You're facing shifting market trends in content creation. How can you maintain your brand voice?

I actually don't think marketing trends should impact your brand voice. Your brand voice needs to be authentic and shouldn't change that much, unless you're doing an entire rebrand. So you can adapt to marketing trends without changing your brand voice. If you haven't developed a guideline for Tone & Voice, it can help your team establish how to maintain your brand voice across content formats and channels.

To maintain our brand voice amidst shifting market trends in content creation, staying informed is crucial. By continuously monitoring industry developments, understanding our audience's evolving needs, and adapting our messaging accordingly, we ensure our brand remains relevant and resonant.

A great best practice to stay informed and up to date, is to identify 5-10 expert sources for information within your industry (ie: podcasts, newsletters, blogs, youtube videos) to stay up to date. What are they posting? What are current trending topics? You can also identify 3-5 personal brands in your industry/space that have an engaged audience. What is their audience resonating most with? What are they posting? What topics are they talking about? Create a routine to review each month or even week, to ensure you are keeping up to date and adjusting your content strategy as needed.

I believe this information is actually more relevant to your team rather than you, as the decision maker and founder. However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't stay informed. Keeping yourself updated should not require you to shift your branding or content strategy specifically. Instead, it's your team's role to stay up to date and suggest new tactics, refine current content creation, and identify any timely trends that the brand can leverage while remaining true to its existing branding. As the decision maker, it's essential for you to ensure consistency in the brand.

Feeling like you're playing brand voice whack-a-mole with every trend? I've been there. Here's my secret: Create a message hierarchy. Think of it as a Russian doll – your core message at the center, with layers of flexibility around it. But sometimes, it's okay to resist trends. Deliberately avoiding certain bandwagons can actually reinforce your uniqueness. Your brand voice isn't just about following; it's about leading authentically.

Canned responses and jargon-filled content no longer connects. Whether publishing as the brand or as a team member, authenticity rules. When you respond to posts on social media, for example, even when writing from the brand account, make sure to have that human element in your voice. Stay consistent to the brand, and don't get too cute, but being overly business can get you ignored quickly.

Regularly interact with your audience through comments, polls, and direct messages. Understand their needs and preferences to tailor your content effectively.

If you aren't making friends on LinkedIn or social media.... you're doing it wrong. Don't just "post" and then disappear. Interact with your audience, engage with them, show them you care and take the time to connect and get to know them, while being true to you and your brand voice.

It is important to understand what trends align and what don't. Not all trends need to be used and also not all trends make sense. It is about understanding the niche and the industry. For example, if you are in the art industry, it might not make sense to use trending sounds on TikTok or Instagram.

Be you. People crave authenticity and REAL (more than ever). If you are pumping out generic content, your audience will stop caring and noticing. Take the time to create content that is genuine, that shares your thoughts and incites (in a professional way), build trust and loyalty by being real.... not perfect.

Shifting trends don't have to drown out your brand voice. Here are 3 key things to remember: Core values are your anchor: What are your brand's core values? Keep those at the forefront, even when adapting content formats. Authenticity resonates. Evolve, don't mimic: Trends are great for inspiration, but don't lose your unique voice trying to be everything to everyone. Infuse trends with your brand's personality for a fresh take. Be ready to say "No": Not every trend is suitable for your brand, and it's perfectly okay to say, "no thanks, not this time".

To be able to stay flexible with your brand voice, align with a value proposition rather than sticking to "the brand". Have people associate your brand with a niche, sub-niche, value proposition, ... So when your target audience has a problem, they are confident you are the one that they will think about to solve that.

Know your core: What are your brand's values and personality? This is your North Star – new trends should complement, not contradict, it. Evolve, don't overhaul: Adapt content formats (like trying TikTok), but keep your brand's tone (witty? informative? etc.) consistent. Listen to your audience: See what resonates with them in the new landscape. Maybe it's live Q&As or user-generated content? Stay true to your voice, even in new formats: Inject your brand's personality into everything you create, even trendy formats. Bonus Tip: Collaborate with creators who understand your brand. They can help you reach new audiences while staying true to your voice.

The statement "man know thyself" can also be true for brands. Knowing the brand (its audience, peculiarities, and mission) is essential to maintain the brand voice in the face of changing trends. This will help you to identify trends that are helpful for the brand - in terms of positioning, and trends the brand should not associate with. If a trend is suitable for the brand, the brand voice will fit that trend without being distorted.

Lo principal es tener muy bien definida la voz de tu marca, antes de hablar de cualquier tendencia en el mercado, una vez que tengas esa parte puedes establecer la opinión de tu marca frente a cada una de las nuevas circunstancias que se presenten sin perder la esencia de tu marca. Además también debemos recordar que no todas las tendencias son compatibles con todas las marcas, recuerda quién eres, sé flexible pero no te pierdas en el camino por conquistar a todas las audiencias, recuerda siempre a tu target.