Voice. It’s a word we hear all our lives, but it’s not often used in conjunction with corporate growth. Yet a strong voice is a vital component of any content strategy.
Voice is simple, yet arriving at what works and what doesn’t can be a complex game of trial and error. For instance, as a business owner struggling to reach new audiences, you might wonder: Are we too aggressive in our pitches? Would users react more positively to a softer, gentler approach? On the other hand, a ‘gentler’ approach might lead to more ‘likes’ on your Facebook page, but will it translate to sales? Likes are nice, yes, but they’re not always directly tied to moving products or selling your services.
That’s where things get tricky.
As we all know, though, you can’t push forward by not acting. So you’ve got to experiment. Your blog, if you’ve got one, is a perfect place to try out various voices. Social media is another great venue for this. Does one tactic or another lead to greater engagement? Does it drive growth not only on your social media feed, for instance, but are users clicking through and exploring your site? And ultimately, can you relate this change in user behavior to greater interest in your products/services, or even actual sales?
You can begin this work in a few different ways. One way is to focus on your audience. Do you know who they are? Have you created sample profiles? If so, there’s a great way to start. And it’s not just your current and active audience, but the types of people you hope to reach in the future. The ones who will be your customers down the road and help you grow your business.
Once you have these people in mind, you can begin to experiment with what engages them the most. Which blog posts do they click on? Which site pages? Which email messages? Which social media posts? Then look at those items. Is there any consistency you can find in the voice you used for each item? And if something works, try it again. Can you begin to see patterns?
Then look at your larger messaging. Is this voice consistent across ALL your communications? A good, in-depth content audit will help you determine areas on your site that are working or not working. And you can look at not just the specifics of the content, but the voice that you are using as well.