When the term “branding” is initially mentioned, it is typically associated with a brand’s visual representation, such as its logo, colours, typefaces, and design styles. Many brands fail to recognize that branding also refers to how a brand is able to communicate itself to its audience. This is why it’s imperative to establish a brand voice.
When there is an emotional connection, consumers are more likely to invest in a brand. Having a distinct brand voice is more important than ever for a company to stand out and avoid getting lost in the sea of digital noise because there are so many channels available for brands to interact with their audiences nowadays.
What is brand voice and why does it matter?
A brand’s voice is the distinctive personality it employs in its communications, regardless of the medium through which it is expressed. You can identify a brand’s voice as it appears in its emails, website copy, press releases, advertisements, social media posts, and even in the packaging of its products.
All of these give a brand a chance to establish its position as an authority in its industry, but you won’t be able to do this without a recognizable brand voice – a personality that enables your audience to recognize that it is you speaking and not any of your competitors.
Brand Voice vs. Tone of Voice: What’s the Difference?
A brand’s voice is not to be confused with its tone of voice. Understanding their differences, and how they work together in producing good content, spells the difference between presenting a coherent brand and a disjointed one.
Brand voice encapsulates your entire personality, including your unique perspective or viewpoint and the principles you uphold. Your brand’s voice is one that never changes because it is aligned with your identity.
Word choice, phrase structure, and even emotional tone are just a few of the ways a brand’s tone of voice may engage its audience.
It determines how a brand speaks to its target audience, focusing on delivering its fundamental messages while maintaining consistency across all communications to encourage connection and boost consumer confidence in the brand.
On the other hand, tone of voice concentrates on the distinct messages sent through various channels and how they each sound. Word choice, phrase structure, and even emotional tone are just a few of the ways a brand’s tone of voice may engage its audience.
These elements frequently shift depending on what is acceptable at the time. To guarantee that it best meets the target audience, you can nurture a combination of tones, such as friendly, educational, celebratory, and welcoming.
How to Establish Your Brand Voice
It’s critical to keep in mind that the ultimate purpose of developing your brand voice is to forge an authentic relationship with your audience. Fortunately, developing your brand voice and tone is not difficult. It all starts with a clear grasp of your identity as a company.
- Clearly define your brand’s mission and vision
Going back to your vision and mission and considering what sets your company apart from the competition are the first steps to developing your brand voice. When you know who you are, you can determine the best approach to present yourself and what you have to offer. - Identify your audience
Your brand voice is heavily dictated by who your audience is. If they are younger, you want to present yourself as hip, modern, and in-the-know, using language that will appeal to them. On the other hand, if your audience belongs to an older generation, you should be sure to speak in a little more formal tone and refrain from using modern slang that they may not understand.
As you work through your audience and market personas, list out traits you want to take on as a brand that you know will get them to listen to you. Always keep in mind that being relatable requires being authentic; you don’t always need to be trendy! - Review your current brand voice
It’s beneficial to review your present brand voice and assess how well you are communicating your brand to your audience. Look over previous content to see if you can quickly spot a distinctive voice.
Consider this: How does your brand currently come across? What would you prefer to change going forward?
Additionally, you may assess your engagement and evaluate how well your existing voice is being received by clients. Consider the instances where communication has been effective and consider whether it matches the impression you want them to have of you.
As you develop your brand’s voice, keep in mind that it forms an integral element of your company business’ personality. It serves as the foundation for how you interact with clients, how you make them feel, and how you can affect their level of trust in you and your brand.
Let us help you establish your brand’s voice! Get in touch with us today.
