Synonyms are funny things. We’re taught that the thesaurus is a way to find alternative words that add variety to our writing. Let’s look at excellent. If we want to swap it for an alternative, fantastic is at the top of the list. They have a similar feel – something that’s exceptional may be described as excellent or fantastic. But are they really the same? Excellent is defined as the very best of its kind, while fantastic has an element of fantasy and disbelief in its definition. Can you colloquially use them interchangeably? Sure. A great meal can be either fantastic or excellent. But in your brand language, the weight that fantastic carries could be entirely different from excellent. 

When you created your brand language, you labored over every word in your mission statement. You chiseled away at your value statements like a Grecian sculptor. You ensured every header on your website was SEO- focused and brand-aligned. But over time, the champions of your brand left the company. The person who managed the website was promoted, and a new person stepped into their role. You forgot about the care that was put into your brand language, and a few too many fantastics were mistakenly replaced with excellents. Now, you’re sitting with the brand equivalent of jambalaya that you want to simplify. Luckily, it’s not too late. You can reclaim your brand language with concerted effort and a few steps. 

Think first of the tone.

Before your team can start developing content, you need to determine how your brand should feel to your target audiences. You can use simple words like warm, caring, bold, smart or efficient. Or, you can be more flowery with words like effervescent, illuminating, snarky or evocative. All you’re seeking to do is set the mood. Think of it as your branding moodboard – or a cornerstone on which all of your language will be built.

Start with core words. 

Now, your team can start building a glossary of core words and phrases that are critical to your brand. You might be saying, “Taylor, we just picked a bunch of words to set the tone.” This is different. The tonal words won’t be used in practice. They are guides to help you select the appropriate words. I’ll give you an example. Say you’re a bookstore that wants the tone of your language to be mysterious and academic. You wouldn’t say, “We’re an academic and mysterious bookstore.” But you might say something like, “We specialize in literary oddities and unexpected commodities.” 

Refine existing statements. 

With your tone identified and your core language glossary built, it’s time to start working on your content. Start with your existing mission, vision and value statements. Do they say what you want them to say? Do they say anything at all? This is the part of the process that might feel especially tedious. If you’re doing it right, you and your team should go back and forth, discussing the merits of individual words. Nothing is ever perfect in business, but your main branding statements should be as close to perfect as possible.

Flow through remaining materials.

With the aforementioned elements in place, your team can start writing social media content, revising your website, distributing email newsletters or pushing out direct mail with a specialized vocabulary. Your tonal words, core glossary and primary brand statements are the prep work that make writing in your company’s voice seamless, no matter who’s developing the content. 

Brand messaging is a daunting task. It’s enormous and minute simultaneously. So if you’ve reached this point and thought, “What team is she referring to?” Or. “I don’t know that I can put this on my team right now.” That’s fine. We’re here to take on the entire process for you. I promise, there is nothing I love more than opining over the merits of changing every instance of “excellent” on your website to “fantastic.”