Does Your Brand Have The Right Persona?
Does your business have a defined personality? The answer for most companies is almost certainly yes. But is it the right one? And are you using it to best effect? If you’re not sure or don’t know, then it’s time for some in-depth thinking about your brand persona.
Every company needs a strong identity and a consistent brand persona. Your online communications, whether it’s your website, blogs, social media channels or even your email exchanges, are the voice of your company. So your brand persona needs to accurately represent the service and experience that your consumers will receive should they click on your ‘Book’ or ‘Buy Now’ button. You may be reading this thinking this is an easily achievable goal, or perhaps you think you have this mastered already. After all, who knows your own business better than you do? Yet you’d be surprised how many businesses get this so wrong.
Knowing Your Audience
The first step, of course, is knowing who you are talking to, and we mean specifically, rather than just throwing yourselves out there and hoping for the best. Although it may sound obvious, spreading the net as wide as possible and selling to anyone and everyone prepared to buy is a common mistake. You can, of course, target varying demographics, and will likely use different mediums and strategies to communicate with each sector you have identified.
If you do not already know your target market, then we can certainly help you find out! However, on the basis you already know your target market, then it’s time to nail down your marketing mojo and plan your communications. As the saying goes, it’s not so much what you say, but how you say it that really counts…
Finding Your Voice
The tone and language you use say a lot about your business. Your written communications convey a sense of who you are and what you stand for. So it’s incredibly important that you get that right every time! Your brand personality sets expectations on the quality of your products and services, and the kind of experience people will have with you when they (hopefully!) buy them. All of the words you use will have an impact, the trick is to ensure it’s a positive one.
For travel, leisure and hospitality companies in general, your goals are to come over as reliable, trustworthy, knowledgeable, service-oriented and professional. Depending on your specific business there may be some additional personality points you want to hit too, like being fun, innovative, creative, safe, experienced, etc. A few things to bear in mind to use language best suited to your persona:
Formal Versus Informal
Formal language is perceived as being more professional, yet can also feel a bit faceless and stiff. Informal language can be more inclusive, and easier to instill with personality, however, you don’t want to sound too casual and lose the reliability and trust that comes with more formal language.
Consider for example the way you’d direct customers to your website following online communication, whether by email or messaging facility:
Formal – Please refer to the following webpage link for further details on pricing and today’s special offers.
Informal – hit up the weblink for info on pricing and today’s slammin’ hot deals!
In most cases, the trick is to find an in-between, a balance that conveys professionalism through formality but is not so formal to be lacking in personality or relatability. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution though, as every business will be different in this respect.
Slang
Using colloquialisms and slang strays towards the informal end of the written spectrum, and can be useful in helping you connect with a specific audience, particularly if you are targeting a specific age range. Most hip terms and phrases don’t stay around for long though, so be sure to regularly review your copy so it doesn’t become outdated.
Spelling and Grammar
In short, get it right! Your online communications are often the only insight your target customers have before purchase, so treat each medium with the same attention to detail as you would your personal CV. What you put out there and the level of care and attention you put into your communications sets a precedent for what consumers can expect in the flesh. First impressions count, so don’t ruin it with sloppy spelling, grammar or punctuation.
Wit & Sarcasm
OK, so you really want to push the fun factor? Well written pieces with a spot of humour can certainly do this. Beware though, as the written word does not always translate well and your intention could be misread, whether through cultural differences, or even just differences in reader style and personality. Of course, it’s much easier to convey personality and trust face to face, than it is long distance without the aid of none verbal communication such as facial expressions and gestures, tone of voice and laughter, etc. So your written tone and the language you use need to be perfect to set the desired impression. When not carefully considered and well put, an innocent attempt at injecting humour can be construed as rude or arrogant.
Be Consistent
In theory, the more you write/publish, the easier it will be to do so using more uniformity. A consistent brand personality sets you apart from your competitors and builds trust, so the more reliable you are with the persona of your communications, the greater return you are likely to see in terms of interaction, growth of followers, and of course conversions to sales. Inconsistency of your tone, however, can lead to mistrust and missed customers.
It can be difficult to reflect objectively on the consistency of your brand persona, especially if you are involved in the process yourself, or if your online communications across different mediums are tasked to different staff members. If you are actively involved in your business it’s relatively easy to assume you have a solid understanding of your staff, their personalities, and their ability to convey the brand persona too. They are your people after all, and you know them well (or think you do!). However, we tend to process written content in a different way when we know the author. We hear it in their voice, pick up on their quirks of humour and wit, and therefore read it as an authentic expression of them – or more to the point an authentic expression of them representing the company. This is a luxury that your prospective customers are not afforded, which is why it’s so important that your tone is consistent. Remember that it’s unlikely your customers will find/research you through one medium alone, so your personality must remain constant across all platforms. Consider whether a customer who finds you on a review based website would have the same first impression as someone who looked you up through your website, and in turn if their perceptions would match those who found you through your social media channels. Furthermore, consider whether a consumer who checks you out across a range of platforms gets a consistent and true vision of who you are and what your company is about. First impressions can’t be confusing. If people don’t know what they can expect from you, they’ll take their business elsewhere.
Consistency isn’t just about your tone and persona though. The frequency at which you post and contact your customers is important too. There’s no point spending time building towards a loyal following, widening your reach and increasing your lead generation just to let it slide when a staff member is sick or on leave for example. Therefore it is essential, even for small businesses, that you have an online marketing plan in place.
Don’t Fake It!
Why not? Because your customers will know, it’s as simple as that! Most of us can spot a fake personality in another human a mile off, so spotting a fake personality in a company is not so much of a step up. Besides, if your clients feel they are sold false expectations online then the reality of their real-world dealings with you will be sub-par. And we all know what that means… dissatisfied customers, poor word of mouth, bad reviews, etc. So it is in your own best interests to be as real and true to your company’s ethos and mission statement as possible in all of your online communications.
Does your company have a consistent tone and persona? Do your management responses on review sites and in emails match your marketing tone on social media? Does your website adequately reflect the personality and mission statement of your company? If you are not sure or feel you may need some help with your online marketing strategy, online content or company communications,