Last week we introduced you to the concept of a brand, and how it is ultimately an intangible feeling that people have with your business. One way to help establish this feeling is through your brand’s voice. By voice, we mean the messaging that your business communicates across your different channels.

Shaping your business’ tone of voice in order to communicate effectively can be a difficult task. But it’s a necessary one. An established voice helps build trust and familiarity with your customers and sets you apart from your competitors. It is also a great way to express your dealership’s personality.

Ready to get started? Here is a guide to help you find your brand’s voice:

1. Think about WHAT you want to say. What are some of the things that set you apart from your competitors? Is it that you’re active in the community? Do you have a high standard of customer service? What are some other values that your dealership believes in? Think about some words or phrases that you associate with your dealership. This is a start to learning what your dealership stands for. If you are having trouble thinking of things, try asking your employees. They will more than likely have a lot of reasons as to why they choose to work at your dealership and why customers should do business with you. This will be the “what” of what you want to say.
2. Think about HOW you want to say it. Now you know what it is that you want to say, but how should you say it? First, think about how formal or informal you want your business to sound. The more formal your vocabulary, the more stiff and serious your audience will interpret your business. On the other hand, the more informal means that your audience may think of you dealership as disrespectful or reckless. But in order to know which end of the spectrum you should be on, you should be thinking about your audience. What are some words and/or phrases that they typically use? Also, try to avoid industry jargon as this will alienate your customers. Decide which industry specific terms are necessary and common and only use those.
3. Think about WHEN you want to say it. Once you’ve decided the what and the how, the next step is getting it out to your customers. But first, you want to make sure that everyone within your dealership understands what the voice is. You should think about creating a guide for it that provides examples of phrases or words to use, examples of different copy for different mediums (such as an email, your website, or social media), and most importantly is written in the right voice! You should also put in place some sort of process that ensures any communication that goes out that is meant to be from your dealership is reviewed before hand. This ensures consistency!

We challenge you to take a look at your current communications–emails, website content, social media posts– and see what kind of voice you are currently using with your audience. Is it the voice you want to have with them? Does it meet your expectations? More importantly, does it meet theirs? If not, it may be time to evaluate it and start fresh with a new one! If you need any help, reach out to us in the comments below!