We all want our brand language to be as powerful as it can be so those we hope to serve feel a real connection to our brand. That’s the real key. That connection. It’s what gets us beyond being simply noticed to becoming loved by people.

So as we think about our brand language, what’s the biggest obstacle to us getting there? Quite honestly, it’s us.

“Hi, let me tell you about me.”

We have a natural tendency to talk about ourselves. We’re just wired that way. Unfortunately, that’s not really what our prospects want. What they’d rather hear you talk about is them.

The good news it is not difficult to overcome self-centered brand language. The first thing to do is to understand the signals our language sends. 

How we structure our brand language sends subtle signals to our prospects. I’m not talking exclusively about the words we use. I’m talking about where we put our emphasis.

Does your brand language talk about you and your organization? In other words, do you find yourself using ‘we’ , ‘our’, and ‘us’ a lot in your language? For example:

• “We believe…”

• “Our new process…”

• “It is important to us…”

These are symptoms of brand language that is more organization-focused rather than focused on those we hope to serve.

A simple technique to boost your brand language

Reframing your language can seem like a small thing. But the effect can be game-changing. It can help people feel that connection to your brand. Because your focus more fully shifts to them. Let’s look at an example of organization-focused language

“For over 30 years, we have been serving customers in the widget industry.”

There is nothing wrong with this statement per se. It would be easy to write it and move on. After all, prospects could draw a conclusion from your language that you’re experienced in their industry so there is less risk in choosing you.

Okay, stop there and look at that assumption. “Prospects could draw a conclusion…” Why should we make prospects do that work? There is a better way to speak with them:

“You deserve the confidence and peace of mind that comes from working with someone that has been serving people like you for more than three decades.”

This iteration talks about what those you hope to serve are looking for. It’s not widgets. It is confidence. And peace of mind. Why make them work to figure that out? 

This is just one example. And a  simple one at that. But imagine, from this point forward, evaluating who is the real focus of your efforts. And changing how you choose to speak with them. If you did that across all your brand language, imagine how that could change how your prospects perceive you.

Let’s sum up

Use your language to help those you hope to serve feel like you prioritize their needs over your own. That will mean getting over that initial urge that may well up when you put others before yourself (don’t feel bad - it’s not selfishness, it’s a primordial self-preservation instinct).

Be one of the confident brands that do this. Let your language help you be that brand that understands that, by focusing on the needs and desires of customers and prospects, you will be exponentially more successful than if you focus on your wants.

Then watch what that does to your brand.