Take the Test: Is Your Content Tone Deaf?

As more companies discover the importance of Content Marketing, many race to the “publish” button without ever determining if their content is in tune with their brand—or diluted and boring.

This is increasingly common for those who farm out content to firms or ghost writers who don’t have a proven Voice & Tone Definition process.

Does this mean outsourcing content is out of the question? Heck no! Experienced Content Marketing agencies have the right people and processes in place to facilitate, define and refine your company’s Voice & Tone.  Given the right mix, the right talent will produce effective content that is “all you.” The result? Visitors return. “Like” buttons get clicked. Content gets shared.

So, how can you tell if your content sounds unique to your brand or…yaaaaaaaaawn…just like everyone else’s?

The “Logo Swap” Test

Can you snap a competitor’s logo in place of yours and get away with the exact same content? If so, get to work on defining your content strategy and voice and tone right away. Your content should not only “sound” unique—but the content itself should reflect your internal expertise, specialty or thought leadership. If a competitor could whip out the same information and tone…well… <<<Insert Buzzer Sound Here>>> … thanks for playin’…no parting gifts.

Some Examples

Progressive Insurance – “Yawn!”

Sadly, Progressive’s logo could be swapped for State Farm or Travelers in this blog post about understanding insurance. What’s worse is that Progressive has such a fantastic opportunity to leverage their lovable spokesperson, Flo! Not that Flo has to author every post—but certainly her fun, kitschy, honest voice could be reflected even slightly.

Whole Foods – “Wholly Wow!”

There is so much that Whole Foods does right with its online content strategy. Their Whole Story Blog has clear personality, variety and a “casual” and “real” feel to it. Best of all, their content adds value and means something to their visitors.

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DMW Supply Group – “Over the Top, but Refreshing”

You don’t have to have the deep pockets of Whole Foods to have a unique voice and tone.

Compare DME Supply Group to other medical supply blogs and you’ll quickly see the difference. Although some might find this group’s style a bit over the top, it’s an extreme example of letting a company’s personality emerge. So refreshing to find in the sea of clinical, white coat, “blah blah blah” medical content that’s more common in that industry.

Your Turn

What content have you found that’s highly unique to a brand or company? Share with us by posting a comment below!