Like the personality of a human, your brand has to retain some elasticity to appeal to different people in different places. Here’s what they had to say about the way brand voice changes on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Even a B2B brand can address that desire by using phrases like “Remember when” or “Everyone knows the feeling.” If you can’t lead with nostalgia, another option is to have your social copy suggest that a larger conversation is happening without your audience. Elly Belle, a freelance social media manager and engagement strategist, said brands should post content on Facebook as long as they’re challenging the status quo. Your brand voice on LinkedIn The social strategists we spoke to called LinkedIn “underrated,” “under-explored,” and “weird,” and most of them were unsure if B2C content worked there at all. So if your company’s content is related to their searches, users will be grateful to find it. For that reason, the classic marketing tone, devoid of any irony, works best, making the platform a safer space for brands than a place like Twitter. However, the line between user-generated content and branded content is very blurry on Instagram, more so than any other platform. Ads are becoming harder to spot, particularly from influencers who don’t always disclose their relationships with brands. These statistics mean your brand’s tone on Instagram doesn’t have to shroud a CTA in clever copy.
If you’re curious about brand voice, the first thing you should do is think about Tom Hanks.
Yes, Tom Hanks—and not just because of his calming presence. Hanks has enjoyed an illustrious film career precisely because he is not a character actor. Audiences feel comforted and engaged when they spot his face (or even just hear his voice) onscreen. He makes small adjustments to his beloved persona depending on the film in which he’s appearing, but at the core, he’s still recognizable. His characters are likable in the same way, whether he’s playing a cowboy doll, a WWII soldier, or a man who just discovered a mermaid. Remember that.
The trouble with defining a company’s voice is that rigid guidelines can stifle you. Like the personality of a human, your brand has to retain some elasticity to appeal to different people in different places. Your brand may have a central personality, but it needs to be able to convey different tones.
For instance, your blog posts may read as professional and enthusiastic, but your Facebook copy promoting each blog post can’t sound exactly like what you post on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. You might want to dial down the enthusiasm on Twitter and LinkedIn, and dial it up a notch on Instagram and Pinterest.
To explain how brands should communicate across social channels, I spoke to a handful of audience development managers and social media strategists. Here’s what they had to say about the way brand voice changes on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Your brand voice on Facebook
As the largest social network in the world, Facebook presents an interesting opportunity for brands. With billions of users, there’s potential for incredible reach, but it’s hard to have a distinct identity or voice.
According to Brooklynn Kramer, client success manager at Qnary, an agency that manages social media presences for executives, Facebook is the platform that most values a sense of nostalgia. Effective facebook copy tends to be “slightly informal, familiar, and accessible.” The user base is far more intergenerational than say, Instagram or Twitter, which means it’s prime real estate for content that recalls the reader’s “golden years,” whether you’re trying to connect with retirees over 65 or millennials recalling the ’90s.
Facebook’s algorithm changes in recent years have attempted to strengthen the site’s focus on community connection and shared memories. Kramer advises clients to make the reader feel as if they’re relating to others through a common experience. Even a B2B brand can address that desire by using phrases like “Remember when” or “Everyone knows the feeling.”
If you can’t lead with nostalgia, another option is to have your social copy suggest that a larger conversation is happening without your audience. This kind of call to action—inform yourself, develop an opinion, and join the debate—works well. You want to create the sensation that you’ve beaten the reader to a story and you’re cluing them in.
Elly Belle, a freelance social media manager and engagement strategist, said brands should post content on Facebook as long as they’re challenging the status quo. “Facebook is a place where arguments are born,” she told, but it’s also where “everyone goes to browse Delish videos. You want to work to catch someone’s eye as they scroll through their feed at the end of the day.”
Facebook audiences want to be entertained and distracted. So lead with your most punchy, human content and save the jargon for other platforms.
Your brand voice on LinkedIn
The social strategists…
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