Many people struggle to share their ideas and fail to get the message out about their product or service. Consumers are no longer content being blasted with the advertising techniques of years past. The average person is bombarded with an insane amount of media each and every day. The old channels of communication just don’t cut it anymore – best practices have been turned on their head. Social media is king but it’s easy to get lost in the sea of voices.

The most competitive and successful businesses have found a way to craft their message to resonate with their target market. The old saying “everyone has a story” doesn’t just apply to individuals – every business has a story too. More and more companies are harnessing their authentic voice to tell their story, sell their ideas and transform their audience into brand ambassadors.

In his new book Louder Than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice, Todd Henry outlines the best ways to develop, project and embed your voice for personal and professional success. Essentially, it all boils down to creating a body of work that you can be proud of and stands the test of time. This makes sense since we all know it’s easier to sell something – whether it’s to your team or your end user – that you truly believe in.

“Don’t buy into the myth that developing your voice requires big, unconventional leaps into the unknown, and a devil-may-care attitude about the consequences,” writes Henry. “If you believe that you have been given something unique to contribute to the world, then you have the accompanying responsibility to help it gain as much of the right audience as you can.”

Develop Your Voice

What does your company care about? You shouldn’t clamor to find an answer to this question. A key part to developing your voice is identifying values and finding practical ways to infuse them into your work. Discover what is important to your business, what makes it unique and why you believe it matters to others. Define your vision and plot out what impact you’re hoping to make on the world. This exercise will result in a set of guiding principles to help you stay on track. You can also use them to measure your success.

However, it will be hard to have maximum impact if you’re not well-versed in the platform of your choice. Seek some training or hire someone who is highly competent. Make sure you always have your eyes and ears open, ready to pounce on any new opportunity that arises. This can happen suddenly and if you can’t seize the moment, you’ll remain under the radar and underexposed.

Project Your Voice

Guess what? It’s not all about you. It’s important to determine who your intended audience is and how to resonate with them. Attract your audience by putting out material they will love! Content tailored to their interests will always be better received than generic pieces. Evoke empathy and put yourself in their shoes to find their pain points. Most of all make them the hero by enlisting them in a crusade to do something great. Challenge their assumptions along the way if you can.

“You are the curator of your own work, and the shepherd of your own point of view,” Henry writes. “It is not the responsibility of the audience to move toward you, it is your responsibility to move toward them, welcoming them into your world.”

Though thousands of likes on a Facebook page may make you feel good initially, remember that getting your message out isn’t always a numbers game. It’s better to have a small audience of enthusiastic fans than a large group of lukewarm followers.

Embed Your Voice

Bigger isn’t always better, but strength in numbers is important when it comes to your team. A collective voice can resonate more powerfully, and Henry suggests building a team voice engine using the following methods:

•    Establish battle lines. This allows everyone on the team to apply their efforts to the same goal.
•    Define and codify the culture. Define your signature elements and hire people who fit the culture.
•    Set daily practices. These will build the skill sets your team needs to succeed.

Developing a team voice is a balancing act of action and patience. It’s a never-ending process that sometimes requires you to start from scratch. Be persistent and don’t give up – it will always be worth it in the long run.

Projecting your genuine views, values, hopes and ambitions will result in you sharing the most authentic voice possible. It will help you stand out by standing up for what you believe in. Carve out a place in the world and create value to make it last.

“As you consider the gift that you have to offer – the expression that is uniquely yours, and yours alone to give away – consider this: the impact of a gift given away in freedom is vast, while a gift spent on the giver quickly fades.”