We’ve talked about Information vs. Insight and Quality vs. Quantity in previous “Business Blogging Basics” articles. Now, we want to focus on whether it’s better to have a personal or professional tone in your blog (and all web/social media content for that matter).
What is Your Brand’s Voice?
We’re talking about your company’s “voice” that should be an extension of your brand message. Whether the tone of your content should be more personal or professional may depend largely on your brand identity, as well as who your target audience is.
First, consider your company and the products/services you are trying to sell. If you are a bank specializing in business loans and investors, you’ll naturally have a more professional style of writing used in your content. If you are a burger shack on the beach, your brand’s tone is likely to be more personal.
Next, consider your target audience. Again, people looking for a business loan or investment backing aren’t probably looking for a “fun” bank. They want information and resources that will help them make sound financial decisions. That said, the information provided should be personalized in the sense that it is coming from you. If it is just generic financial information, then you are doing nothing to build your brand or your credibility as an industry expert.
The burger shack customer, on the other hand, is just looking for an engaging brand and tasty food. Your content will still include interesting information about your restaurant, staff, menu, ingredients or location, but it will be presented in a more personal light. Your content voice is probably going to be fun and friendly as your main priority is furthering a positive brand association in the consumer’s mind.
The truth is, most small businesses fall somewhere in between ultra-professional and overly personal, which means there should be a healthy balance of the two in all content. The information and ideas provided in your content should be interesting and helpful. At the same time, it needs to be engaging and insightful.
Think about how people access your content in the first place:
Search Engine
Depth of content and strong, relevant information will go a long way on Google. This will get people to find your site or link to a specific blog article. Once they are there, though, they need to be engaged. If the writing is too stuffy and the information is too dry, they won’t develop a positive feeling about your company or your brand.
Ad Clicks
Your online ads or Adwords will intrigue the reader to click through. It may depend on the tone of the ad itself, but the content they find should pay off the tease—whether that’s informational, engaging or, ideally, both.
Social Media
When it comes to social media content, it really depends on your target audience. Find the right balance of professional and personal messaging that keeps them engaged and sparks conversations.
General Marketing
Emails, advertising, direct mail and other forms of marketing will promote your brand message to consumers. Most of today’s consumers will then look online for more information about your products and services, whether that’s your website, your blog or your social media channels. You’ll want them to walk away with the information they need to make a decision, as well as a positive overall feeling about your brand.
Finding the Right Balance
We use the “vs.” in these article titles to make things interesting, but the reality is good web and social media content will incorporate a healthy blend of information, insight, quality, quantity, professionalism and personality. Define your brand message, identify your target customers and create content that will engage them on all levels. If you can do this, you will generate more leads and convert more of those leads into loyal customers.
To learn more about content marketing, contact NextGear Marketing today. We’ll be happy to review your current content approach and discuss ideas on how you can get more out of your online marketing efforts.
NextGear Marketing 