When you think about brand identity, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The logo? The brand colours? The overall aesthetic?

In this age of social media, where short-form video, memes, and gifs are so prominent, it’s not surprising that many people associate brands most closely with their visual elements. And while the attention to colours, fonts, and overall visual appeal that goes into branding work is fully warranted, we think it’s equally important to develop your brand voice. 

What’s a Brand Voice, Anyway?

Just as you have a unique personality, values, and other defining characteristics that make you you, so does your business. 

Your brand voice is that personality. It’s how your brand presents itself to the public. And it’s the manner in which your brand values are represented and communicated through style, tone, language, and messaging.

Why Your Brand Voice Matters

For a business to build strong, enduring relationships with customers, two things need to happen: 1) you need to get noticed, and 2) you need to build trust. Having an authentic and consistent brand voice can help on both fronts.

Let’s start with the first part: getting noticed. 

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think about how much content you’re shown on a daily basis. Push alerts, memes, social media ads, funny cat videos… there’s a lot vying for your attention. So what makes you want to stop and engage, and best of all, hit that “follow” button?

You guessed it… brand voice! 

Without a distinct, compelling, and unique brand voice, it’s easy for your content to get lost in the shuffle. But an authentic and clear brand voice can help you cut through the noise, make an impression, and resonate with your audience.

Now let’s look at the second part: building trust. 

Building trust with your customers may start with providing quality products or services, but it doesn’t end there. A thoughtfully crafted brand voice can also go a long way in elevating the overall customer experience, inspiring confidence in your brand, and making customers want to stick with you.

But remember, the key is to be authentic and consistent. A brand voice that feels unpredictable, phony, and isn’t easily recognizable as distinctly yours will have the opposite effect.

Finding Your Unique Brand Voice

Now that we’ve explored what a brand voice is and why it matters, we’ve got a few tips to help you develop yours.

1. Lead With Values & Purpose

The same values that guide your business should also guide your brand voice and shine through in your communications. That doesn’t mean you need to make a declaration of your company values every time you send out a newsletter or post on social media. But your audience should be able to get a sense of what you value and what you stand for.

Beyond being reflective of your values, your brand voice should be shaped by your business’s mission or purpose. For example, if you run a dance studio, you might craft a brand voice that is empowering, welcoming, and perhaps a little bit irreverent. On the other hand, if you run an insurance company, you might opt for a brand voice that combines knowledge, professionalism, and helpfulness.

2. Get To Know Your Audience

Think of all the different people in your life you communicate with regularly. Do you communicate with everyone the same way? We’re guessing no. 

If you’re anything like us, you probably adopt a different tone or style of communication when a) emailing your accountant, b) texting your teenage niece, and c) reacting to the latest meme your BFF sent you.

Part of what drives this is situational, but part of it is knowing who you’re talking to. The same rules apply when crafting your brand voice: you have to know your audience. 

We recommend identifying not only the key demographic data about your ideal audience, but also personality traits, pain points, motivations, etc. In other words, all the things that will help you refine your messaging, style, and tone to make the most impact.

3. Audit Your Existing Content

Take a look at the social media content, newsletters, and blogs you’ve shared recently and determine which ones your audience engaged with the most. What kind of content worked well? What kind of feedback did you receive from your audience? How would you describe how your brand voice came across? And most importantly, is it consistent with your current brand identity?

Answering these questions will help you figure out if you’re already on the right track or if there are areas for improvement, in which case, proceed to step four…

4. Define Who You Aren’t

You know how sometimes knowing what you don’t want is equally important as knowing what you do what? Well, sometimes to home in on what your brand voice is you need to identify all the things your brand isn’t.

This might feel like reverse engineering, but defining who you aren’t and what you don’t want to be known for can be a highly instructive exercise—especially if you’re struggling to articulate your brand voice or you want to give your brand voice a refresh. 

Last But Not Least…

Once you’ve found your unique brand voice, make it official with brand voice guidelines. Be sure to include a brief description of your brand voice, a few keywords or phrases that characterize your brand identity (e.g. inclusive, sustainable, the foremost authority on advancements in nuclear fission), and examples of your brand voice in action.

Now you’re ready to go forth and raise your (brand) voice!

Even if back-to-school is a distant memory, September still ALWAYS feels like the start of something new… doesn’t it? While we’re all for making the most of every last bit of summer, we know that the mood shifts after Labour Day, as organizations hunker down for the busy season. 

As we creep towards September, now’s the time to start getting into that “back to school” mindset, so you (and your business) can kick off the fall feeling confident, energized, and organized. 

Reset Your Routines

Vacations. Summer Fridays. Long weekends. Routines tend to go right out the window from Canada Day through to Labour Day, as we (try to) prioritize flexibility and fun. Yet as we head towards September, now’s the time to start easing back into regular routines… just like the millions of families taking baby steps towards earlier mornings and consistent bedtimes. 

If you’ve reduced your posting frequency over the summer, now’s the time to start ramping up again, since social media use tends to spike once August comes to an end. It’s also a great idea to touch base with your social media team about protocols and upcoming due dates.

Client content reviews tend to get a little loosey-goosey over the summer, as everyone takes well-deserved breaks. But as you head into September, set your social team up for success by making sure you’re on the same page regarding timelines. 

Make Sure You Have What You Need

Parents and students are getting ready to search for backpacks, pick outfits, refill pencil cases, and pull out lunch bags, with fingers crossed that they’ll be empty and clean.

On the flip side, businesses should be reviewing website copy, freshening up photos, updating bios, and making sure websites and socials are reflective of current offerings and policies, as well as the people who make the company special. 

So why not take advantage of the slower summer pace to get all your ducks in a row? Do a quick review, and make a plan to replace anything that looks a little… moldy. 

Set Some Goals

Now’s a great time to define your priorities for the upcoming season. While you can be grateful that you don’t have to stress about choosing classes, it CAN be a good time to research professional development opportunities, determine business goals, and refine what you want to communicate to the public through your social media and other marketing avenues.

And if you’re working with a social media agency, it’s essential that you share those goals – as well as any upcoming events, programs, or offerings – with them, so they can align the content calendar with your vision. 

Channel That “First Day of School” Feeling

Let’s be honest: back to school is all about anticipation. Looking forward to wearing that carefully-chosen outfit. Getting ready to see friends who’ve been away. New classes, new teachers, and fresh starts. 

So as we head towards September, it’s a great time to create a bit of buzz with your socials. Is there a new promotion or product you’re planning to announce? Why not create a countdown campaign to tease it out and channel that feeling of anticipation!

And while you’re at it, go ahead and raise morale by giving yourself something to look forward to this fall. Restock your favourite office supplies, and treat yourself to the really good tea or coffee beans. Plan a lunch with a friend, book a haircut, or save the latest season of your favourite show for next month, when you really need a little boost. 

In a world where people are constantly bombarded with choices, standing out isn’t just about having a great product or service, it’s about creating a brand that resonates, builds trust, and stays top of mind. Wherever you are in your business journey, whether you’re a startup or an established business looking for a refresh, reinforcing your brand is essential to long-term success.

Here’s how you can do it (and do it well)!

1. Identify Your Brand

Before you can reinforce your brand, you need to define what it stands for.

Figure out your brand basics:

Also, dig into your audience’s world. What do they care about? How do they talk? What makes them choose one brand over another? Your brand should reflect both who you are and who you’re trying to connect with. 

2. Audit Your Existing Brand Presence

You can’t fix your brand if you don’t know what it is. 

Perform a thorough brand audit by reviewing:

Check for mismatched visuals, outdated messages, or anything that screams we made this in 2012. Even small inconsistencies can make your brand feel off. And if you feel embarrassed by your old posts? That’s actually a good sign! You’ve grown.

3. Create A Brand Guide

Brand reinforcement starts from the inside out, so make sure every team member understands your brand and knows how to represent it. Develop clear brand guidelines that include tone, messaging, and visual standards. 

When it comes to your visual branding, review and refine your:

Ensure that every piece of content, from Instagram posts to email signatures, reflects your brand.

4. Engage Authentically and Frequently

If your brand only posts once every other month and only when you’re launching something—guess what? People probably forgot you existed.

Reinforcement = visibility + authenticity.

Here’s how:

Get creative with blog posts, Instagram Reels, or even a meme or two if that fits your vibe. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent and true to your brand voice.

5. Leverage Customer Advocacy

People trust other people more than they trust brands. So why not turn your happiest customers into your loudest cheerleaders?

Ways to leverage customer love:

When real people rave about you, it’s way more powerful than anything your marketing team could script.

Final Thoughts: Be Consistent, Not Boring 

Reinforcing your brand doesn’t mean repeating the same thing over and over, it means showing up with the same energy, values, and voice everywhere you go. From your packaging to your DMs, your brand should feel like one seamless, trustworthy experience.

And the best part? When people truly recognize and appreciate your brand for what it is, that’s when real connections start to grow.

It’s January – the time of year to set goals and get organized!

To help you get things in order for the year ahead, we’re sharing some tips and strategies that have been useful to the herd.

Add Key Dates to Your Calendar

Do you feel like you’re still sifting through your inbox after logging off for the holidays? One simple way to help you find a bit of order amid the chaos is to update your work calendar with important dates.

What to include:

Clean Up Project Management Programs

The last week of work before the holidays is all about getting through everything on what feels like a never-ending to-do list, often involving longer-than-usual work days to ensure that all projects are wrapped up before you turn on your out-of-office responder.

We’re guessing that tidying up your project management programs wasn’t at the top of your list of priorities. (No shade! It wasn’t our top priority, either.)

This is an ideal January project! Open up whatever project management tool you use (we use Asana), and start by updating anything that was overlooked in the pre-holiday rush. Then archive or remove old tasks, set new reminders and recurring deadlines, and input new project info.

Audit Everything

OK, perhaps not everything. But the beginning of the year is a great time to assess what’s working well, what could be working better, and what is no longer working for you and your business. A few areas worth auditing are: 

Branding Materials

Whether or not you plan to update your branding materials, reviewing them is always a useful exercise. You may find that everything is hunky-dory, but you also may find that it’s time to update your brand colours, design a new business card, or even do a complete brand refresh.

Website

When was the last time your website had a refresh? Is it still visually and tonally representative of your brand? Is the information up to date? Is it user friendly? Review your website from your customers’ perspective and make note of anything that needs to be updated.

Social Media

Regular social media audits can give you valuable insights into the overall impact of your social media presence, and can help you shape your ongoing social media strategy. (And don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start. We’ve got you covered.)

Subscriptions

Are you getting your money’s worth from the software and digital tools you’re paying for? Make a list of all of your subscriptions and think about whether they are essential for your business. 

If there’s a subscription you truly don’t need anymore or a free trial you forgot to cancel, get rid of it right away. (But that won’t be a problem in the future because those deadlines are all going in your calendar, right?)

For anything that is essential, investigate whether there’s a subscription tier that would be more suitable (can you get away with a basic plan or should you upgrade to the pro version?), or if it would be worthwhile to switch from a monthly to annual payment plan. And if you’re on the fence about something, start tracking how frequently you use it and reevaluate in a few months. 

Set Professional Development Goals

Is there a new skill you want to learn, or an existing skill you’d like to improve? Is there an area of expertise for which you’d like to be known as your team’s go-to person? January is a great time to not only set your professional development goals, but also to research training or professional learning opportunities. 

Once you start looking, you’ll probably find that there’s no shortage of conferences, workshops, and courses at a variety of budget levels to choose from. And depending on what you find, you may have something else to add to your calendar!

When was the last time you backed up your website? Your mailing list? Your financial files?

If you don’t have an IT person or department doing this for you….it’s probably been a while.

We’ve encountered a lot of people this past year who answered either “Never” (ack!) or “a little while ago” (“sometime since the last time we had a data problem”).

Backing up files is a task too many people put on the “oh, yeah, I should do that” list and keep putting it off, because:

a) it’s boring

b) there no time or

c) it’s not an immediate problem.

Until it is.

It’s the end of the year, so as you’re wrapping up projects for the break, this is a fantastic time to back up all your files and documents – both at work and at home.

If you have sensitive financial and client data in your systems, you’ll need to ensure that data is properly encrypted and secured according to data retention laws and regulations. This article is intended to cover “every day” files and programs that don’t (necessarily) require this kind of system protection.

We’d like you to think about this more than once a year, though, and we’ve got some suggestions for you.

Make A Backup List

🎵 “…and checkin’ it twice, gonna find out what’s on this device….” 🎵

What devices do you have? How about your team? Your kids? Your partner?

What services and programs do you use regularly? QuickBooks? MailChimp? Your website? Your personal photos? Recipes? Lists of books you mean to read when you have time? Your Wooble patterns? (Maybe that’s too specific…..)

For each person, identify what they have that needs to be backed up.

(This could be a great project for an intern or summer student!)

Make a Backup Schedule

🎵 “…on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a backup calendar just for me….” 🎵

Back everything up today. Yes, today.

Right now. Get a backup started on something, then come back to this blog.

We’ll wait…..

Now build a calendar. Literally.

Create notes on your work calendar or add tasks to your project management program. Figure out what functions you can set up on “auto backup” to make it easier.

Here‘s the frequency we suggest to our clients:

6 months

Each month

Weekly

Bonus: There are online services that print actual books from Google Photos or your Facebook account, complete with comments and reactions. (Yes, just Facebook. Instagram doesn’t play nicely here anymore….)

Find a safe place for your backups

🎵 “…there must have been some magic in the new hard drive they found….” 🎵

or

🎵 “…These hard drives, from Amazon are. Saving files both near and afar….” 🎵

So now you have the files, spreadsheets, folders etc. Where should you keep them?

Many people like to apply a 3 – 2 – 1 formula to saving backups:

Online services like OneDrive, Google Drive etc. are great. They have continual backups and redundancies for their clients. But, as we said above, you should ALSO back that up. It can degenerate quickly into a backup spiral!

You can also look at smaller, local providers with server backups. Or you can go DIY and backup to a portable hard drive.

Cathy stores her photos in Google Photos, on two portable hard drives and when she upgrades her laptop, she turns the most recently “retired” one into a photo storage machine.

Our Blue Elephant files, based in Google Drive, are backed up to a portable hard drive as well – one for each year.

Find a system that works for you.

But I don’t know how!

A lot of small business owners have inherited websites from designers or aren’t sure where/how to back up their files.

We also know people who would rather have a root canal than poke around the back end of Analytics.

Check with your team. Ask a friend for help. Or reach out! If you need a free 20-min coaching session to start your backup process, connect with us. We’ll show you how.

Then, you’ll be ready to start collecting new info for 2025.

It’s hard to believe that the year is almost over, but here we are, wrapping up and winding down before the holidays. As is customary at this time of year, we’ve been reflecting on all the work we’ve done and all the ways we’ve grown, and you know what? It’s been one heck of a great year!

So before we say goodbye to 2024, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of the last 12 months!  

16 New Clients

2024 brought a lot of amazing new people into our lives, and we’ve had such a great time getting to know them and learning about their businesses. Several of our new clients came to Blue Elephant specifically for our Website in a Week service, some needed support on short-term projects, and others were looking for long-term social media and marketing support. 

6 New Partner Projects

Since 2022, Blue Elephant has been a proud partner of Snow Collective, a consortium of entrepreneurs and agencies working together on larger client projects. In 2024, we took our partnership to new heights with six new partner projects! We love collaborating with our Snow colleagues, and we look forward to working together on these and more in 2025.

6 Website Launches + 1 Refresh

We do a lot of ongoing website maintenance and updates for our clients, but it’s always a lot of fun for us when we get to build a new website from the ground up. This year, we designed, built, and launched six new websites – a Blue Elephant record! We also helped another client with an extensive website refresh, and we have more website projects in the works for next year!

250+ Newsletters & Articles Written

Between email marketing newsletters, LinkedIn newsletters, and one-off articles for our clients, the Blue Elephant team did A LOT of writing this year. According to our records, we wrote and deployed over 250 newsletters and articles this year – another Blue Elephant record! 

80+ Social Media Accounts Managed

New clients and new projects meant adding more social media accounts to our regular roster, which also meant getting to design new social media templates and getting to do even more writing.

Herd Highlights

Of course, none of those professional accomplishments would have been possible without our amazing team, which grew both literally and metaphorically this year.

We were thrilled to  welcome (and welcome back) new members of the herd, starting with Olivia, who joined us for a third summer (and stayed on into the fall!), and later Erin, who joined us in the fall. Since joining the herd, they’ve helped us tackle community management, content creation, social media scheduling, and more!

We also began a new partnership with Stacey Lewis of ARYMEDIA. Stacey is a digital marketing consultant with expertise in a variety of areas, including web development, SEO, keyword analysis, and Google Analytics, and bringing her into the mix has allowed us to offer our clients even more services and technical support.  

Other herd highlights from 2024 include attending our first digital marketing conference together and instituting monthly in-person co-working days. As much as we love the perks of working remotely (flexible hours, no long commute, wearing sweatpants to work), we really value being able to spend time together as a team, bounce ideas off each other, and of course, do some socializing!  

This has been a year of learning and growth for our team, and we’re so proud of all that we’ve accomplished together. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to work with such creative colleagues, passionate partners, and cool clients. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a successful year for us! We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store for us!

Imagine having a direct line to your customers—one that not only promotes your products but also builds lasting relationships and loyalty. That’s the magic of email marketing!

Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses, playing a crucial role in building relationships, fostering loyalty, and ultimately driving sales. In an increasingly digital world, mastering email marketing can set your brand apart.

The main goal of email marketing is to create meaningful connections with your audience. This involves showcasing your products, enhancing brand visibility, and fostering customer loyalty. By engaging your readers with well-crafted emails, you keep your brand top-of-mind and encourage repeat business.

Why Email Marketing Works

Email marketing is considered one of the most effective forms of digital marketing for several reasons:

Types of Emails

Understanding the various types of emails you can send is essential for effective email marketing:

Building Your Email List

A solid email list is the foundation of successful email marketing. Here are some strategies to grow your list:

Personalization and Segmentation

Personalization is essential for effective email marketing. By segmenting your audience based on interests, behaviours, or demographics, you can tailor your messaging to boost engagement and conversion rates. Use your data wisely to create emails that truly resonate with each group.

At first, this might seem a bit daunting, but it’s actually quite straightforward. For instance, if you’re a non-profit, you could segment long-term donors separately from one-time contributors during a fundraising campaign. Or if you’re hosting an event, create a specific segment for attendees to keep them updated with insider info and promote similar future events.

Beginner Campaign Examples

If you’re new to email marketing, consider these beginner-friendly campaign ideas:

Email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for connecting with customers and driving business growth. By understanding its goals, benefits, and best practices, you can leverage email to build lasting relationships and enhance your brand’s presence.

Are you new to the world of AI? You’re far from alone. With AI rapidly evolving, it can feel like a constant game of catch-up. But it’s never too late to start learning! 

Navigating the vast array of AI tools available can be overwhelming, so let’s focus on one today: ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is an AI language model designed to assist with answering questions, generating text, and engaging in conversation on a wide range of topics – essentially serving as a reliable sounding board for ideas and information.

Using ChatGPT as a marketing tool can creatively and effectively engage your audience, provide valuable information, and drive business outcomes.

Here’s how you can leverage ChatGPT in your marketing strategy:

Content Creation

Stuck on what to write next? ChatGPT can help spark your creativity with tons of fresh content ideas. Whether you’re planning your next campaign or need a catchy blog topic, ChatGPT can lend a hand. 

Once the ideas start flowing, ChatGPT can take it to the next level by drafting blog posts, articles, social media captions, and newsletters. No blood, sweat, or tears required! 

While AI serves as an excellent starting point, it’s less suited for generating the final polished copy. For more details on how we use AI at Blue Elephant, visit our FAQ page.

Brand Voice and Tone

Ever received text from ChatGPT that didn’t quite hit the mark? Don’t worry; it happens. The beauty of ChatGPT lies in its adaptability. 

You can provide feedback and customize its responses to reflect your brand’s personal voice and tone. Whether your brand is playful and casual or formal and authoritative, ChatGPT can adjust its style accordingly so that it feels authentic.

Keyword Research and SEO

ChatGPT excels at generating a diverse range of keywords tailored to your specific niche or topic. Whether you’re targeting “digital marketing trends” or “social media strategies,” ChatGPT provides a list of relevant keywords in the blink of an eye (OK – sometimes it takes two).  

Once you have your keyword list, ChatGPT can help you in optimizing your content by suggesting ideal keyword placements and structuring meta tags and titles.

See? It’s not so scary after all. In fact, we think it’s pretty cool. With ChatGPT on your side, you can dive into digital marketing with confidence, using its capabilities to enhance your brand and effortlessly engage your audience. 

The Blue Elephant team spent the day with 300 other digital and social media marketers at Social Next Toronto: The Future of AI in Marketing.

Aside from having a great day together, we took a TON of notes, checked out “selfie-ccinos”, and maybe ate a few cookies.

What the heck is a selfie-ccino?

First, one of the coolest activations we’ve ever seen at a conference……Meltwater, the conference sponsor, offered “selfie-ccinos”. Literally, your face on a cold brew cappuccino.

Using super cool “food printers”, they turned a photo into a selfie in the foam.

Here’s Emily’s!

But on to the conference CONTENT….

Our Top 10 (with two random thoughts…)

We sorted through our notes and here are the top 12 things we want to share from the event.

And we’ll leave you with this thought from Jeff Lancaster from LinkedIn: