All the buzz around the solar eclipse on Aug. 21 got me thinking about how and when clients can mistakenly 'eclipse' their own brand.

I recently did some copywriting for a real estate client. as part of an effort to promote several ‘hot properties’ that had just come on to the competitive Manhattan real estate market. This wasn’t the first time I wrote several descriptions for both online listings and an imminent set of Open Houses; I recently helped the client relaunch their website and have improved the use of digital channels to more fully promote the client’s brand.

Over the past two years, I’ve also been able to help the client develop its voice - one that’s specific to its local, highly attentive service and expertise, which the company has garnered from more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Although I don’t currently manage this client’s social media accounts, I did help build its social media strategy and was responsible for the initial launch of several accounts. I also personally follow the accounts, and since my client’s Facebook posts transmit to my newsfeed, I was happy to see a post recently about a new property the client just acquired as a listing.

This particular description was authored by another staff member, and I had not been able to review it before it went ‘live.’ It was immediately evident to me that the narrative was very different from other copy we’ve employed for property listings and to populate my client’s web pages - which concerned me, primarily because it seemed inconsistent with the style and vernacular of other posted language. Don’t get me wrong - I am not suggesting that only I know how the client’s copy should sound, but I am saying that all brands want to ensure consistency by employing the same voice, in order to truly resonate with its audience. Years ago, my mentor used to say, “If it’s wrong, let’s make sure we’re consistently wrong” -- and back then we didn’t employ as many digital channels for marketing and communications. What he was urging was that we maintain consistency -- even if we make an error in our communications.

Whenever possible, all clients should streamline the writing and editing of language it employs, whether for digital, print, social or other methods of raising brand profile. In other words, make sure you are using the same voice, and ensure that your message sounds and reads the same across platforms and over time. This is an important part of what fuels your particular brand engine, and builds both credibility and trust with your intended audience or customer base.