What do you think of when you hear the word branding?
Logos?
Design?
Color scheme?
Yes.
Visual identity is a big part of branding your business. It’s how you create the right image. But it’s really only one part of the branding process. Your brand is your identity. It’s a promise that carries through in every transaction, every interaction.
Branding is not just for the big box stores, the major chains. Whether you have hundreds of stores nationwide, you’re a small business owner, or a recent college graduate seeking employment, your brand is who you are. It’s how others decide whether to invest.
So what, besides the visual, is involved?
In a word, integrity. It’s time to carry yourself, and your marketing materials, like the whole world is watching. Because in this day and age, they are.
Every word that you publish represents your business, and forges your brand. It’s not just your promise though, it’s how you deliver it. So much of what you do, and the success that you have comes down to the choices you make when rearranging 26 symbols and about 8 punctuation marks to express your thoughts.
So…
Choose your words carefully.
Action words rock. Think about it. You’re reading website content from an italian restaurant, and you see:
Our menu has spaghetti.
Has, get, was….they’re all boring. When you see them, consider a stronger word. It doesn’t work every time, but it works a lot.
Our menu features spaghetti.
Used once or twice, it’s not going to make a big difference. Over the course of a blog, or an article, your subject becomes more interesting. I guarantee it.
Mind your P’s and Q’s.
I bet you never thought you’d hear that advice again after you grew up and moved out of your parents’ house. I mean it in a more literal sense, though.
You need to watch your grammar and spelling. When you spell something wrong or slaughter a simple grammar rule, your readership begins to doubt you. If you haven’t mastered the medium, why should they trust what you are saying?
With those darn red squiggly lines that appear under a misspelled word, there’s no excuse. Run your spell check. Learn the difference between words with multiple spellings. Understand the basic grammar rules. You may not think so, but it all matters.
Write valuable information.
It’s not about you. It’s about what your readership deems valuable. Case closed. Knowing the answer to that question can often mean the difference between success and failure.
Value creates trust, and that is essential when establishing your brand.
Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.
