Branding is a key business aspect, no matter the industry. Positioning your brand as a leader in your market has a lot to do with customer perception of your company. Communicating your brand is important, whether it’s through signs, advertising, digital content or voicemail greeting. Yes, your voicemail greeting!
Be consistent
One of the most important elements of branding is continuity. If your logo and color scheme promote you as a fun brand, but your website is hard to read and full of technical jargon, you have brand confusion. Customers can recognize this type of brand confusion and may question your professionalism an take their business elsewhere. In the same way, if your overall image is friendly and outgoing, but your voicemail greeting is stiff and robotic, callers will be confused.
Your brand voicemail
The term brand voice refers to your business’s personal tone – fun, or edgy, or a powerhouse. Any time customers or clients interact with your business, whether it’s through ads or through a consult, they should hear that same consistent brand voice. That means you, the business owner, all the way down to your team members. Use the following tips to record the best voicemail for your brand and your business.
- Quiet on the set! Background noise is distracting and unprofessional. It can also make the recording difficult to understand. All you need is a quiet office.
- Just breathe. Recording a voicemail message that possibly hundreds or thousands of people will eventually hear can be nerve wracking. Remember to take a deep breath before beginning and to breathe naturally as you speak.
- Prepare your speech. Although you should keep your message brief, make an effort to write out a few thoughtful phrases ahead of time. This will ensure that relevant information is not left out and can help minimize the inevitable “ums” and “ahhs” that come as you are trying to think of what to say.
- Do a practice run. Just like any other form of public speaking, you should rehearse what you are going to say until your voicemail greeting slips off your tongue easily. When you have your thoughts clearly in mind, you can focus on your tone of voice and friendly style.
- Smile! People can hear a smile. Unfortunately, it is also true that people can hear unhappiness and boredom. If you are nervous when you record your greeting, it may come across in your voice as lack of interest or ineptitude. On the other hand, if you start off with a smile and a burst of enthusiasm, you will come across as an eager and helpful person.
- Ask for specific information. The most useful voicemail messages are ones that convey adequate information. When a caller leaves a message that simply asks you to return the call but leaves out vital information such as his or her name and phone number, you can’t do much for that person. On the other hand, if you know you need specific information from each of your callers, ask for that information in your outgoing message. For example, instead of saying “leave a message,” say something like: “Please leave your name, phone number, account number and the best time to reach you.”
People who call your business, whether potential customer or existing clients, should hear your brand voice loud and clear even when you are not available to answer the phone. Taking the time to record an appropriate, professional voicemail greeting will pay off.
Consider a live answering service
If you’re getting a lot of voicemails, it means you aren’t able to answer all your calls and an answering service is the solution you need! At VoiceNation, our friendly team of virtual receptionists will answer your calls and send you messages instantly through text, email, the VoiceNation app and online dashboard. Want to learn more? Give us a call at 877.679.3777.