The personality of your brand is its voice. Similar to how your personality distinguishes you and draws in similar individuals, your brand’s personality can differentiate it and establish a solid clientele. The following explains how.
What comes to your mind when pondering on how your most favored brand communicates? Does it come across as humorous, motivational, or relatable? Does their content evoke a feeling of empowerment and upliftment in you? Or does it amaze or stimulate and push you beyond your limits?
The manner in which a brand speaks and the messages it conveys constitute its voice. A distinct and well-defined brand voice can enhance brand awareness and nurture customer allegiance. According to 88% of marketers, a brand’s language is instrumental in forging connections with customers leading to superior customer interaction, augmented customer retention, and boosted sales.
Brand Voice
Your brand’s communication style and presentation is known as brand voice. It should blend in with your company’s core values and effectively connect with your desired audience by resonating with them and inspiring their interest.
Creating a unique brand voice is crucial as it identifies the brand it represents. This is why having a cohesive and impactful brand voice can differentiate your brand from others in a crowded market and bring it to the forefront of consumers’ minds.
Tips for developing your company’s brand voice
Unsure of how to begin? Experiment with these tactics to establish a brand tone that resonates with your target market and distinguishes your brand from the competition.
1. Audit your current messaging
In order to develop your brand voice, it is crucial to comprehend your current standing, to enhance what’s successful and eliminate what isn’t. Firstly, analyze the various avenues you utilize for brand communication, such as your website, social media platforms, in-store communication, and outdoor advertising. Subsequently, question yourself:
What impression is the brand giving?
Does your messaging align with the values of your product and your brand?
Did the brand’s messaging undergo any changes as it developed?
In what areas can improvement or realignment be made?
Are there any disparities (particularly across different platforms)?
If possible, create a report to evaluate which brand messaging is effective (and which is not). Identify the pages with the highest traffic or the posts with the most likes. Analyze where and how customers are interacting with the brand. This analysis will help you understand the kind of content your audience prefers, and what might not engage them.
2. Review your company’s mission statement
The main purpose and collective goals of your company are outlined in its mission statement, which makes it an excellent foundation for establishing your brand voice. The way your organization communicates with customers is closely tied to its objectives and what it hopes to achieve.
Imagine you manage a fitness enterprise with the objective of instructing customers about healthful practices and motivating them to reach their fitness objectives. By solely referring to the company’s mission statement, you can already deduce two fundamental traits about your business personality- it’s informative and motivating. With this foundation, you can develop your brand tone to align with these brand characteristics, ultimately selecting a brand tone that’s supportive, all-encompassing, and warm.
Take some time to evaluate the fundamental principles that guide your organization.
Core values, similar to a company’s mission statement, establish the framework for your company’s brand voice. They aid in identifying the traits that constitute your company’s personality. If your company’s core values include clarity and authenticity, your brand voice should reflect these values. A simple, truthful, and dependable voice can be developed as an example.
An actual case can be observed to better understand. The fundamental ideals of Starbucks center around establishing a culture that is inclusive and friendly, promoting transparency in interactions, and staying present. These values are evident in the brand’s lively and engaging tone, which aims to promote happiness and connection through informal, enjoyable, and hospitable language.
4. Conduct a competitor analysis
Examining how your competitors interact with their audience can provide insight into how you should communicate with your own audience, or conversely, how to avoid communicating. Observe the language and consumer engagement techniques utilized by your primary competitors.
What kind of language is utilized by them? How would you portray their general method of communication? Is there any similarity in communication styles among competitors, or do they have diverse strategies? Take note of what is effective and where there is scope for enhancement. This can act as a starting point for developing your own brand tone.
Consider these questions as you assess the communication tactics of your rivals:
What sort of language is being utilized? Is their language direct or embellished? Are they portraying themselves as a friend or a figure of power?
Which emotions are evoked by the copy? Does it illicit feelings of surprise, empowerment, happiness, or nostalgia?
Do the mission statement and core values of each competitor contribute to their brand voice? Is there a correlation between each company’s objectives and how they interact with their target market?
What are the recurring topics in your competitors’ communication styles? How can you set your brand apart from their existing strategies?
5. Research your audience
The way in which you address your audience is determined by the individuals being addressed. This is due to the fact that certain characteristics of the audience, such as age, gender, or profession, impact the kind of material and terminology that will appeal to them.
Let’s examine a practical illustration. Recall the last time you attended a family event. Did you converse with your grandma in the same manner as your Gen Z niece? Most likely not, as their preferences and interests are probably dissimilar. This is similar to shaping your brand tone to match your target audience.
Knowing the communication preferences of your audience, such as the media they prefer and the language they find appealing, can assist in creating a brand voice that connects with your intended customers, fostering bonding and active participation.
Begin by fashioning a buyer persona, a hypothetical portrayal that embodies your ideal customer. Respond to foundational inquiries regarding their age, gender, and job, as well as more comprehensive ones about their character, objectives, and difficulties.
When developing your brand voice, it’s important to take into account your target audience’s communication style and information consumption habits. Are they digital natives or do they prefer face-to-face interactions? Are they strict or do they appreciate humor and informality? Knowing the answers to these questions will enable you to create a customized brand voice that resonates with your consumers.
6. Decide what your brand voice isn’t
To better comprehend your brand voice, you should identify what it is not. This will provide you with a clear understanding of the language that should be utilized and what should be avoided.
Begin by creating a record of negative adjectives or descriptors that you wouldn’t want your brand’s voice to be linked with. If you’re unsure of where to start, try organizing a creative brainstorming session, or revisit your brand’s mission and values for further guidance. Your list could potentially resemble this:
We do not have a formal brand voice.
Our brand voice is not alienating.
Our brand tone is not arrogant.
Our brand tone is not rigid.
Afterwards, think about utilizing this list as a starting point for defining your brand’s voice. To complete the illustration, your brand voice declaration may appear as follows:
Our brand communicates in a transparent, inclusive, and authentic manner, utilizing a friendly and conversational tone that resonates with consumers at a personal level.
7. Audit your current voice
Subsequently, we will examine our present tone, giving consideration to points 1, 2, 3, and 4, and seek methods to harmonize them in a better manner. It is possible that you are currently demonstrating your brand’s tone effectually and only require minor adjustments.
Alternatively, it is possible that your current mode of expression may be unclear or unsuitable for your audience, purpose, or target customer. In cases where your brand voice is underperforming, a more extensive revision may be necessary.
8. Fill out a brand voice template with 3-5 core voice characteristics
Completing a template is one of the simplest methods for creating a brand voice. Such documents are useful in outlining each component of the brand voice and outlining how to put this knowledge into action. Ultimately, they serve to establish the guidelines for the brand voice. An example template is available here for reference.
9. Build a style guide that includes brand voice
“Style guides” are often discussed among those working in publishing. These documents outline when specific words, spellings, and language should be used. When determining brand voice, previous decisions are incorporated into the guide, such as the usage of slogans or the inclusion of tasteful sarcasm.
10. Implement the tone of voice into your brand communication
The implementation of a brand voice is crucial for it to have any practical value. Typically, this involves promptly using the updated brand voice on social media and all external marketing efforts. Sales should also be encouraged to compose emails that align with the brand’s image, as long as it does not interfere with their ability to negotiate sales terms.
It’s crucial to uphold your brand voice fundamentals, even in branding-free communications, and to keep in mind that multimedia communication, not just written, is a part of brand communication.
11. Revisit and revise the brand voice chart as the company changes over time
As we are aware, there have been significant changes over the past two years, and particularly in the last six weeks. Certain things that were considered appropriate in 2019 are now inappropriate, and some affiliations that were acceptable at the start of 2022 are now viewed as harmful.
An evolving and adaptable brand voice is essential to stay relevant in the fast-paced business world. Failure to keep up with changing times will result in being outdated, which can pose a significant threat to your competitive edge. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that your brand voice remains prominent to avoid being overshadowed by the competition.
Examples of Excellent Brand Voices
Reflecting on and being influenced by exceptional brand voices that already exist can be the most effective way to expedite the growth of your own brand voices. As you analyze these cases, take note of the aspects you appreciate and those you don’t when it comes to each brand’s voice. You may discover something that is suitable for your brand.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp follows a brand voice that corresponds with its quirky name. Its website and program are infused with a sense of amusement, notably through its clever application of cultural references in advertising and even error messages.
Moreover, they are recognized for their witty remarks that deviate slightly from the norm but remain appropriate. Ultimately, Mailchimp incorporates numerous informal phrases (plus corresponding visuals) to reflect and mimic the unconventional humor of millennials. Hence, their content is far from dull and tedious.
2. Apple
In this current time where knowledge of other people’s secrets seems ubiquitous, privacy has gained popularity. Previously, privacy was a pursuit mainly reserved for select individuals.
Apple products have always been attractive to individuals who value privacy and prefer to keep their personal matters undisclosed. This is primarily due to the company’s reputation for denying the FBI access to a criminal suspect’s iPhone, despite having a valid warrant.
What impact does this have on Apple’s brand voice? One reason for this is that Apple’s identity is strongly associated with privacy, which is a key aspect of their brand. Furthermore, Apple has a devoted customer base due to their ability to understand and provide what customers want most, which includes both privacy and superior performance.
3. Harley-Davidson
Harley Davidson’s brand voice can be easily characterized as robust and assertive. Although some women ride Harleys, motorcycles are mostly regarded as toys for men.
Moreover, many of us link Harley motorcycles with individuals who exhibit strength and independence, and may not conform to societal norms. This characterization, in certain respects, reinforces the Harley-Davidson brand identity, or vice versa. Needless to say, the corporation is content with this interplay.
4. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola operates in a highly competitive market with numerous similar products vying for the same customers. Additionally, a significant number of consumers exhibit strong brand loyalty towards a particular soda brand. Consequently, Coca-Cola’s opportunities for boasting about innovation are limited to occasions where they release a new product that is often competing with existing offerings in the market.
Coca-Cola employs a brand voice that is welcoming, joyful, and recognizable instead of following the trend of imitation in advertising. Many of us have experienced Coke or one of its rivals during our childhood days.
The memories of childhood pizza parties, beach hangouts with friends, twist-top lifesavers on road trips and other such events can be brought back by a single bottle of soda. Coke capitalizes on this nostalgia in their advertising, which is a wise strategy for maintaining interest in a long-standing brand.
