The Written Word

Why is writing so important? Like all forms of communication, it is essential for expressing ideas, cultivating creativity, discussing points of view, and reaching common goals. The caveman may have used drawings as a form of language, but the written word did not come into play until roughly 3500 BC in Mesopotamia.

Fast-forward several thousands of years, and the written word has evolved many times over. From Gutenberg’s Bible and Shakespeare’s sonnets to today’s short-form text messages and emojis, the way our words appear on paper—and now screens—has certainly changed! But while the method and language have seen many different iterations, the power behind words is still a fundamental part of humanity.

The Written Word in Business
A friend who is a senior global communications leader once shared a quote her mentor said to her, “Most people are only operating on a C-minus level.”

“Most people are only operating on a C-minus level.”
-Anonymous Mentor

If you’re like me, after you read this, you’ll commiserate and go about your day. But then, this might creep into your thoughts almost daily. You might recall this on your commute to work or while on hold during a call to customer support. Hopefully, you don’t encounter this theory of barely passable performance within your workplace, but I promise you’ll start to think about it.

Which is why it’s crucial to have strong—not just above average—communication skills in your marketing efforts. The cornerstone of any cohesive strategy is good writing. I will repeat: without proper grammar, articulation of key points, compelling narrative, and a direct call to action, any initiative is lacking.

“The limits of my language means the limits of my world.” 
- Ludwig Wittgenstein

This is the reason that we love the phrase “Strategic Storytelling,” and we’ve written about it in the past. It encompasses the best information presented in the most interesting way to the appropriate audience; it’s the heart and soul to any brand. A client has mentioned several times that she appreciates the way we “get it” so quickly: the information, the story, and the best way to tell it across multiple channels. And the written word—at an A-plus level—is a critical part to high performance.

Get the Write Stuff
There are many solutions to get strong writers on your team—whether it’s scouring journalism graduates as interns, bringing that talent into your group, or partnering with a consultant who specializes in strategic communications. And selfishly, our vote’s on the third option, as that is what we do every single day!

No matter how you fill this void, we think it’s just what is needed to set your message apart from all of the information your clients sift through daily. To learn more about how we can help your written communications perform at an A-plus level, please click below for a free initial session. Now, that’s bringing your A-game!

A Brand By Any Other Name

Google the word “brand”, and you’ll get 6,020,000,000 results in .66 seconds. A recent Entrepreneur article states: “Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer”. We’ve said before that brand includes the personality of the organization—the voice/tone, language, key messages, and how the organization meets the needs of key audiences. Brand is the essence of what the organization does, its competencies, and its values.

Building a Brand
Crafting a brand is an art…and a science. What we’ve seen works best for our clients is a partnership that begins with a strategy session. And with this brainstorming process, we find it valuable to hit on what best describes the essence of the organization…and what absolutely does not. Sara Smith, a great business coach with whom we’ve worked, can be credited with the phrase “No, not that”. Sometimes, it’s just as important to know what you are…and what you’re not. This certainly applies when setting up a brand and leading to “Aha! This is it!” moment.

Often, the logo is synonymous with brand. However, there are other components of the organization’s make-up that should be considered prior to creating a logo. Is there sense of environmental awareness that the organization wants to get across in the marketplace? This might direct the logo development. Is there a certain audience that the group needs to target? Going after a high-end, luxury market is very different from communicating with a wider audience. These pieces should be considered when building a brand.

Beyond the logo comes the brand attributes, which should be a part of every external communication channel. From digital channels, like social media and website, to traditional marketing collateral, the voice and style of the brand should be consistently communicated. Once this is determined, it’s essential that all ongoing content strategy and tactics tie back to the brand.

Our Brand
When we set out to craft our business’s brand, we went through this exercise for ourselves. What type of niche did we want to work within and how will we communicate with these clients? With our value proposition, knowledge, and skillset, what exactly would we offer to the world? What attributes describe us?

You might notice our lingo is energetic and friendly. Our main color is an attention-getting bright pink; our logo is a sleek bubble. Why? Because our brand attributes include an energetic—bubbly!—approach to bringing solutions to the organizations we support. These brand attributes are not a happy accident; they’re part of a well-thought-out process to share who we are and the value we bring to our clients. And we’re happy to bring this knowledge to your business to help your brand, whether you’re starting a business or refreshing your brand. Click here to chat us up!

7 Tips to Keep Your Brand Consistent on Social Media

I often get asked, “What is branding exactly?” The definition of brand according to the American Marketing Association is “a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers”. In today’s social media world, it encompasses so much more. It includes not only the name, design, and symbol but colors, fonts, tone of voice, and overall feel of each profile.

Trying to keep your brand clear on social media can be a daunting task but one that is well worth it. Just let these statistics sink in for a moment:

• The average revenue increase attributed to always presenting the brand consistently is 23%. Source: Lucidpress
• Color increases brand recognition by up to 80%. Source: University of Loyola
• Brands that are consistently presented are 3 to 4 times are more likely to experience brand visibility. Source: Lucidpress

Now that you get how important a consistent brand is, what do you do about it? While hiring a professional to help guide you is one way; if that isn’t an option, here are some things you can do now to keep your brand consistent online:

1. Use the same social media handles (or as close as you can) across all platforms so you are easy to find.
2. Use the same profile picture and cover photos so you are recognizable from one social media platform to another.
3. Make sure your “About” section and bio descriptions are relatively the same across all platforms. Don’t say X on one and Y on another; this confuses potential customers.
4. Use the same logo and colors throughout all social media profiles. This includes using similar filters on photos, so they have the same feel to them.
5. Pick 2-3 fonts to use in graphics and stick to them. You may need to create different graphics for each platform but keep the fonts and color palettes the same.
6. Keep your voice and feel consistent. For example, if you are a cutting-edge brand, make sure all copy, pictures, and videos have a modern look and feel on all platforms. Creating templates for each platform for each type of post can make this easier. Keeping topics similar everywhere can also help. A consistent look and voice gives you wider recognition.
7. This does not mean post the same exact thing across all platforms. Each platform works differently, and you need to adapt the media to the platform. Posts can have the same look and voice with some tweaks for each platform. Sometimes you need to experiment to see what works best where.

Keeping your branding consistent will bring you better recognition in the social media world. This will build the trust and loyalty customers—and potential clients—feel for your company.

Want to follow me for more social media tips? You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, or via my website.