How to Define Your Brand's Voice

Creating a recognizable and distinct brand voice is the goal of good marketing, but what exactly is a brand’s voice?

The voice is one of the most important tools used to connect to a brand’s current and potential audience.Your brand’s voice is the sound and feel of your brand.

A strong brand voice is immediately recognizable and trustworthy.

Every brand has a voice whether it is intentionally curated or not. The goal of good branding is having a distinctive brand voice. Having a trusted and recognizable brand voice can dictate the aptitude for a brand’s success.

So, how do you create a brand’s voice?

1. Understand your brand. If you are wanting to create a brand voice for a southern fried food truck, it wouldn’t make sense to use the Queen’s English in your menus or content. Understanding your brand means understanding who you want your brand to serve–your target audience.
   

2. Know your brand’s goals. Does the brand sell? Inform? Encourage? Knowing your brand’s goals can help you choose the right language to use in creating a voice for your brand.
   

3. Review your content. Before you publish your content, make sure it sounds the way you intended it to. Then review all of your previous content to make sure it sounds in line with the brand voice your audience has come to know and love.

These are the things you will keep in mind when you are choosing your words/language, tone, punctuation, etc. for all content you create.

Why a brand voice is important.

A consistent and appropriate brand voice creates an authentic connection between your brand and your target audience. When people feel connected, they are more likely to return to your brand because that connection makes them feel a sense of familiarity they are more inclined to trust than another brand they don’t feel connected to.

When that connection and trust is established people are also more likely to recommend your brand and refer others to your brand. This means increased reach. Increased reach can then translate into more growth, and ultimately, more success for your brand.

The caveat is that your brand must actually deliver.

A great brand voice is only helpful if everything else is working in integrity, otherwise that voice you want to make your brand distinguishable for the all right reasons becomes distinguishable for all the wrong ones.

Tips for creating and maintaining your brand’s voice:

• Know your brand. You must have a clear understanding of your brand and its mission, its values, and its audience.

• Think about what makes your brand unique. What is it that causes people to connect with your brand?

• Think about what your brand’s goals are. Are you selling? Informing? Encouraging?

• Think of your brand as a person. What do they sound like? Think about how you want this person to make your target audience feel when they interact with your brand.

• Review your content and take a holistic look at your content to ensure consistency across everything you publish.

Happy creating!