3 pro tips for making your brand writing more meaningful
We are exposed to thousands of brand messages each day. Not hundreds. Thousands. And out of that deluge, we remember a scant few of those brands' efforts. Those few brands that succeed in connecting with us do so because they offer us something that is in short supply and high demand. Meaning.
Here are three tips for your brand writing that will help you move your brand into that elite company.
1) Weed out the we
After you write something for your brand, go back through it and highlight where you used 'we'. Here's an example:
YOU: We have locations across the city and we have friendly people ready to lend a hand.
ME: Well good for you. Oh, wait a minute, you're telling me this because I'm supposed to understand what that means to me, right? Let me think. On the other hand, why are you making me think? You can go ahead and keep talking about you. I'm going to go over there and do…heck, I dunno….anything but this.
'We' is a red flag. Identify all of them in your writing and then move on to tip 2.
2) Make what you do not about you
You want to tell people about what you do. The problem is that people really don't want to hear that. They want to hear what you do for them. Here's an example:
BEFORE: We have locations across the city and we have friendly people ready to lend a hand.
AFTER: You can find a location just about wherever you are and get the help you need to feel like you're making the right decision.
The 'we' changes to 'you'. And suddenly you're no longer that guy who likes to talk about himself and instead you become that friend who is always asking how she can help.
3) Add in the universal we
I know, I just said to get rid of 'we'. But this is a different 'we'. This ‘we’ isn't just about you. It's about all of us. Customers. Prospects. Suppliers. Maybe even your competitors. Here's an example:
When we feel like we're making the right decision, we feel confident. That confidence is powerful. It can change how we approach everything. Imagine if everyone could feel that way. Together, we can make that happen. We can share the knowledge and tools. Let's help spread that in our world.
When a brand speaks in these terms, it appeals to the desire that we all have to be part of something larger than ourselves. Something that could have meaningful impact.
Let's make more meaning
It's our inclination to talk about who we are and what we do. When we accept the fact that it's our default, we can take the steps to turn our brand language from "Let me tell you about me" to "Let me tell you something meaningful to you." And maybe even get to, "Let's make something meaningful happen together."