Brand voice is the personality and emotional tone of your business when communicating
Before we give you some tips on improving your brand voice, we need to define what brand voice is. Brand voice isn’t who’s talking or who you’re talking to. It’s how your brand talks and what it talks about. Is your brand fun and approachable? Is it straight-to-the-point and educational? Does it use slang or emojis? Or sticks to grammar rules? When deciding what your brand voice should be, consider who you’re talking to and about what. Make sure it feels authentic to your brand and your goals. And remember, it never hurts to be different so being the only company in your industry and area using emojis isn’t a bad thing… as long as emojis fit your audience.
Here are 5 tips for improving your brand voice:
Tip 1. Consider audience & topic
When nailing down your brand voice, you want to make sure you know your audience. If your primary customers are younger college students, your voice will be much different than if your customers are upper-class adults. But not all types of brands targeting college students would talk to them the same way. If you sell tutoring, your brand voice would be much different than if you sold gameday gear with their school’s mascot on it. The same goes for the upper-class adults. If you’re selling them insurance, your brand voice would be different than if you’re selling them a vacation experience.
Tip 2. What platforms are you on?
Another variable to consider is what platforms you’re posting on. Having a brand voice needs to be consistent across your website, direct mailers, streaming commercials, and social media…so make sure how you’re speaking to your audiences resonates across those platforms. You don’t want to be energetic and trendy on social media, and then be more educational and somber in a commercial. The key is finding a balance that works for your brand across all the platforms you’re on.
Tip 2.5. Be Unique
There’s something about your business that makes you different than your competitors. Is it your pricing? Your products? Your service? Your people? Make sure that difference shines in your brand voice. Is your company the most certified in your area? Make your brand voice more educational. Is your company the fastest to respond? Make speed and efficiency part of your brand voice. Does your team have fun as much as you get work done? That should definitely be part of your brand voice. And just because everyone in your industry has the same brand voice, doesn’t mean yours needs to be the same. Being unique is a positive.
Tip 3. Document & Communicate Brand Voice
Now that you’ve decided on your brand voice…document it. Make sure you have dos and don’ts. Make sure you provide explicit descriptors on what your brand voice sounds like and also include what it doesn’t sound like.
Example:
- Our brand voice is fun, exciting, engaging, and uses words that are positive and bold.
- Our brand voice does not include bigger technical terms.
- Our brand voice uses short sentences over longer, compound sentences, and can use emojis sparingly when appropriate.
Once all of that is documented, you have to communicate it. Make sure everyone from your CEO to your sales team, your entire marketing team, and even your finance team knows your brand voice. Everyone can take the knowledge of your preferred brand voice and incorporate it into their communication. And then don’t forget to give it to HR so they can pass it along to new hires as the company expands or brings in new team members.
Tip 4. Audit Use of Brand Voice
Once you have your brand voice implemented, it’s good to periodically audit the use of it to make sure your team is in compliance. We recommend auditing weekly when it is initially launched so you can make sure everyone is using the brand voice correctly and consistently. Once it is an established part of your brand, a monthly or quarterly audit is good—especially with social media and blog content. Print pieces should be audited every time since they aren’t easily editable like a blog or social media post.
Tip 5. Reevaluate
As brands and companies evolve, so should their brand voice. Just like a visual brand, a brand voice should be reevaluated and possibly updated every so many years. A good rule of thumb is if a logo gets redesigned, a new website is built, a new social media profile is launched, or a physical location is remodeled—your brand voice could also use a once-over to make sure it still accurately represents your brand. If none of those milestones are happening, every 3-5 years is a good bet. Sometimes it happens naturally—as a brand evolves, you’ll feel your brand voice needs to be updated. Then start back up at the top of this list!
Ready for find your voice?
Still don’t know where to start or if your brand should use emojis? We get it. It can be a daunting task. Team Signalfire can help walk you through the process, develop a brand voice, and implement it. Give us a call today!