Mixed messages
Are all your channels speaking as one? And do they need to?
Is your brand comms a well oiled machine - with every element working in synch to drive your message home? Or is it more like a horse drawn carriage – with social pulling one way, brand another and your agency chomping at the bit to do something creative? Many brands fall into the second camp. Here's why this happens and what you should do about it.
Swimming the channel(s)
When it comes to presence, brands have never had to juggle so many outlets for their comms. Even assuming you’ve decided to keep things simple – ignoring the siren call of flash-in-the-pan social platforms – you’re likely to still be handling on and offline marketing, client communications, internal messaging, a website, blog, the list goes on… Given that each channel is often the responsibility of a different team or individual, it’s easy to see how hard it can be to achieve consistency.
What’s the impact?
Inevitably, your channels will never sound identical. Having some element of ‘flex’ within them is natural – in fact, it’s necessary. An instagram caption is not going to be written in the same way as your annual impact report, for instance. But when your messaging and voice is completely disconnected across channels, you risk diluting your brand. And if that’s left unchecked, the next casualty could be the trust of your customers.
The fix
To get your channels back in line and on message, you will need to haul on the reins a little. Begin by taking stock with a thorough audit of your comms. This should include every place your brand is speaking – from social through to internal channels. Take note of the hierarchy of messaging, tone of voice and frequency of communication. Pay special attention to any areas you feel have been inconsistent – this might be anything from the way you write headlines to the way you place emojis.
Making it last
Once you’ve completed your channel audit, it’s time to compare and contrast. Where are the chasms in your cohesion? Which channels are nailing your brand’s messaging and values – and which feel discordant? Now that you’ve agreed on what “good” looks and sounds like for your business, it’s time to draw up some guidelines.
At Ink, we specialise in developing messaging toolkits for our clients. These help to nail down the hierarchy, word counts and tone – and keep teams aligned and on brand, wherever and whatever they’re writing. Delivering a training session to explain the reason for (and results of) the audit can also be a really helpful step, highlighting the importance of process – and getting buy-in across your teams.
Need help navigating mixed messaging? We can offer a fresh perspective with an unbiased audit of channels and follow-up advice for lasting, impactful improvements.