In marketing, on social media, in person and on the phone – brands big and small are increasingly shedding the robotic script and just talking to consumers like real people. Best of all, they do it with a dash of personality. In every category, and every shopping aisle, brands are standing out by tapping into their authentic human voice, voices that are simple, empathetic, honest and occasionally humorous or quirky.

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We’re all trained in the safe, scripted nuance of corporate-speak. But people connect through conversations, not messaging. They talk in sound bites and adapt how they speak based on whom they’re talking to, and why, and where. And they say sorry, and actually mean it.

The brands whose voices are breaking through and standing out across categories have the courage to:

  1. Radically simplify
  2. Deeply empathize
  3. Talk at eye-level
  4. Show uncommon candor
  5. Embrace personality

Radically simplify

Do you have the courage to throw out 80 percent of what you want to say?

Simple often isn’t so simple. But it’s absolutely essential in order to cut through the clutter. Cutting a big portion of want you want to say requires knowing what people actually want to hear. But when you get that right, magic can happen. For example, a retail bank branch reduced the clutter of its signs and messages by 80 percent, but people actually recalled its messages much more. How do they do it? Shorter sentences, varied syntax, and a healthy mix of words, images and infographics all help keep your materials people friendly.

Deeply empathize

Can you shift every interaction from trying to persuade to trying to help? Most communications are still talking at people rather than with them. They’re designed to tell, sell and persuade. But every interaction can be an opportunity to simply help, too. It starts with putting ourselves in our customers’ shoes and thinking deeply about what they’re trying to do. TurboTax makes it easy to see how far you’ve gone with your e-file with a progress tracker. And if you exit without finishing, they’ll prompt you to get help or set a reminder to return. Zappos and Ally Bank both keep their customer support phone number at the top of their sites with the understanding that when people aren’t shopping or managing their bank account, they’re seeking some human help. Spotify lays out a chart of what’s free and what’s not so listeners can make an informed choice on the service that’s right for them. Brands that understand where people are coming from win our loyalty, even affection, over the competition.

Talk at eye-level

Studies show corporate jargon frustrates people. In fact, nearly half of us will stop reading, stop listening, walk away, click away, turn off or tune out as soon as it’s used.
The remedy: Speak like your customers think.

The online bank Simple, calls a customer’s balance‚ ”safe-to-spend,” versus the austere “available funds” typically reported by the competition. Instead of asking us to “consider the environment and go paperless,” ConEdison endearingly laments “I used to be a tree :(“ on envelopes containing printed statements. Obfuscation is a big word and a not-so-nice way of communicating. Confusing language might trick customers into giving your their business today – was that an auto-renew policy buried in the fine print? – but it builds suspicion instead of a long-term relationship. People stick with brands that tell them the truth, clearly and kindly.

Show uncommon candor

Are you willing to give customers a peek behind the curtain and speak to them honestly?
Just like a person, a brand’s true character is often revealed in times of duress. Sincere candor means setting aside ego and bringing customers into the conversation. Facing accusations of substandard food processing practices, McDonald’s Canada launched a site allowing customers to ask them anything. And they meant it. Even provocative questions about ingredients – are chicken nuggets really made from pink slime? When defensiveness trumps candor, customers run. Chip Wilson, Lululemon’s founder, blamed his customers’ thigh size for the company’s unintentionally sheer yoga pants. People revolted.

Embrace personality

Have you found your brand’s true character? You must decide precisely what kind of human it is to truly connect. What’s your brand’s backstory, its attitude, its perspective on life? It’s this unique personality that provides dimension and texture.

Defining a set of attributes is a great place to start, but more than a string of words, these traits need to reveal the living character of a brand. Memorable characters build the mythology of brands beyond what they sell, and they represent an incredible business opportunity. They inspire impassioned communities of like-minded individuals with undying loyalty (think Trekkies). They make us want to discard reality and immerse ourselves in a fantastic world of their design (think Disney).

It’s no coincidence that founder-led brands have advantage in seizing a brand character. Their target is often the same kind of person who created the brand – like the irreverent Virgin of Richard Branson. Brands with identifiable spokespeople often have well-built characters, too, like Geico’s agreeable Gecko and Progressive’s brash, friendly Flo. These ambassadors define a brand in customers’ eyes and can set the tone for the organization.

Without this shortcut, a little work needs to be done to find the right voice. A few foundational questions can help a brand begin the journey of finding its character. Does an individual, archetype or group of people represent your brand? Are you male or female? Age? Interests? Friends?

Despite the challenges, the true benefits to finding your voice go well beyond changing your image and communications. Shedding our institutional habits and learning to speak with a human brand voice and true personality is a long journey. It can’t be faked or fabricated.

Photo: Rupert Ganzer, Flickr