If you live in the United States and have watched television at some point in the last 15 years, you’ve probably seen a commercial for Geico Insurance. If so, you can probably answer the following question pretty fast: what is the brand personality of Geico?
The answer for most people would be “funny” or a similar adjective – perhaps “silly” if you don’t happen to find their commercials particularly humorous. Indeed, the brand personality of a company ought to be able to be expressed in a single word. It could be “adventurous” or perhaps it’s “rational.”
If you own a small business and can’t think of a single word for its brand personality, you have a problem.
The problem of lacking a clear and distinct brand personality is often rooted in mismanaged marketing. However, it can also be caused by or made worse by less-than-ideal operations within the business. To ensure your company maintains a consistent and identifiable personality to consumers, make the following a priority:
Same Page Business Software
Ensuring your brand personality is where it needs to be is a process which begins long before the marketing phase. It starts within the company itself, involving every employee from top to bottom. While orientation for new workers and routine reminders about the company philosophy are key, the most effective way to develop brand personality from within is to utilize “same page” solutions for business software such as Evernote. Without a central hub for employees to consult as well as contribute to, companies create an environment where unified effort is difficult to achieve. This, in turn, makes it almost impossible to project a consistent brand personality in the long-run.
Same Social Media Voice
It might sound unfair to expect a business to successfully convey itself as if it were an individual, but this is essentially what maintaining consistent brand personality is all about. Nowhere is this more important to remember than in the realm of social media, where a company is expected to maintain multiple accounts regularly updated and optimized for marketing potential. This is achieved via developing a specific voice and making sure it’s used across your entire social media presence. For instance, if a company’s Facebook profile includes mostly light-hearted content, a Twitter account consisting of dense business jargon may leave people wondering if it’s the same company despite the same name.
Know the Difference Between Voice and Tone
It’s important to keep in mind there is a difference between voice and tone. Just because a business personality is reflected with an exuberant voice doesn’t mean the mass email sent to explain to customers about why their orders are late needs to be peppered with positivity and optimism, as such is likely to sound out of touch to those who are on the receiving end of bad news. Instead, change the tone of voice so that the upbeat brand personality conveys a commitment to improvement going forward without grandstanding on empty language.
Deciding your brand personality is usually a fun and interesting part of the business process. However, making sure your brand personality stays consistent and true to form will require careful planning and ongoing upkeep. In today’s world where brand seems more important than ever – especially for small businesses trying to make a name for themselves – make sure the personality it projects is not only strong but also unwavering.
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