We’ve discussed voice or personality before.
On our list, voice came in as the most important element.
New research is now out that could shed some light on how you should position your company voice whether you’re blogging, updating social media or interacting with your customers in any way.
It’s an interesting finding because the new way to look at things is to determine the state of mind your customer is in as they go through the purchasing process with your brand.
People Want To Be The Same
The finding in the study is that people will look to remain in the same state of mind or in the same mood when making decisions:
[People] choose products that will maintain their original positive affective state. For example, if you’re in a great mood and full of energy (high arousal) you would probably opt for an energy drink over calming tea. Conversely, if you were in a pleasant mood but feeling relaxed (low arousal), you might be more likely to reach for that kettle.
It kind of makes sense now if you think about it. Energy drinks tend to focus on people that are doing high arousal activities like working out or playing some kind of sport. They’re targeting people that are already in a high state of excitement.
And do you remember the last time you saw a commercial for a tea company? The ad probably showed someone curling up in a blanket on the couch smelling the aroma of the tea before taking that first sip.
Social Media Voice
We often think that having a voice on social media means we have to be excited and crazy all the time. We think we have to be zany like the popular social media brands.
But this might be bad advice if what you’re selling is not a high arousal item. In fact, if your customers are usually in a calm state of mind when purchasing your product you’re likely to have more success with your voice if you are calm and collected as well.
This will better communicate the voice of your brand with your target customer. They’re not looking to change their mindset by purchasing your product. They’re looking to remain the same and that should be reflected in the voice you use on social media or in blogging or in any marketing effort.
Unpleasant State Of Mind
However, the opposite is true if your customers are usually in an unpleasant state of mind when they’re interacting with your brand:
When experiencing an unpleasant affective state, consumers tend to prefer less arousing products if their current arousal is high and more arousing products if their current arousal is low.
You’ve probably seen those 5-Hour Energy drink commercials that use this voice perfectly. They show people at work in the afternoon that are sluggish and out of energy. Those people are unpleasant and they’re looking for something that will bring them out of it.
Find Your Customer’s State Of Mind
The takeaway here is that your social media voice needs to align with the state of mind your customer is in during the early stages of the sales cycle for your product.
An over-the-top social media voice may not be the best way to connect with your customer. In fact, it could be the opposite of what you want to do with your social media voice.
Talk to your current customers. See what they were experiencing when they were first looking into the possibility of purchasing from your company or from companies like yours.
Once you key in on their state of mind you’ll have the answer for how you should create your social media voice.
Image: Kevin Dooley