Terry O’Reilly has an awesome radio show, “Under the Influence”, where he explores trends in modern marketing. Recently, he introduced his shish-kabob theory:
A company has a multitude of communication points – it could be a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, advertising, business cards, a storefront and even what people hear when they call and are put on hold.
So – think of all those touch-points as tasty items on a shish-kabob. There is a piece of beef, a piece of chicken, a tomato, a green pepper and a mushroom.
All different, each with a unique taste and function.
But here’s the important part – all these things are held together by a skewer. And that skewer is a consistent tone of voice.
In other words, everything should feel like it’s coming from the same place.
This might be the best analogy I’ve heard in… ever! The lesson is simple: it’s worth your time to review every place a customer could interact with your brand. Branding matters, and a consistent tone of voice is what holds your channels together.
I highly recommend reading or listening to the entire post, which you can do here!
John is the Founder & CEO of Wriber. He’s passionate about entrepreneurship, high-tech startups, thought leadership, content marketing, and artificial intelligence. John frequently volunteers his time at the University of Waterloo to help young entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. He’s also a faithful Toronto Maple Leafs fan, frequent Redditor, and lifelong learner.