At WordCamp this year there was a lot of talk about ADA and SEO. I’ll talk about ADA in another recap soon. As for SEO, we have written articles recently, such as Content Marketing & SEO and How SEO Can Strengthen Your Digital Store Brand Identity.

While you do need good SEO to drive traffic to your website, values are important too. Actually, in today’s world, it is kind of unique. Having core values to define your brand can make you stand out from your competition.

In the WordCamp session, Voice Your Values, Andrea Garcia, Chief Mind Officer at mind+matter, says to let others know who you are and who you are not. Define your brand. Voice your values and you will connect with customers who are looking for the same values. That makes sense, right? When you hang out with friends, don’t you have the best time when you are with those who share the same values and the same interests?

We at AWG manage social media pages for many of our members. One thing we must keep in mind is that we are representing the store when we post on their behalf. When we’re managing someone else’s social media account, how do we mimic their personality and what stands out to them as priorities? We have to know what values they have. If necessary, we can write out content for them to review and see if the words and expressions “sound” like them, at least until we get to know their voice.

So…voice your values.

Don’t know where to start? Ask yourself these questions. Who are your customers? How do you want your customers to describe you? Who do you NOT want to be like? What are your passions and how are you expressing them? Use your answers from those questions to create a mission statement. Survey your customers to see what core values they see in you. Then carry out that mission statement in your actions and while marketing your business.

If you want to read more about sharing your brand voice and beliefs with your customers, see Morgane’s SMCKC recap on  The Art and Science of Storytelling.