While many entrepreneurs understand the importance of crafting a visually distinct and engaging brand, many have yet to realize the importance of their business sound. Audio branding plays just as important a role in grabbing the attention of customers as any logo, photo or video, meaning that entrepreneurs who fail to incorporate hearing into their marketing are missing an opportunity to connect with audiences.
On this episode of The Small Business Show, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Julian Treasure, founder of The Sound Agency, five-time TED Talk speaker and author of the books “Sound Business” and “How to be Heard.” Treasure has helped entrepreneurs around the world improve engagement and drive brand awareness by enhancing their communication skills and teaching them the power of audio branding. His company, The Sound Agency, helps companies build soundscapes that enrich the customer and employee experiences. Now, he discusses strategies to help small business owners craft their own business sound.
Key Takeaways
1. It is important to incorporate sound that compliments the company’s visual branding. Mixing incompatible audio and visual elements diminishes the effectiveness of a company’s marketing.
2. Most companies don’t think about their business sound outside of rare occasions such as advertising.
3. There are multiple audio elements that entrepreneurs should consider when forming their business sound. Phone calls, “sonic logos” such as Intel’s jingle or Netflix’s drum beats and office music are all examples of audio elements.
4. The first step to implementing audio is to conduct an audit of the company’s current sound elements.
5. Telephones often provide the least satisfying business sound experiences, an issue that can further irritate already frustrated customers.
"I think great brands are about consistency, over time and across all the senses, and that means having a well-designed set of brand sound guidelines and knowing your brand DNA in sound." — Julian Treasure
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