“Eww, does my voice really sound like that?”
Raise your hand if you’ve ever said that after hearing a recording of your own voice… (raises hand)
When you “hear” your own speaking voice, you’re not hearing it the same way others are. You benefit from the effects of bone conduction — in essence, you feel your own voice, while others merely hear it.
The result is that when you finally hear yourself the way others do — without the exaggerating effects of your own body — you’re in for a surprise.
The same thing can happen to your brand communication. Something that sounds perfectly fine in your head can fall flat when it reaches your customers’ eyes and ears.
Now this isn’t to say that this is your fault (or your customer’s) — it’s just that you are expecting to hear two different things. You already know everything there is to know about your offer, your product, or your industry, which is great. But the “curse of knowledge” can stand in your way of speaking to your customer with a clear, effective voice.
People who depend on their voice for a living — singers, public speakers, voiceover artists, etc — spend tons of time training themselves to compensate for the tricks that their own ear is playing on their voice. Because of this, they’re able to produce exactly the sounds that they want you to hear.
You need to do the same thing for your brand. Get out of your own head and into your customer’s. Don’t tell them what you think they need to hear — tell them exactly what they need to hear in the tone that they need to hear it.
Bringing in an outside perspective can help with this process. As a brand voice consultant, I help companies and brands develop their voice in their social media, email, blog posts, and other communications.
Contact me today to find out how I can help your brand find its voice.