Branding Ideas: How to Keep Your Company Language Consistent
When generating branding ideas to help your organization stand out in a crowded market, look first at your communications: Does your team speak the company language? More importantly, do you even have a company language?
A company language is a branding idea designed to keep your name afloat among a sea of competitors. Well-crafted company language enhances your corporate identity and makes your brand more recognizable to customers. It should be easy to understand and remember, and it should be used consistently to be successful.
This isn’t just for your marketing and communications department; everyone in your organization—especially your salespeople—should know and use your company language. Not sure where to start? Let’s look at the elements your company language should include and how you can ensure it’s used throughout your business.
What is Your Company Language?
Companies assume distinct personas that connect with their target customers and use a specific tone and style when communicating. Choose your words carefully and use this particular voice when talking about products, services, goals and values to your employees, customers, investors and the general public. Communicated long and wide enough, people will begin associating certain words, phrases and even ideals with companies that adopt them, leading to better brand recognition—especially when a brand tries to enter new markets.
Apart from word choice, tone and style, company language incorporates how you write and how you address your audience to create a unique identity. This reinforces the company’s image in the hearts and minds of the public. Combined with other branding ideas such as company logos, social media accounts and a buyer persona, the company language develops a unique selling proposition buyers will find hard to ignore.
During the launch of the Apple Watch, for instance, TechinAsia noted the company’s disciplined approach when speaking about its newest product. Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t use the word “wearable” during his nearly two-hour presentation; in doing so, he avoided lumping Apple in with its many competitors in the wearable smart device category. Instead, Cook described the company’s new product as “the most personal device we’ve ever created.” This short string of words conveyed a sense of exclusivity and skilled craftsmanship, which contrasted with the mass-produced products of its rivals.
Keep in Mind the Three Cs
When developing your branding ideas and especially your company language, keep the three Cs in mind: clear, concise and conversational.
Clear
Whatever persona your company takes on, it should convey that messaging loud and clear. Customers should immediately grasp what your company does and where it stands. Some companies do this so well, everyone uses their company name as the act of using their product. How many of us Google a word when we want to know more about it?
Concise
Being clear with your messaging doesn’t mean putting in all the detail at once. The average attention span is growing shorter, so if your communication is too long, today’s audience will skip right over it. Remove unnecessary words and descriptions to increase the impact of the remaining words.
Conversational
Keeping your company language conversational means using language meant to elicit a response. A conversational tone and language places the subject matter within the level of the intended audience, which increases the chances of engagement. Reducing technical jargon and assuming a friendlier tone gives your communications a simpler and more human approach. After all, most people would prefer making conversation with other people instead of reading an instructional guide.
Write a Company Style Guide
When you’re lost, you look at a map. Similarly, when you’re trying to write within your company language, you should refer to your company’s style guidelines.
A company style guide is a handy reference for all stakeholders and serves as the roadmap for employees who want to assume the company persona. When outlining branding ideas, developing a company style guide should be a top priority. It saves time, effort and money when producing company communication. It also ensures rules, tones, styles and wording are applied consistently—which reinforces the company’s external image.
Typically, a corporate style guide includes the following:
- Corporate image, logo and font guidelines
- Writing style
- Formatting
- Colors
- Additional brand rules
Why You Should Keep Your Company Language Consistent
Keeping your branding ideas consistent across your channels is a great way to optimize your company’s name and your brand’s reputation. A well-developed and consistent company language makes it easier for customers to pick up and remember your name and slogan.
Consistent messaging also helps your company and brand stand out in a crowded field. Customers feel safer when they engage in communication that’s both coherent and constant in their content. The more familiar customers feel with the message, the more they trust the company—and we all know a trusting buyer is a frequent buyer.
Consistency is also important when dealing with new markets. Tapping into foreign markets presents language and cultural barriers; localization efforts should ensure consistency so the original idea remains clear through translation. Otherwise, customers that shuttle between your foreign and domestic markets might get confused by the messaging.
Define Your Brand Through Consistency
Applying consistency throughout your entire messaging reinforces your company’s image and strengthens your brand’s voice by using language that’s relatable to your target audience. Customers will trust that your company says what it means and means what it says.
When creating presentations intended for your external audience, consider cloud-based software such as Ingage to ensure consistent messaging. Strict access control levels ensure only those authorized to edit or change entries can do so, while allowing others to only view the presentation. Ingage’s security settings mean your company language and its content remain safe from unauthorized changes.
The software also makes sure everyone on the team receives the most up-to-date styles of language and tone. Everyone uses the same company language, and new team members learn in real time what’s acceptable.
Contact us for a free demo to learn how Ingage can help you maintain clear, concise and consistent messaging through interactive presentations. We’d love to get to know your company language, branding ideas and specific needs so we can set your sales team up for success.