaging. And you should begin with being as transparent as possible.
Give your audience a look behind the scenes
Almost 94% of consumers are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers transparency. It’s the world we live in now. Customers are clued in, and they want to see how you operate. The opportunity here is that you can use your social media channels to create stories that showcase how you run your business and the people you work with. Encourage your followers to ask questions about your processes. This builds trust and loyalty between your brand and your audience.
Consider creating video content that gives your audience that peek behind the curtain. We’ve got you covered if you’re wondering what kind of video content is right for your business.
Nobody’s perfect
When you’re marketing your brand it’s easy to make everything look perfect. But if things look too glossy, people might find it difficult to relate with your brand. Don’t be afraid to be open with your audience about the struggles you face running a business. This makes your content more relatable and open to conversation. It’s okay for things to be unpolished sometimes. That being said, it’s important that you don’t go overboard here. Showing vulnerability to your audience isn’t about discussing personal and private matters on your social media channels, it’s about showing your followers that you’re human.
Being real with your audience will help you maintain and build trust with them. And when brands build trust with consumers, they get rewarded. A survey conducted by Edelman showed that 81% of consumers said that they need to be able to trust the brand in order to buy from them.
Actions speak louder than words
If your brand takes a stance on a particular topic like the environment, politics or human rights, you need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. If you state in your messaging that you’re behind a cause or issue, but you don’t back it up, you’ll be doing more damage than good. 64% of shoppers across the world are belief-driven buyers. This means they base their shopping decisions on a brand’s position on controversial issues.
Let’s look stateside for an example. Shoe retailer Footlocker took the stance of encouraging its audience to get out and vote in the last election. The brand transformed more than 2,000 of its American stores into voter registration sites, ensuring that they were backing up their stance with real action.
As a result of constant bombardment from advertisers and other brands, consumers have increasingly adapted to block out content that’s too good to be true or appears to be disingenuous. That’s why it’s more important than ever to be more authentic in your marketing and content creation. Let’s talk about how Bobble Digital can help you create a strategy that builds trust and loyalty; contact us today.
