This is where your brand voice can fail.
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I can't believe that I had this major blindspot with branding. I taught English as a Second Language for over 10 years, in Toronto and Mexico. Now I'm a copy strategist telling people how important it is to have a brand voice in all communications, even to your team. So when I recently met a CEO at a networking event and heard a story where his team, all of whom are in The Philippines, was almost scammed over email, I was listening intently. His team was receiving emails ordering his staff to forward 'him' sensitive client file info. Since English is their second language, that 'scammy' tone got a bit lost in translation, and the only way they knew not to make a move until they double-checked was that there was a protocol in place to not share certain documents via email. Phew! Good job putting that in place. But while listening in, I was having a personal crisis. How had I not considered this before? The language barrier angle of branding wasn't something I'd thought about before except in the sense that certain brands should consider their global audience. I teach businesses to 'be their brand' even when they're sending simple emails to clients, in-house communications like presentations and meeting announcements, and even discovery calls and offboarding. All of this should sound like you, not a formal, stuffy template. It should be undeniably your voice. Not only to avoid scams, but to solidify the brand voice and character that you want to be known for. See, my money is on AI deep-faking us beyond out wildest imaginations, so I teach to err on the side of being very clear who you are so your clients and team know how you write and speak. They should recognize your tone and style anywhere, and definitely be able to tell when it's you and when it's a copycat. But when we work across languages, this is where the system fails. Brand voice is nuance. It's tone, it's slight, it's often a choice of one synonym over another. Language differences, difficulties, and even use of translation software can lead someone to miss those subtleties. So, have those protocols in place. Double-checking orders, especially with sensitive info and not sharing certain information over email is a great rule. But also? Keep working that brand voice because I still believe it's key to how your business shows up and communicates all around. I think there are ways that we can even break through that language barrier. Sometimes giving your team examples of things you'd never say is a simple place to start. Just like, 'never share client info over email,' you can just as easily say, "We never sign off an email with 'Sincerely' " or "You'll never get an email from me on a Friday after 3pm." As so many companies are in this same position, I think there are more things we can do but let's start there. I promise I'm working on more ideas and I'll crack it, I swear. I mean, if an ESL teaching copy strategist can't, who can? Ashe P.S. My e-resource, 'Brand Known' will get you on track for you and your team to solidify your brand voice, including practice for how your brand communicates and even how it doesn't. Grab it here for just $7. |