08 — Your Distinct Voice: The Art of Brand Conversation
Your brand's unique voice is created through your choice of words and the way they're woven together. Reflect on some brands that resonate with you. Are they humorous, motivational, or incredibly relatable? Do they leave you in awe or anticipation?
In this post, we will explore the broad strokes that define your brand’s tone, and discuss how to fine-tune your brand voice.
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Understanding Brand Voice
Imagine your brand is at a party. Your brand voice is their personality and the language they use — the way they tell stories, crack jokes, and express their interests in a way that’s unique to them.
Your brand voice is made memorable through it’s:
Messaging and viewpoints
Words and language
Emotional landscape
Understanding Tone
Brand tone, on the other hand, is similar to how moods and emotions can shift based on the situation. You might speak more seriously during a job interview compared to how you would speak to friends at a party; your brand tone adapts. But no matter the situation, it's still fundamentally you — just with a little twist to fit the context.
Some examples of brand tone are:
Serious
Humorous
Optimistic
Motivating
Respectful
Conversational
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How Voice Shapes Your Brand
Your brand voice shapes how you vibe with your audience, connect with them, and make them feel at home. It should go hand-in-hand with your visuals. When language and aesthetics come together, they create a holistic experience. From your website copy to your social media captions, brand voice meaningfully reinforces your brand identity.
Finding Your Brand Voice
1. Consider Your Values
What does your brand stand for? What values do you hold dear? If one of your values is compassion, your brand voice can speak in away that feels warm, empathetic, and focused on making authentic connection. Your voice should embody your values. If you’re not sure what you brand values are, head back to this blog post on defining your brand values.
2. Return to your Mission
Look back to your brand mission. If your mission is all about making the world a healthier, greener place, your voice might have an educational, motivational tone, speaking about sustainability with authenticity. Your brand voice should echo the mission that moves you forward.
3. Imagine Your Brand as a Person
Picture your brand as if they are a person — perhaps a friend or someone you see regularly at your local coffee shop. What are they like? How do they speak to and interact with others? Are they formal or do they treat everyone like a best friend? Choose 5 keywords that best describe them.
4. Connect with your audience
What does your audience love? What keeps them up at night? Are they all about a casual chat or do they prefer a more polished tone? This will help you fine-tune your voice to speak their language. You can refer back to your ideal client avatar when considering your audience.
5. Look to Your Competition
Image you're in a crowded room. Listen to your competitors; what's their tone? Do they speak in stiff jargon or do they sprinkle a little humor into the mix? What works and what doesn’t? Spot the gaps in their approach, and consider if you can use these gaps to make your own voice stand out.
6. A Contrast Exercise
Sometimes the clearest way to articulate your brand voice is to contrast it against what you don't want your voice to sound like. Let's give it a try:
As a brand, our voice sounds like:
While I speak with authority drawn from deep expertise, I remain grounded. I engage both heart and mind, combining a well-reasoned approach with an accessible, conversational flow. My tone is that of a mentor guiding others, not lecturing them.
As a brand, our voice is not:
Dry or clinical — I avoid sounding soulless, academic, overly technical or detached from human experience.
Test the Waters
Now comes the fun part. Brainstorm different voice options — mix and match words, phrases, and styles until you find that perfect blend that feels like ‘you,’ then begin to test the waters. Whip up some sample content or social media posts and use them to find out how your audience reacts. Take note of which voice resonates the most or gets the most engagement. This feedback is invaluable in fine-tuning your brand voice until it's just right.
Create a Consistent Brand Experience
Once you've found your brand voice, you can bring it to life across all the touch points where your audience interacts with your brand, be it your website, social media, or newsletter.
Voice Guidelines
Develop brand voice guidelines that outline the dos and don'ts of your brand's language, tone, and messaging styles for different situations and platforms.
Content Repository
Create a content repository — a stash for everything on-brand, where copy, messaging frameworks, and on-brand examples are easily accessible so you can quickly share content that hits the right notes (we love Notion for this).
Voice and Visual Synergy
Make sure your voice and visuals work together in synergy. A brand with a sophisticated voice could be paired with elegant typography, rich textures, and a muted color palette, brining a sense of refinement and luxury to the brand.
Consistency
Whether it's your website or social media posts, keeping your brand's voice and visuals consistent builds trust and makes your audience feel like they're chatting with a good friend.
Collaboration
if you’re working with a writer, designer, marketer, everyone needs to be on the same page. Share your brand voice guidelines with them to make sure your voice is aligned.
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By aligning your brand's written voice with its visual identity, you can take a holistic approach to branding, and offer a thoughtful experience that shares your messaging and values and every step.
Continue Reading
Learn how to use the Story Brand Framework to craft a truly compelling brand story that takes your audience on a journey with your brand.
