Many Companies Need Online Voice Lessons

Companies tend to do better with online marketing when they can establish their own voice and fit it to the method of communication.

Marketers, whether speaking through websites, communities, or social media sites, need to ensure that the voice fits in the content.

On an official website, the company voice represents the corporate vision. It should be professional, persuasive, and “designed to tell your audience why they should invest in you,” writes Anna Ritchie of Content Marketing Institute.

As for social media sites, Ritchie says that customers should do most of the talking, and marketers should be listening. The tone can be more informal and personal, and used to connect one on one with fans.

“Your social sites shouldn’t serve as an extension of your company voice,” she says. “They should give you the chance to speak ‘outside the box’ and connect with your audience on a more intimate level.”

For example, on Starbucks corporate page, people can learn all about its policies, but its Twitter account is geared towards having conversations with customers.

As for the online community, which Ritchie says is more directed towards the industry, marketers should be posting news stories, original content, and useful information, while dropping the sales pitch.

This should be a place for the company’s audience to “gather and discuss broader industry-related issues and breaking news, ask questions, and share ideas.”

Image courtesy of The Daring Librarian/flickr>