{"id":24613,"date":"2013-04-04T09:48:42","date_gmt":"2013-04-04T16:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/?p=24613"},"modified":"2013-04-04T09:48:42","modified_gmt":"2013-04-04T16:48:42","slug":"farewell-jessica-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/blog\/farewell-jessica-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"A Fond Farewell: When Part of Your Brand’s Voice Moves On"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been three years since I became one part of a team that serves as the voice of Bruce Clay, Inc. And boy, has it been an awesome ride. Being in a position of communication on behalf of a company comes with a lot of responsibility. Every week, you are out there repping a brand the best you can, and trying to create a valuable experience for the community that surrounds it.<\/p>\n

And I hope that’s what I’ve done for you, dear readers. Over the years, I’ve given my all reporting on search marketing issues (almost 300 posts for the blog!) because the Bruce Clay brand has been and always will be synonymous with education. It’s admirable that this company has contributed to its community the way it has for more than 17 years now.<\/p>\n

And I’ve enjoyed being a part of it. Helping businesses solve problems and participating in the idea-exchange that’s amazingly a “standard” practice within the search industry, well it’s really something special.<\/p>\n

I struggled with the idea of writing this post. I didn\u2019t want it to come off as \u201cself-important.\u201d I mean, people leave companies all the time, quietly. But then the other part of me wanted to put the community first, which is way more important than anything I\u2019m feeling personally.<\/p>\n

So I talked it over and Virginia had a great idea; she suggested I center the post on the issue \u2013 when part of your brand\u2019s voice moves on, what then? I thought that was a fantastic idea.<\/p>\n

So for my last blog post as the content and media manager for Bruce Clay, Inc., I thought we\u2019d explore some of the things that create and preserve a brand\u2019s identity over time, even as communication teams inevitably change.<\/p>\n

Remember, your brand is what you stand for \u2026<\/h2>\n

People come and go, but brands have staying power. While you might have a public-facing team that\u2019s known as the “voice” of the company, it’s what the company stands for that will remain no matter who\u2019s in the position of communicating it.<\/p>\n

If you’re not sure what your brand stands for. Well, that’s where you need to start. Check out this post on discovering your brand<\/a> and how to communicate it. The exercises in there can help you set the standards for how you deal with your community on all fronts.<\/p>\n

The Bruce Clay brand is synonymous with knowledge transfer \u2013 to both clients and the community. It\u2019s because of this that we, as a communications team, are able to spend so much time and resources on things like our blog and newsletter \u2013 because the company believes in the value of that.<\/p>\n

It’s also worth mentioning the level of creative freedom this company gives to its staff — because it believes in our ideas<\/em>. These sorts of attributes together make up a brand, and those attributes become apparent in a company’s daily behavior.<\/p>\n

Remember, your brand is not just what you say, it’s what you do.<\/p>\n

\u2026 So your brand’s identity should not be \u201chearsay\u201d<\/h2>\n

Do you have your brand identity documented and the communications procedures that surround it? If not, how do you expect to preserve the things that are important to your company over time?<\/p>\n

Positions switch hands, and things as important as your brand’s communications process should not be \u201chearsay,\u201d passed from one person to another verbally. Anyone in a position of responsibility should always document the things that are integral to keeping a company running smoothly.<\/p>\n

Sure, the next person may modify them as new developments occur, but company communication guidelines should be a living, historical document that is updated at least yearly if not quarterly \u2013 and especially prior to a role switching hands.<\/p>\n

To help protect branding and communications consistency over time, consider creating guidelines for things like:<\/p>\n