Branding is more than logos and colors.
Your business’ brand identity helps determine how consumers perceive your products and services. That’s why effective branding reflects values your audience wants to see in your business.
We often think of branding in relation to commercials, jingles, logos, and taglines, but your brand should pervade every piece of public-facing content you produce. This includes how your business communicates with your audience through written copy.
Here are some ways that copywriting can impact your branding efforts:
- Communicate core values: Every brand is built on a unique set of values. Those values should be prevalent in how you talk to your audience. As you develop core values internally, write them in a way that your audience can understand. That way, when you produce branded materials, you can draw on that work to communicate your values clearly.
- Embody a brand voice: When your audience reads posts, emails, or any other communication they receive from your brand, they form a voice for your brand in their minds. Be consistent with the language you use and the tone you take in promotional and informational materials. Create an audience persona and consider that persona any time you produce written content. Make a list of descriptive terms that can guide your brand’s voice and stick to it!
Humanize your brand: Copywriting can allow you to familiarize your audience with your company’s culture and attitudes. Written materials provide an opportunity to share a more human side with your audience, especially in the form of blogs or company updates.
Copy can add clarity to your content.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Poorly written materials can cause more problems than they solve, so it’s vitally important to take care when producing copy. Whether you’re writing an advertisement, web page, or social media post, utilize a revision process that puts your words in front of multiple people to check for errors and inconsistencies.
Businesses that neglect their written copy run the risk of misrepresenting their brand and creating confusion about their goods and services. Hire a professional writer/editor or identify those members of your team who are adept at and passionate about the written word. The future of your marketing efforts depends on it!
