How-to guide: learn to brand yourself with words

We've all been encouraged to "make our mark" on the world we live in at some point in our lives. 

Maybe part of the reason you started your business in the first place was to create this transformation, impact, or change. 

What you do, what you say (and the tone you say it in), who you are, how you help your clients or audience – each of these elements create an imprint on the world. 

That mark might be positive, negative, or something in between, but regardless of the perception, the compilation of these efforts are a form of branding. 

You don't get to have control over your brand, but you can heavily influence it by thinking about how you want others to perceive you. 
What do you want to be known for? How do you want customers and audiences to talk about your company and its initiatives? What words do you want to be associated with? 

Honing in on your brand voice, tone, style, and values can help you decide what marketing actions you will take (and which you’ll avoid) to reinforce the traits, values, and perspectives you want to emphasize about your company. 

Influence your brand with words

When your business is online, your brand is equal to the sum total of in-person interactions (if applicable) + the visual components of your brand + the things you say on social networks + the content you produce. 

That’s a lot to consider when you’re working to establish a solid, reputable brand. 

Unless the culmination of all these things is simply an authentic representation of you, because being the real you is the easiest way to be clear about who you are in every area that your audience is watching.

If your company extends beyond yourself and your individual beliefs, opinions, and perspectives though, you need to take intentional time to develop your brand voice.  

What does your company stand for? What demographic are you looking to appeal to? What messaging would speak to this ideal audience and their pain points? What are your company’s core values and beliefs? How can you present these in an appealing and relatable way?

Clarifying your responses to each of these questions can help you to approach your marketing in a strategic way, your answers helping to guide you in making intentional choices about what marketing tactics to execute on.

Set the right tone

Years ago, when I first started blogging for my business, my writing sometimes took on a formal tone. 

This was especially prevalent when I was delving into the technical details of terms of service on social networks or regulations that govern various tactics that marketers use. 

Eventually I realized that my formal tone wasn’t very approachable. 

I was very much in the trenches of marketing; I knew the field inside and out and as such it was easy to forget that much of my audience wouldn’t have a clue what I was talking about. 

My audience consisted of a lot of relatively new social media users that were already feeling intimidated by the sheer volume of information rushing past them day-to-day. 

Getting bogged down with a lot of “legalese” about what they were and weren't allowed to do wasn’t helping! 

I see this a lot online still today – jargon-filled blog posts that are incredibly frustrating and confusing for those who aren’t as well-versed in the industry or topic in question. 

I spent a lot of time working to purge that formality from my writing so that when I told my clients that I give them permission to go at their own speed and do things in a way that works for them, well…they’d actually believe me. 

Whether you’re writing a blog post or a social media caption, the content needs to be understood by those you’re trying to support or sell to. 

And beyond the content you’re sharing, the context is just as important. 

Take into account your audience demographics, your industry, the size of your company, and the nature of the platform you’re posting on to determine a tone that makes sense and that will resonate with your audience. 

Your audience reads between the lines

You and I communicate messages all the time without words, and we send subtle signals based on the combination and structure of our words. 

My audience can tell I feel pretty strongly against something if I make a sarcastic crack about it in a post.

They know that I’m more serious and focused on teaching if I'm listing out a network’s terms of service and then explaining each line item in plain English. 

They can sense those times when I’m feeling inspired, motivated, or simply wanting to offer help. 

Every time you have an idea for content that is meant to be of value to your audience, you likely have a reason that particular idea struck you. And this “drive” behind each post can help provide direction for the tone and voice of the content.  

For example, many of my blog posts are rooted in comments or questions I’ve gotten or heard from clients and other business people I encounter. 

My goal is to approach these questions and topics in an approachable, informational way. I try to explain my thought processes, include links and additional research where appropriate, share examples and references, and provide flexible suggestions that my readers can implement to start seeing results.

If instead I approached these questions with frustration, or if the need to correct “wrong” behaviour became a motivating factor behind my posts, those underlying tones would come through.

And while it wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if I did this occasionally (my Elon Musk blog post/rant comes to mind here), if it’s a consistent theme in your content it might end up compromising the work you’ve done to influence audience perceptions in the way you want.

When creating content, remain hyper-vigilant and aware of how it might be perceived. Create intentionally, keeping your audience in mind. And before hitting publish, try to review your posts with an outsider’s perspective to ensure they’re in alignment with your brand values. 

Refine your content filter

I often tell people that I put everything I share online through what I call the “mom filter.”

I’m not particularly scared of having my words shared on a billboard beside a busy highway. But if I thought my mom would be disappointed in something I said, that’s a different story. 

No doubt you have someone or something in your life that offers a similar good-sense filter.

Consider adding your personal or professional brand to your content-refining process. 

As I mentioned above – read the content you produce and try to put yourself in the shoes of your reader! 

How do you think they’ll perceive you? What words come to mind if you had to describe the attitude or tone of the piece?

PRO-TIP: I am a huge fan of reading out loud. There’s nothing more enlightening than hearing the tone of voice from your own voice. If you’re writing something that strikes a particularly passionate chord in you, go one step further and record yourself reading it. Then play it back – you’ll hear it in a totally different way. 

Are the words you chose the same ones you want people to use when they describe you?

If your honest answer is yes, that’s wonderful! Keep putting yourself to the test until you know you aren’t deviating.

If your brutally honest answer is no, it’s time for a new take. Set your post aside and start over from a new place of awareness.

Write your brand

Building your brand through your writing may not be as sexy and exciting as developing the visual look and feel, but it will have a greater impact in more ways than one.

Who can you think of as an example of someone who has established a consistent and well-known brand through words?