You know that moment when you walk into your mom’s kitchen or your favourite bakery in the neighbourhood and the aroma takes you back?* That lovely smell of warm cinnamon or that fresh hint of floral oregano. Don’t you wish you could bottle up the scent, the flavours, that feeling, the nostalgia?

It got me thinking about the brand experience and the customer journey – it boils down to how a brand makes the customer feel. What resonates. What meets a need (or want). What fills a gap. What’s memorable.

Take a look at your content pantry. What do you see and hear in the provisions – the images, the motion graphics, the videos, the calls-to-action and the commentary? Which content ingredients and components stand out? Which ones really bring home the meat and potatoes of your brand?

Think of your brand’s voice as a unique blend of flavours: tone, language, character, purpose. Similar to your favourite aunt’s recipe for homemade apple pie (or in my case, leche flan!) – a little bit of this, a pinch of that, a dash here and there – it all blends together into unique combination that stands on its own. And, if you do it right, put some heart into it and stay true to your recipe (ie, your brand), there’s nothing else quite like it out there. It all comes together to bring your brand’s personality to the table – and your audience is eager to tuck in.**

Tone – How do you deliver your brand’s messages? If you were to have a conversation with a customer in-person, how do envision your brand sounding?

Language – Carefully selected words and phrases can go a long way to truly represent your brand’s values. It can be the distinct nuance between speaking with vs. talking to your customers. Do you want your brand to be accessible and approachable through your lingo? Confident and unwavering, for example? Free-spirited and whimsical? Simple and savvy? Words matter.

Character – A strong brand carries a strong sense of character along with it. A bit of zing and gusto. Does your brand give a notion of being playful or professional, for instance? Friendly or authoritative? Funny or serious?

Purpose – What are you aiming to do in your conversations with your audience? Engage, entertain, educate? Surprise and delight? Keep your content strategy and goals top-of-mind. Ideally, everything you do and say caters to this purpose and the customer’s palate.

A great brand takes on a personality of its own. As the quote goes, your brand is what people are saying about you when you’re not in the room. Make it count. Make it memorable. Make it relate. Make it resonate. Relish in it.

Do you have an appetite for compelling content to feed a need and to keep the conversation going? I can help. Let’s chat.

- michelle

* That is, before face masks became our current reality. ps - Let’s all do our part to keep each other safe. Wear a mask.
** If you haven’t already guessed, I do love a good food pun!