Nowadays, brand recognition is important and requires more than products or services. You have to communicate with the audience in such a way that they feel connected. By understanding how to build a brand voice, you can craft a memorable and impactful presence that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. This is where the brand voice comes into the picture but what is a brand voice and how do you build one?
This guide will walk you through the essential steps to create a brand voice and explore the difference between a brand voice and tone. You can also enrol in an institution like the Indian Institution of E-Commerce and Digital Marketing (IIEDM) to be a professional.
1. What Is a Brand Voice and Why Does It Matter?
Before directly diving into creating a brand voice, let’s clarify what is a brand voice. It is nothing but showing the unique personality, style, and tone your brand uses when communicating with your audience. It is not just about the words you will use but also about the emotions and values you will convey.
Your brand voice is a reflection of your values and the personality of the brand. It ensures that your messages and motives reach across various channels, from your website and social media to advertisements and customer emails.
Without a clear brand voice, your message may come across as inconsistent and disjointed, which can confuse the audience. A strong brand voice will build trust make your brand memorable, and will help you to connect emotionally with the customers.
2. Steps to Build a Brand Voice for Your Business
Creating a brand voice is not just about choosing a tone of communication but it reflects your brand’s mission and values while resonating with your target audience. Following are the five steps that will help you craft a distinct and memorable brand voice.
- Define Mission & Values: A brand needs to define its mission and values. Brand voice will help you convey it to the audience. Before that ask yourself where your brand stands and what message you want to give out. Remember, your mission and values will shape the core personality traits of your brand voice, making it more authentic and relatable.
- Understand Audience: Understanding your target audience is very crucial since your brand voice will be created accordingly. Consider their communication, challenges, and communication style.
For instance: Young and tech-savvy audiences would prefer a casual tone but corporate audiences might prefer more of a professional tone. - Identify your brand’s personality traits: Think of your brand as a person. How would it sound if it were speaking? Is it friendly and approachable, or formal and authoritative? Choosing personality traits will help you remain consistent in your messaging across different platforms.
3. Brand Voice vs Tone
Brand voice is the overall personality and style of your brand’s communication and tone is the emotional reflection or attitude used by the brand in a specific situation. Brand voice remains constant across all the platforms. However, the tone can change depending on the context. Maintaining a consistent brand voice while simultaneously adapting its tone to address different scenarios will help you create a meaningful interaction with your audiences.
Many successful brands have established distinct voices that make them instantly recognizable. Here are a few notable brand voice examples:
- Nike: Motivational, empowering, and action-oriented. Their voice inspires people to push their limits.
- Apple: Innovative, sleek, and simple. Their voice reflects their focus on cutting-edge technology.
- Wendy’s: Witty, playful, and bold, especially on social media. They engage their audience with humour and clever responses.
Each of these brands stays true to its voice across all communication channels, ensuring consistency and memorability.
4. How to Make Your Brand Voice Stand Out
Once you’ve defined your brand voice, the next step is to ensure that your brand stands out. Here are a few tips to achieve that:
- Be consistent: Whether it is a website blog, a social media post, or a customer email, your brand voice should remain consistent.
- Engage: Speak directly with the audience using relatable language.
- Adapt your tone: While your brand voice remains consistent, your tone should vary based on the context.
- Document Your Brand Voice Guidelines: Creating a brand voice guide ensures everyone in your team is on the same page. This document should outline your brand’s personality traits, preferred language style, and examples of do’s and don’ts in communication.
If you need help creating your brand voice guide, hiring professional writers for brand voice can be a great solution. A brand voice writer will help your business craft a unique voice that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand’s identity.
Conclusion
Developing a brand voice is a crucial step. By understanding what is brand voice and personality and following a structured approach, you can create a voice that reflects your brand’s identity.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your existing communication strategy, investing time in creating a distinct brand voice is important. And if you need expert guidance, working with a brand voice writer can help you take your business communication to the next level.
