How can you make your online voice more authentic?
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— The LinkedIn Team
Your online voice is the way you express yourself, your values, and your personality on the internet. It can be a powerful tool to build your personal brand, connect with your audience, and stand out from the crowd. But how can you make sure that your online voice is authentic, consistent, and engaging? Here are some tips to help you craft your online voice and make it more genuine.
Before you start creating any content, you need to have a clear idea of why you are online and what you want to achieve. What is your mission, vision, and value proposition? Who is your target audience and what are their needs, pain points, and aspirations? How can you help them solve their problems or achieve their goals? Having a strong sense of your purpose will help you define your online voice and align it with your brand identity.
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Mark Schaefer
Marketing strategist, keynote speaker, university educator, futurist, and bestselling author of "Marketing Rebellion," "KNOWN," and "Belonging to the Brand."
The key to creating human content is to weave your own stories into your content. Here are some prompts that can help you: My experience with this is … The impact on me is … I learned this when … This news made me upset … My most valuable lesson was ... A time I struggled with this was ... The only way to stand out in this world is to be original, and to be original, you have to share your story. Be careful not to cross the line of "over-sharing." I once heard good advice about this: "Share your scars, not your wounds." Being human with my content did not come easy for me. I'm a private person. It takes courage to share, but every time I do, I'm rewarded. People react because they've had similar problems and hurdles.
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Chiamaka Joyce Nzeako
Founder of Scriptjobs - Helping you get SEEN, HEARD and HIRED |Driving SALES for Founders through Content and Branding || Brand and Content Strategist ||Recruitment Consultant
Your why determines everything about your brand especially your voice and tone. Spend time asking yourself some core questions: Why am I on this platform? Who do I want to work with? What is my goal in the next 3 months? Once you answer these fundamental questions everything else becomes super easy.
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Joshua King TL ✍🏽
DR Copywriter | Sales and Marketing Trainer | I help brands move from invisible to irresistible and monetize their audience .
Why do you value the words of your parents to that of a distant relative? For people of faith, why do you hold, dearly, the words of your leader to that of a stranger? The answer is simple... Until people know how much you care, they don't care how much you know. 🌹 We give our utmost attention to people we have an emotional connection with. People we trust their "motives". Strive to achieve that with your brand positioning. Position your brand as that person who: 🌹knows their pain 🌹Feels their pain, and 🌹Speaks to heal their pain. Do this with the right messaging and your brand will raise a cult-like following. Sounding authentic doesn't start with the tone of your voice, it starts with the right positioning. JK 📌
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Your tone is the way you convey your emotions, attitude, and personality through your words. It can be formal or informal, friendly or professional, humorous or serious, or anything in between. Your tone should reflect your brand values and your audience's expectations, but also your own authentic self. To find your tone, think about how you want to make your audience feel, what words you would use in a conversation with them, and how you can show your human side.
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Kimberly Woodruff
Author, Poetess, Podcaster, Content Writer, West Meets East Player. Building Human Connections, DM to learn more.
I agree with this. Once you know the tone and message you want to put out. The rest is just being your unique self and staying real. We all have a unique story to share so have fun with it. Like in most stories everyone tells them a little differently. Find your style and shine.
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Gurpreet Mann
LinkedIn + Content Strategist- Named Top 15 LinkedIn Expert | Business Coach | Career & Job Search Coach - Expert In Building 6-Figure Careers | Known as the "Hidden Job Market" Queen 👑 | Global Keynote Speaker
Your tone needs to be authentic to you. Don't try to copy others. Speak how you would speak. Speak in away that a grade 3rd student can read and understand. Simple language. Don't be fake. Be as vulnerable as you can be. Emotions moves people. Be bold. Be brave.
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Ana Paula Marçal Fortunato
CEO YOUP CONSULTORIA DE CARREIRA | Especialista em Carreira e Recolocação | Jobhunter | Headhunter | Assessora de Carreira | RH
Autenticidade e Veracidade são os segredos do tom da própria marca! É preciso encontrar um jeito seu e um jeito único de se posicionar estrategicamente, creio que o pior erro que encontro por aí é justamente a imitação!
Your online voice should be consistent across all your platforms, channels, and formats. This means that you should use the same tone, style, and vocabulary in your blog posts, social media posts, emails, videos, podcasts, or any other content you create. Consistency will help you establish your credibility, trustworthiness, and recognition. It will also make it easier for your audience to follow your message and relate to you.
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Meera Patel
Top Brand Strategy Voice |LinkedIn growth expert 📈| Resume Writer & Personal Branding Expert | LinkedIn Profile Optimization | Social Media Marketing Strategist | Let's Create Your Standout Online Presence
Maintaining uniformity in your online voice is vital across all your platforms, channels, and content formats. This entails employing a consistent tone, style, and vocabulary in your blog posts, social media updates, emails, videos, podcasts, and any other content you produce. This consistency is pivotal in building your credibility, trustworthiness, and recognition. Moreover, it simplifies the process for your audience to grasp your message and connect with you
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Ashwin Krishnan
LinkedIn Top Voice | I reveal The Real You. Authentic. Unscripted. On my StandOutIn90Sec show! Tech Leaders - humanize your people to foster greater engagement, grow your human brand & attract the right talent!
Consistency is important. However, willingness to stray a little bit to test out additional areas in proximity is equally important. Especially so when the way the audience consumes content varies so much across posts, videos, podcasts ... so the core message needs to stay consistent, the delivery, length, periodicity ... needs to be customized.
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Stefana Sopco
Head of Content Marketing @ Smartflow | Digital transition in the Tank Storage Sector | B2B Marketing | FortyUnder40 | Women in Tech | Role Model Diversity & Inclusion | Animal Lover
Easier said than done, right? Sometimes, ideas come to us at the worst times. Instead of rushing for a pen and paper, try recording it on your phone. Keep voice notes. You will be able to share more details like this, and maybe even more ideas will surge out of it. Another way in which you can stay consistent is to open loops in the previous content piece you wrote. Think of them like TV series episodes. One thing leads to another.
Your online voice should not be just about you, but also about your audience. You should aim to add value to them by providing useful, relevant, and engaging content. You should also show that you care about them by listening to their feedback, answering their questions, addressing their concerns, and thanking them for their support. Adding value will help you build rapport, loyalty, and advocacy with your audience.
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Ashwin Krishnan
LinkedIn Top Voice | I reveal The Real You. Authentic. Unscripted. On my StandOutIn90Sec show! Tech Leaders - humanize your people to foster greater engagement, grow your human brand & attract the right talent!
I disagree with the opener. It should NEVER be about you. It is always about the audience. The brand and value you provide always emerges if you put the audience and their needs first.
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Meera Patel
Top Brand Strategy Voice |LinkedIn growth expert 📈| Resume Writer & Personal Branding Expert | LinkedIn Profile Optimization | Social Media Marketing Strategist | Let's Create Your Standout Online Presence
Your online voice should extend beyond self-promotion and prioritize your audience. Focus on delivering valuable, pertinent, and captivating content that benefits them. Demonstrate your genuine concern by actively listening to their feedback, responding to their inquiries, resolving their issues, and expressing gratitude for their support. This commitment to adding value will foster connections, loyalty, and advocacy among your audience.
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Oswaldo Athayde
To add value, I suggest the following points: - Focus on Audience Value: Tailor your online content to be useful, relevant, and engaging, ensuring it adds value to your audience's life or work. - Engage and Respond: Actively listen to audience feedback, answer questions, and address concerns, showing that you value their input and engagement. - Express Gratitude: Regularly thank your audience for their support, fostering a sense of appreciation and community. - Build Relationships: Use your content to build rapport, demonstrating genuine interest in your audience's needs and experiences. - Cultivate Loyalty: Consistently adding value leads to stronger loyalty and advocacy, as your audience feels connected and valued.
Your online voice is not something that you set and forget. It is something that you can experiment with, test, and improve over time. You should always monitor your online performance, measure your results, and analyze your feedback. You should also keep an eye on the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in your industry and niche. Experimenting and evolving will help you adapt to the changing needs and preferences of your audience and the online environment.
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Lisa McGuire
Personal Brand Positioning. Helping service providers overcome obscurity by defining their superpower. Identify WHO you are, HOW to show up, and WHAT to say. | Your Passion, Purpose and Personal Brand podcast.
Vary your content by format and tone. Be a bit controversial or polarizing. Take on the role of the expert at times. Share one of your lessons from a failed attempt. Your audience will resonate and stay with you when you show up as a human with different emotions.
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Benjamin Loh, CSP
I help top life insurance leaders and service professionals in Asia build their brand and influence and be #TopofMind | Millennial Dad | Top 12% Global Speaker
Experimentation and evolution are like dance steps that keep your dance moves fresh and captivating. 🕺 Embrace new trends, explore different content formats, and engage with your audience in thoughtful ways. Gather feedback, refine your approach, and let your authentic voice shine through. Continuous growth and adaptation will transform your online presence into a dynamic and engaging performance. 🎭
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Colin Whittington
Founder and CEO at Recruiting Heroes 🇺🇸 | 2019 Virginia Deputy Sheriff of the Year | Anything in life worth doing, is worth overdoing
You never know what will work. Some posts that I thought would be very successful in terms of engagement, were not. While others surprised me with how much people interacted with my ideas. Keep experimenting and refining your content and you will be surprised how much you can learn. Your followers/network will have a major part in determining the future of your brand as they will decide which posts are your most successful ones. Be open to new ideas and be willing to try new things. Get to it!
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Teslimat Ishaq
Content Marketer- Empowering founders to attract, nurture and convert their target audience using content. DM "Lift" for info.
Your authentic voice is that voice you use with friends and people you are comfortable with. You should write and speak in a conversational and relatable manner, just like you would to friend and be sure to avoid jargon or overly formal language. Don't be afraid to show your human side. Share your challenges, failures, and lessons learned, like you would with friends. Discover what sets you apart from others in your niche and make that you highlight. Making your online or writing voice more authentic is just as simple as that.
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Dipayan Bhattacharjee
I help Individuals & Brands develop their Brand Strategy & Content for LinkedIn || Ghostwriter | Coach
The most important aspect of Personal Branding is the person behind the brand. In order to make your voice more authentic, build your personal brand. Share your emotions. Narrate your stories. Be relatable. Do not be afraid to share failures. Do not be someone you are not. Have a genuine connection with your network.
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Lisa McGuire
Personal Brand Positioning. Helping service providers overcome obscurity by defining their superpower. Identify WHO you are, HOW to show up, and WHAT to say. | Your Passion, Purpose and Personal Brand podcast.
Personal branding is not about you. It's to help others understand who you are, why you care and if you are someone they can align with. A personal brand is a way to serve your audience to know "Yes, I'm for you." or "No, you aren't my type of person."