Creating a Brand Voice for your museum

It’s a noisy world out there. People are bombarded with words…words…words. When you’re trying to get the word out about all the good work that you do, it can feel like your words are falling on deaf ears. You may even feel like you are invisible. Everyone else’s message seems bigger and flashier. But fear not! Here’s a tip that will help you be heard in a noisy world. 

About 70% of consumers pay more for brands that they love. As a museum, you’re also asking for people’s most precious commodity, their time. They are investing in you (whether it be with time or money) because of emotion NOT logic. How do you break through the noise and show up authentically so you stand out to your ideal visitor in the noisy crowd?

It starts with your brand.

First, you really need a brand. Even the smallest museum needs a brand. Second, your brand needs a recognizable voice to go along with your brand colors, fonts and logo. Your museum’s brand voice is the personality and tone of its communications. It is the way a brand speaks to its audience and it is crucial to building a strong, recognizable brand. Your brand voice gets combined with the well-thought out messages that you repeat. Just like your ideal visitors will be attracted by the images and colors you choose, they will also be attracted by HOW you say the words you say. Brand voice is how you start to build a connection with your audience. It is the first step to achieving that “know, like and trust” factor that will make their ears perk up, make them listen, and then make them fall in love with your brand. 

Consistency is key when it comes to brand voice. If your brand’s voice varies from one communication to the next, it can be confusing to your audience and make it difficult to build trust and recognition.

Here are some tips for maintaining a consistent brand voice:

Personality and Tone.

Define your brand’s personality and tone. What kind of language and tone feels authentic to your brand and resonates with your audience? Are you serious? Spunky? Sarcastic? Fun and playful?

Create a style guide.

Create a style guide that includes guidelines for language, tone, and style. This is especially important if you have several team members that will be creating content.

Be Consistent everywhere you use your words.

Keep your brand voice consistent across all the places that you use words for your museum. Whether it is a blog post, social media caption or email newsletter, your brand voice should be recognizable and familiar to the reader. Is there a greeting or a tagline or a saying that you can use across all platforms?

Audit and Adjust.

Schedule time to regularly audit your brand to make sure that it is consistent. Pay attention to how your audience is responding to your communications and make adjustments as needed.

By maintaining a consistent brand—which includes the visual elements, your brand voice, and brand messaging—you will be on your way to building trust and recognition with your audience. A strong and memorable brand will cut through the noise and stand out in a crowded world. Once your audience knows who you are, likes you and trusts you, they will be more likely to visit your museum (where you will ‘wow’ them with an amazing visitor experience).

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