Adding social media to your communications can be liberating, since you can easily share photos, videos, and infographics. But it can also be limiting, since Twitter only allows for 140 characters, and Instagram and Vine have strict time restraints for videos.
Last week, I showed you how to create a compelling brand voice, uniting your content team with clear decisions on your brand’s tone, style, and personality. Along with email and website copy, a lot of that brand voice will be “heard” on social media. How can you keep your brand voice consistent in this interactive realm? And which brands are leading the way with strong brand voices?
Below are some brands that serve as best practices for a brand voice social media. Follow them and be inspired!
Rue La La on Tumblr
I love the mix of classy and causal on Rue La La’s Tumblr. In fact,the online boutique’s sassy brand personality is right there in the Tumblr’s title: That’s So Rue. The brand is also clear about its purpose for this channel: “We want to celebrate, to think, to have a laugh too.” Not only does Rue La La post stylish images from all over the internet, but they ask fans to “Show Us Something Rue,” with an easy-to-use form for uploading images. This Tumblr celebrates the lifestyle of the Rue La La shopper, using brand voice instead of products. That is so Rue.
Tasti-D Lite on Twitter
A chain of soft-serve ice cream shops has to have a brand voice of joy and whimsy, right? Tasti strike that tone perfectly on its Twitter feed. The brand spends much of its time responding to people who tweet their love for its products, things like “awh! we love you too <3” and “glad we’re there for you!” (yes, in lower case, keeping with their brand voice of childlike fun) Know what else I admire? Its restraint; Tasti tweets only a few times a day, and sometimes even skips a day. Let’s face it — there’s only so much you can say about ice cream, especially during cold weather. Tasti chooses quality over quantity, and never bothers its fans with sub-par content.
General Electric on Facebook
Sure, it’s easy for an ice cream chain to have a strong voice on social media. How about a company that makes light bulbs and jet engines? Believe it or not, GE has a fantastic brand voice on Facebook. The brand takes an “ain’t science cool?” attitude while posting about everything from thermal efficiency to electrical power distribution. In keeping with its sage-like brand personality, GE makes a point of answering questions in the comments section of its content. The thermal efficiency post, for example, generated four questions — all answered. The latest response took just 14 hours.
L.L. Bean on Pinterest
The famous outdoor brand L.L. Bean perfectly captures the adventurous spirit of its customers on Pinterest. With 31 boards, the brand celebrates every aspect of the outdoors; galleries are dedicated to fishing and camping and even “Woodland Creatures.” But other boards highlight a brand differentiator, as L.L. Bean has also become a lifestyle brand. So you’ll find a board for “Home,” one for “Weddings,” one board featuring photos of dogs and another featuring cats. In keeping with its brand personality as a partner in its customers’ adventures, the company posts lots of user-generated content, including an entire board of “Your L.L. Bean Selfies.” I think this all ads up to encapsulate the brand’s motto, “Discover something fun with us.”
Determining your brand voice makes creating social media content much easier. A clear brand voice gives your marketing, branding, or recruiting team a mission statement for what kind of content to post — and with what kind of attitude to post it. A brand voice sets your brand apart even if it’s a B2B company, a non-profit, or a small business.
In closing, just a reminder — don’t forget the rule: Set standards for consistency.
Brandemix has helped all kinds of organizations find and maintain their brand voice on social media. If you need a hand, drop me a line.
Jody Ordioni is President of Brandemix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jody Ordioni is the author of “The Talent Brand.” In her role as Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Brandemix, she leads the firm in creating brand-aligned talent communications that connect employees to cultures, companies, and business goals. She engages with HR professionals and corporate teams on how to build and promote talent brands, and implement best-practice talent acquisition and engagement strategies across all media and platforms. She has been named a "recruitment thought leader to follow" and her mission is to integrate marketing, human resources, internal communications, and social media to foster a seamless brand experience through the employee lifecycle.
