{"id":10092,"date":"2015-11-23T12:53:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T10:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/?p=10092"},"modified":"2015-11-23T12:53:24","modified_gmt":"2015-11-23T10:53:24","slug":"build-brand-voice-using-content-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/10092\/build-brand-voice-using-content-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build a Consistent Brand Voice Using Content Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve got a blog. Don\u2019t tell yourself that great content alone should do the job. It\u2019s a trap. The world\u2019s most essential information will remain unknown unless you deliver it consistently. This little cold, hard fact here is where we all started from.<\/p>\n

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What you\u2019re about to read is a general guideline with examples. Finding your brand voices is more than just establishing a consistent communication strategy – \u2018the how?<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018why?<\/em>\u2019 are\u00a0at least as important as the \u2018what?<\/em>\u2019. Our best advice is not skipping steps, no matter how much of\u00a0a hurry you are in – every factor you ignore at\u00a0this stage will leave a permanent mark in the core foundation of your brand. There\u2019s no kryptonite in business; business Gotham is a world of competitive advantages.<\/p>\n

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\"How<\/p>\n

Find Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Search for your niche on Google, and see the most popular search result. In the screenshot below I have searched for \u2018content marketing<\/em>\u2019 to see what top blogs would appear on the first page of the results. It can be a little overwhelming at first because establishing influencers is, from a point on, a judgment call.<\/p>\n

\"Content<\/p>\n

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So just to make sure you\u2019re not leaving anyone out, take it slowly. Put it down and create a spreadsheet with 10 to 20 names who\u00a0can teach you something. That spreadsheet is now your best friend – it\u2019s there to remind you what you\u2019re doing wrong and where you should start improving. It\u2019s also not a metaphor – we understand how it can be hard to remember everything religiously and to make sense of it all at first; this is why a little help may come in handy.<\/p>\n

Follow and Get to Know Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Subscribe a lot.\u00a0Now more than ever, it\u2019s not only about the latest posts, as it is about the ancient history of a blog as well. Spotting a writing style doesn\u2019t happen as you only browse through the latest posts, it takes some research as well. And, most importantly, if you spot differences between the articles written two years ago and the ones posted now, it\u2019s either because of an organic evolution or thanks to noticing that the latter style is better received by the public. Either way, this is information you\u2019d like to take into account when setting some writing guidelines for your blog.<\/p>\n

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The change of influencers\u2019 style over time is one of the key factors to take into consideration.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Before going further with this idea, maybe it would be appropriate to remind you that copying someone\u2019s style is never a good, long-term solution if proficiency is what you\u2019re aiming for. It is cheap and sooner rather than later you\u2019ll start losing credibility.<\/p>\n

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That being said, closely monitoring your influencers\u2019 style doesn\u2019t only give you insight on how much they have evolved, but on how trends have changed direction as well. Any brand should have a general tone and professionals\u2019 preferences in the industry can have a humongous contribution on spotting the right vibe you\u2019d like to send along with your content.<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s assume friendly<\/em> is what you find to be the most appropriate – as long as\u00a0it doesn\u2019t gradually turn into cheap, unprofessional gossip, it\u2019s a great idea. The next step is to make sure that your entire communication strategy is consistent and doesn\u2019t give people cognitive dissonances<\/a>. In other words, your brand tone is more than what you\u2019re saying and how you\u2019re saying it. It\u2019s everything from the general impression I\u2019m given at a first glance to the strong opinions I\u2019ll have about your brand when I\u2019m done reading the dustiest corners of your blog. Choose wisely. You may also want to set up a webpage design consistent with your general message.<\/p>\n

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Actually you can judge a book by its covers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Particularly when it\u2019s about what book covers should be like. You can\u2019t be an online professional with a site looking like we\u2019re back to 1995, regardless of the content quality. Once again, watch and learn. Monitor brands\u2019 transformation in\u00a0time and get an idea of what your audience appreciates. Use the Wayback Machine<\/a> to spot the most significant adjustments of your competitors.<\/p>\n

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Take Moz Blog<\/a> for instance. It\u2019s been through numerous changes since 2013, particularly because, in this industry, the better you look the more reliable you are. Let\u2019s take a short look.<\/p>\n

\"Moz<\/p>\n

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Starting with 2015, this blog was redesigned to look more minimalist, gadget-friendly and weightless. This light<\/em>, dynamic<\/em> design is nothing but a necessity meant to keep the everyday reader engaged through a friendly, playful appearance.<\/p>\n

\"Moz
\nAnother smart strategy that builds suspense very much like a Hitchcock movie is\u00a0the example of QuickSprout<\/a> – announce a blog before working out the writing details. If you\u2019re running an advertising campaign or if you\u2019re already popular, it creates curiosity.<\/p>\n

\"QuickSprout<\/p>\n

This blog has gone through changes in time. When a page that\u2019s usually consistent in terms of appearance get updated, you know something important was to be taken into consideration. In the case of Quicksprout, the purpose was to look cleaner, easier to read and follow.<\/p>\n

\"QuickSprout<\/p>\n

Less distracting pages engage more audience, as they\u2019re associated with content quality – spot the differences between the two screenshots below. The second one\u2019s the one that seems to work better today adapted to the target needs and requirements.<\/p>\n

\"QuickSprout<\/p>\n

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Try to discover a pattern of when the articles are posted – what kinds of posts have steady publishing dates and which ones are an exception to the rule?\u00a0Put it all down!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Usually, not only the day of the week – but the time as well – is highly important. Assuming the content is great and it engages, your readers should know exactly when to come back for more. This way, they can integrate the very pleasant 20-minute read into their daily routine. Having a clear schedule for content posting shows good organization skills. Take it as a mark of professionalism.<\/p>\n

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Prioritizing a voice over another is vital, because it gives you a sense of direction. It makes the distinction between terrific and mediocre for the readers and, in\u00a0time, you\u2019ll be able to see the differences for yourself. Reading as much as possible also gives you a vibe of the readers\u2019 minds, showing you exactly what they come back for and what they ignore.<\/p>\n

Understand What Customers Consume in Social Media. And When.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Finding a brand voice is about who you are and what suits you. But it should also be about what suits your audience. There is no room for compromise here. The ideal way is to research a voice not only of your brand, but of your customers as well. Something that represents both you and your clients, offering a competitive advantage at the same time.<\/p>\n

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Social media is a lot about meeting expectation. Not just because we like to a\u00a0confirmation that our existing beliefs are correct, but because we know what to be looking for when interacting with a brand. However, there\u2019s a fine line between this and predictability.<\/p>\n

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Influential content that engages should be both consistent and accessible. Form and substance have to be harmonious, relevant and substantial. However, nobody enjoys a read that seems too heavy.<\/p>\n

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In this case, your brand voice is both what you\u2019re saying and how you\u2019re delivering it. Fortunately, what seems to have positive results in the social media in your niche is a powerful indicator of the general direction you should head towards.<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s analyze some examples to see how this works in practice. We\u2019ll analyze Backlinko and Search Engine Land for this part. Monitoring their social media engagement on the blogs gives us insight on what the audience is most interested in reading.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Let\u2019s take the Viral Marketing Case Study: How a Brand New Blog Generated 17,584 Visitors In One Day<\/a> post for instance and see what Brian Dean did on his site Backlinko to have such a high engagement rate:<\/p>\n