How to adjust the communication style to your brand?

The power of association

Banks are supposed to be serious and maybe even a little boring, but they should be associated with certainty, professionalism, safety, and not shouting, stress and tension. Soft drinks are something for young and active people who lead exciting lives. Cars are presented as rulers of the open highways. This vision is certainly nicer than the morning traffic flashbacks on the way to the office.

These are just a few examples of what we subconsciously process when we encounter brand communication, i.e., practically all the time. The images, words, and the general feeling it evokes must somehow “fit” into the deeper, more fundamental impressions we have about a particular company or product category. If it is not, we can immediately feel that something is… wrong.

When the communication style of a brand clashes with its core values, it confuses the consumers and there is a high chance of failure. Adequate, well-matched brand communication at every stage and in every channel is necessary to build customer trust, engagement, and, ultimately, to encourage a purchase.

Who are you? And who is your audience?

Getting the “right” tone in your brand communication starts with a thorough understanding of the brand’s character and how it is to be perceived. It is important to understand that like an individual, a brand has its own personality, rules, and behavior. It sounds a bit like fun, but when creating brand communication, think about it seriously. Consider: if your company was an individual, what would it be? Serious, funny, aggressive, conservative, and maybe a bit rebellious and going against the tide? Look around – well-known brands are associated with specific characteristics and their personality is consistent. And that’s it. Your brand personality is like a compass for you, which tells you what words to use on the product packaging, in a social media post, on a banner, or in a TV advertisement. The direction you take has an impact on which target group you reach, so you need to identify your users and customers well – their needs, tastes, likes, and dislikes as well as who they are and what their aspirations are.

Think about what your audience wants. Something conventional and within “normal” boundaries? There is nothing wrong with that – a safe path is safer for a reason. Or maybe your brand is based on pushing boundaries, breaking with tradition, and creating new rules? If this is what your client appreciates the most, then send that kind of message with your brand communication. Once you understand where your customers are and what they are responding to, it’s time to start reaching out to them.

How to build a community?

Establishing contact with recipients, even those who are open to your message, is a real challenge today, because target groups are divided according to the channels they use. There is no single way to build engagement, and your brand communication strategy should depend on where your customers get their information from, where they spend their free time, and where to find them. There are many possibilities.

• Industry events – Conferences, committees, training are always a good place to build a base of professional contacts. If you care about the position of an expert and B2B communication – you will find your recipients here.
• Social media – On the Internet you can still find sentences such as “you will find young audiences on social media”, but this statement is no longer exhaustive or even up to date. Firstly, almost EVERYONE uses social media. Secondly, not all social media channels are the same. Over the years, the people who use each of the channels have varied greatly. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube – each of these places has a different audience and different types of content, so it’s worth analyzing these differences before choosing the best way to reach you. Moreover, two-sided communication is a great strength of social media: the brand speaks, the customer responds. Creating a dialogue is a key part of building a community.
• Email – Email communication is as old as the world, yet still incredibly effective. It works especially well in the e-commerce industry because it is a source of information for customers about new products and promotions. By email, you can also confirm the stage of order fulfillment or share an interesting fact about the brand. It is also a very useful tool for companies that emphasize content marketing, which can distribute valuable content in a regular newsletter. In addition, remember that people in the database were so interested in your brand that they decided to subscribe to its content. Could there be a better foundation for building relationships?
• On-site marketing – Operating on your own website is one of the most important elements of communication. This is where you can take care of your user experience, build their impression of the company, and just let them know you. Good on-site marketing is a must for any brand…It is worth ensuring the transparency of the category, easy search for the necessary products or content. A pleasant website builds a good user experience and encourages users to come back.
• Mobile and display ads- Billboards of the digital world are better suited for interesting content. The big advantage is that you can choose them for a specific profile of recipients and determine what action they should take in connection with the advertisement: see the offer, read the article, and maybe subscribe to the newsletter? The choice is yours.
• Press, radio, television – Conventional media. People who are constantly connected to the network, who use the Internet as a source of all information and entertainment, sometimes find it difficult to get out of their bubble and realize how important traditional communication channels are. Of course, the age structure of the audience is changing, just look at the KRRiT report on television viewing. Almost half of the viewers are people over 55, and the percentage of viewers aged 10-29 has fallen from 21% (2005) to 13% (2018). And yet, traditional media still has a great deal of reach, especially when you want a more mature audience. Another advantage is the high flexibility of targeting. Thematic channels, magazines, and stations make it possible to reach a specific target group interested in each topic, while horizontal and general information media open a wide range of potential customers.
• Offline marketing – Outdoor advertising is a very interesting field of communication. Of course, if you don’t make an intrusive banner that clutters the urban space, the possibilities are endless – from creative murals through art installations, public facilities, blooming or air-filtering boards, and much more. You can engage artists, support the development of local neighborhoods, and above all, reach a large audience by increasing awareness of your brand. The main disadvantage of this solution is, unfortunately, the high cost, but with a good idea, it is worth it.

First impression count…and every subsequent impression

From the moment you first encounter a brand, you notice it, then you associate with it – then you start to process everything about it… and treat it as an advertising message. Everyone wants something: clicks, likes, comments, buying, joining a competition, etc. We are used to being bombarded with these messages, so each of us has a mechanism of instant filtering and interpretation of content. We create scripts, abbreviations, and associations to immediately classify the brand we encounter. We often know that we look at an advertisement for cosmetics before we even read the company’s description. That is due to a specific design, colors, keywords popular among certain categories of services or products, a specific archetype. Besides – emotions, we accept that many articles are portrayed in terms of the fun and carefree side of life. Soft drinks always have a funny message, even if the product itself is not actually humorous. A can of Pepsi does not make you laugh but associating its communication with having fun is good for you, it evokes nice associations with social gatherings at which this drink appears. Mobile operator packages, car rental, salad dressing, beer, restaurants, and especially shopping can all be presented as something that is at the center of a great time.

Is it true that there is no second chance of making the first impression? However, in today’s world, where we are connected to the 24/7 network and exposed to advertising at every step, there is a good chance that we will meet a given brand many times. And every impression matters. That is why a coherent, expressive brand strategy in various media and on various platforms is so important: thanks to this, you have a chance to build recognition, create your image, consolidate associations and, above all, build relationships with your growing community of users and customers.