Brand Voice

How do you stand out from the crowd in the ever-emerging and competitive realm of brands and marketing? The stream of online content choices for the audience makes it difficult to set yourself apart in the market. You must create an impactful first impression on your audience.

Once you draw their attention, how do you make them stick around with what you offer? It all comes down to the voice of the brand. This is a quick guide on what a brand voice is, why it matters, and tips for creating a strong brand voice.

What Is Brand Voice?

When referring to branding, people mostly think about its visual aesthetics, fonts, colors, and design styles. However, they often tend to forget something significant, which is the brand voice.

Brand voice is the distinct tone of your company or organization. It can be in the way your company talks or behaves. You can create a brand voice that is social, emotional, authoritative, and more.

Remember that your tone is only effective if it is true to what you are trying to convey. The voice of the brand should be consistent across all communication channels of your company.

Why Does Voice of the Brand Matter?

There is an aspect of your brand that is vital but often overlooked. It’s the voice. The voice of the brand is the perception people get when they listen to what your brand says or communicates. It can be defined as the personality of your brand.

Like an old friend, you want customers to come to know, love, and be loyal to the personality of your business. Therefore, you must stick to a constant behavior without abruptly altering your core values.

Your brand voice needs to be consistent and repeatable to win the trust of future customers and hold onto your current clients. It will make your customers continue to understand and appreciate what you stand for.

Your brand may remain prominent for the longest time possible with well-written content that accurately represents it.

Difference Between Brand Voice & Brand Tone

It may be easy to think of the two terms as the same, but they are actually entirely different.

Brand voice is the entire personality of your brand. It encapsulates the distinctive viewpoint of your company and the principles you uphold. However, the brand’s tone of voice is the words, communication method, and emotional tone you employ to communicate with your audience.

Brand voice is always consistent, whether the brand has been around for 10 years or 10 minutes. However, the brand tone can shift so much that it’s difficult to recognize.

Tips to Create an Effective Brand Voice

Within any given organization, the messaging available for consumers is endless. Some brands are educational and informative, while others are relatable and experiential. When communicating a brand voice, there is a multitude of tactics that can be implemented to further contextualize and strengthen brand identity. Here are some tips for creating a strong brand voice that conveys the personality of your company.

1. Tie Brand Voice With Its Mission Statement and Core Values

Brand voice is what you express through your written and verbal content, brand identity, and overall tone. Use particular words or phrases when addressing your customers. Make sure that the brand voice resonates with your company’s mission statement and core values.

2. Be Genuine and Authentic

Consumers place a high value on authenticity when choosing which brands to like and support. Slip into the character you want your brand to represent to make it sound genuine and natural. As you establish your voice, avoid trying to imitate fleeting trends and stay emotionally genuine to your brand’s vision and key offers.

3. Review Your Current Brand Voice

If you don’t have a sense of your brand’s voice and tone, you can’t be sure if your audience will be engaged by it. You should have a communication strategy unique to your target audience. Look over each content and select your top users in terms of interactions and likes. Audit your brand voice and examine what appeals to your audience.

4. Determine Your Target Audience

Identify your target market by analyzing what market your product or service would appeal to and who your competitors are. Take the time to research their behavior and personality traits to build a unique voice that your target market can identify with. You must articulate this understanding of your market and target audience before you begin to develop your brand voice.

5. Establish Buyer Personas

A persona is created by understanding the ideal customer for your business. These personas are called “ideal” because they are not real people but are an idealized portrait of who your target customer is. These fictional characters are based on the usual clients you identified in your market research. They play a significant role in assisting you in developing a brand voice that will resonate with them.

6. Make a House Style Guide for Your Brand Voice

A house style is a recognized method for identifying and applying the language and tone that the company employs throughout all of its content. Approaching branding with a house style guide can help establish a compelling brand voice. It can ultimately lead to a more unified company culture and a stronger voice in the market.

Conclusion

A brand voice is about finding the tone and attitude of your brand. By identifying your tone or attitude, you can connect with your audience. This guide will help create a brand voice that moves people to take action. Knowing your brand voice and tone are two essential elements of brand building. Hope you find this article helpful!