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Maintaining Brand Voice With Outsourced Content Creation
How do you scale content production while ensuring your outsourced copywriting agencies and freelancers produce content with a consistent brand voice?
Brand voice is the tone, language, and personality a brand uses to talk to its audience. It's a mix of elements that include word choice, syntax, punctuation, and style. These create a unique look and feel for the brand.
It is how you talk to your customers. It's also your company's personality that comes through in your words. Maybe your brand is funny and casual. Or it could be serious and professional. Whatever your voice is, it needs to stay consistent.
However, when you use the same voice all the time, customers start to feel like they know you. It also helps you stand out from other companies.
But what happens when you hire outside writers to create your content? Even when you're not writing every word, ensure they sound like you. If you don't, you might confuse your customers.
They won't know what to expect from you. They might even stop trusting you.
To keep your voice the same, you need to plan. Write down clear rules about how you want to sound. Then work closely with your writers to make sure they follow those rules.
In this article, we'll examine how to keep your brand voice strong when working with outside content creators. We'll cover why brand voice matters, how to define it clearly, and steps to take when outsourcing.
You'll learn how to brief writers, give feedback, and build long-term partnerships. By the end, you'll have a solid plan for maintaining your voice across all your content.
Let's dive deep in.
Why Brand Voice Matters
Some companies don't put much thought into their brand voice. They figure as long as the information is correct, it doesn't matter how it's said. But that's a big mistake.
Your brand voice is a key part of your identity. It's how customers recognize and remember you. A strong, consistent voice builds trust and familiarity. It makes people feel like they know your brand personally.
Think about your favorite brands. You probably have a sense of their personality. Maybe one feels like a cool, laid-back friend. Another might seem like a wise expert you trust. That personality comes through in how they communicate.
When your voice stays consistent, it reinforces your brand identity with every interaction. But if your voice keeps changing, it confuses people. They're not sure who you are or what you stand for.
A consistent voice also helps you stand out from competitors. In a crowded market, personality can be a big differentiator. Your unique voice can help customers connect with you emotionally, not just logically.
Finally, brand voice affects how people perceive your expertise and quality. A professional, authoritative voice builds credibility. A sloppy, inconsistent voice makes people doubt you.
So yes, the brand voice does matter. It's not just window dressing. It's a core part of your marketing strategy. Now let's consider maintaining it when you're not doing all the writing yourself.
Defining Your Brand Voice
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You can't maintain something if you haven't defined it first. So before outsourcing content, you need a clear picture of your brand voice.
Start by thinking about your brand's personality. If your brand was a person, how would you describe them? Are they serious or playful? Formal or casual? Cutting-edge or traditional?
Next, consider your target audience. How do they speak? What tone resonates with them? Your voice should feel natural and appealing to the people you want to reach.
Look at your current content too. What patterns do you see in tone, word choice, and style? What seems to work well with your audience?
Once you have a general sense of your voice, get specific. Create a brand voice chart with 3-4 key traits. For each trait, give a brief description and some do's and don'ts. Here's a simple example:
1. Friendly
- We're warm and approachable, like a helpful neighbor.
- Do: Use casual language, first-person pronouns (we, our)
- Don't: Be overly formal or stiff
2. Expert
- We know our stuff and share knowledge confidently.
- Do: Back up claims with data, explain complex topics simply
- Don't: Use jargon, talk down to readers
3. Innovative
- We're forward-thinking and excited about new ideas.
- Do: Highlight new developments, use fresh language
- Don't: Rely on clichés, focus only on traditional approaches
This chart gives a quick reference for anyone creating content. It helps keep everyone on the same page.
Additionally, create a style guide. This covers the technical aspects of your brand voice. Include things like:
- Preferred spellings and terms
- Grammar and punctuation rules
- Formatting preferences
- Words or phrases to avoid
- Examples of your voice in action
The more detailed your guide, the easier it is for outsiders to match your voice.
Choosing The Right Outsourced Content Partners
Not all content creators are equally skilled at adapting to different brand voices. When contracting, hire a top outsourcing copywriting agency with skill and experience writing in various styles.
Ask potential partners about their process for capturing brand voice. How do they research a company's tone? What questions do they ask clients? How do they ensure consistency across different writers?
Look for examples of their work for other clients. Do you see a range of voices, or does everything sound the same? Can they show you before-and-after examples of how they adapted their writing to a specific brand voice?
Consider starting with a small test project. This lets you see how well they capture your voice before committing to a bigger contract.
It's also worth looking at specialized content agencies. These often have systems in place for maintaining brand voice across multiple writers. They may cost more than individual freelancers, but the consistency can be worth it.
Remember, cheaper isn't always better. A writer who can nail your voice from the start will save you time and frustration in the long run.
Creating A Solid Brief
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Once you've chosen your content partners, ensure you brief them well. A good creative brief for your projects is key to getting the content that matches your voice.
Start with the basics: topic, word count, target audience, and goals for the piece. But don't stop there. Include specific notes about voice and tone.
Reference your brand voice chart and style guide. Highlight the most important elements of this particular piece. If you want an especially casual tone for a social media post, say so. If you need a more serious approach for a white paper, make that clear.
Provide examples of content that hits the right tone. This could be your past work or even a competitor's piece that captures the feel you want.
If there are certain phrases or terms you want to be included, list them. The same goes for anything you want to avoid.
Be clear about the content structure too. Do you want short, punchy paragraphs? Longer, more detailed explanations? Lots of subheadings? Bullet points? The structure affects the overall feel of the piece.
Consider creating a template for your briefs. This ensures you cover all the important points every time. It also makes the process faster as you outsource more content.
Remember, the more guidance you give upfront, the less editing you'll have to do later. A detailed brief is worth the time investment.
Providing Feedback And Revisions
Even with a great brief, the first draft might not be perfect. That's okay. Providing clear feedback helps writers understand your voice better for future projects.
When reviewing content, look beyond just the facts. Pay attention to the overall tone and flow. Does it feel like your brand is speaking? If not, what's off?
Be specific in your feedback. Don't just say "This doesn't sound like us." Point out exactly where the voice doesn't match and why. Give examples of how you'd rephrase things.
If certain words or phrases don't fit your voice, highlight them. Suggest alternatives that better match your tone.
Look for patterns in what needs changing. Are there certain aspects of your voice that the writer consistently misses? This might mean you need to clarify those points in your brand guidelines.
When giving feedback, stay positive. Remember, the goal is to help the writer understand your voice better, not to criticize your skills. Highlight what they did well along with what needs improvement.
Consider using a collaborative editing tool like Google Docs. This lets you add comments directly to the text. It's easier for writers to see exactly what you mean.
After a few rounds of feedback, you should see improvement. Writers will start to internalize your voice and need fewer revisions.
Building Long-Term Relationships
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Maintaining brand voice is easier when you work with the same content creators over time. They'll get to know your brand deeply and need less guidance on each project.
Invest time in training your regular content partners. Share your brand story, values, and goals. The more they understand your company, the better they can capture your voice.
Consider creating a "voice wiki" for your brand. This is a living document where you collect examples of great content, common mistakes, and voice tips. Give your regular writers access to this resource.
Hold periodic voice alignment sessions. Review recent content together and discuss what's working well or needs improvement. This keeps everyone on the same page as your brand evolves.
Encourage writers to immerse themselves in your brand. Have them follow your social media, read your blog regularly, and stay up to date on your products or services.
If possible, include your content partners in some internal communications. Letting them see how you talk to your team can help them grasp your voice better.
Remember to give praise for content that nails your voice. Positive reinforcement helps writers know when they're on the right track.
Monitoring And Maintaining Consistency
Even with great partners and processes, stay vigilant about your brand voice. Set up a system for regularly reviewing outsourced content.
Do spot checks on published pieces. Are they consistently hitting the right tone? If not, what's slipping through?
Look at content across different channels. Does your voice stay consistent from your blog to your social media to your email newsletters?
Pay attention to customer feedback too. Do they notice a difference in tone between content pieces? If so, that's a sign you need to tighten up your voice control.
Consider using text analysis tools to check for voice consistency. These can flag words or phrases that don't match your usual style.
Regularly update your brand voice guidelines. As your company grows and changes, your voice might evolve too. Make sure your documentation keeps pace.
Hold internal reviews of your brand voice periodically. Are all stakeholders still aligned on how your brand should sound? If not, it's time to recalibrate.
Remember, maintaining brand voice is an ongoing process. Stay attentive and be ready to make adjustments as needed.
Balancing Consistency And Flexibility
While consistency is crucial, don't let your brand voice become a straightjacket. There needs to be some flexibility to suit different contexts and audiences.
Your voice on LinkedIn might be a bit more formal than on Twitter, for example. A technical white paper will have a different tone than a fun social media contest.
The key is to have a core voice that adapts slightly to different situations. Think of it like a person who speaks a bit differently at work versus with friends, but is still recognizably themselves.
Make sure your guidelines address this need for flexibility. Provide examples of how your voice shifts for different channels or content types.
Train your content creators to understand these nuances. They should know when to dial certain aspects of your voice up or down.
Regularly review if your voice is working across all your content types. If it's not translating well to a particular format, you might need to develop specific guidelines for that area.
Handling Special Projects And Campaigns
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Sometimes you'll have content projects that need a slightly different voice. Maybe you're launching an edgy new product line aimed at a younger audience. Or perhaps you're creating a serious report on an industry issue.
For these cases, create "voice overlays" - temporary additions to your main voice guidelines. These describe how to adjust your usual tone for this specific project.
Brief your outsourced content creators carefully on these voice overlays. Make it clear to them that this is a temporary shift, not a permanent change to your brand voice.
After the project, review how well the adjusted voice worked. Did it meet your goals while still feeling connected to your core brand? You might discover elements to incorporate into your main voice going forward.
Training In-House Teams
Even if you're outsourcing a lot of content, your in-house team still needs to understand and use your brand voice. They're creating content too, in emails, presentations, and more.
Hold voice training sessions for employees, especially those in customer-facing roles. Teach them the basics of your brand voice and why it matters.
Create internal resources like quick reference guides or video tutorials about your voice. Make these easily accessible to all team members.
Consider appointing "voice champions" in different departments. These people can help answer voice questions and keep an eye on consistency within their teams.
Encourage employees to flag content that doesn't match your voice, whether it's internal or external. This helps catch inconsistencies early.
Measuring The Impact Of Voice Consistency
It's important to track whether your efforts to maintain brand voice are paying off. Set up metrics to measure the impact of voice consistency.
Look at engagement rates across your content. Do pieces that nail your voice perform better? This might show up in metrics like time on page, social shares, or conversion rates.
Survey your audience periodically. Ask if they feel your brand communications are consistent. Do they have a clear sense of your brand's personality?
Track brand recall and sentiment over time. A strong, consistent voice should improve how well people remember and feel about your brand.
Monitor customer service interactions. Are people using language similar to your brand voice when communicating with you? A positive response shows that your voice is resonating and feels natural to your audience.
If you use AI tools in your marketing, check if a consistent voice improves their performance. Chatbots and AI content generators often work better when trained on a clear brand voice.
Use these metrics to refine your voice strategy. If certain aspects of your voice are especially effective, you might emphasize them more.
Conclusion
Maintaining your brand voice with outsourced content is a huge challenge, but it's not impossible. With clear guidelines, good partnerships, and ongoing attention, you can keep your brand's personality shining through.
Remember, your brand voice is a valuable asset. It's worth investing time and resources to get it right. A strong, consistent voice builds recognition, trust, and emotional connection with your audience.
Start by defining your voice clearly. Choose outsourced content partners who understand the importance of brand voice. Brief them thoroughly and provide constructive feedback. Build long-term relationships and keep monitoring for consistency.
Stay flexible enough to handle different content types and special projects. Don't forget to train your in-house teams too. And always keep measuring to see how your voice efforts impact your brand's performance.
With these strategies, you can confidently outsource content creation while keeping your brand's unique voice strong and clear. Your audience will feel like they're hearing from the same trusted brand, no matter who's doing the actual writing.
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