It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. There have probably been thousands of kids swatted on the back of the head, not for what they said, but how they said what they presumably didn’t mean to say when talking back to mom or dad. And at a young age, we started to learn that our words and actions should align with our intentions.
What you say and how you say it is relevant in face-to-face conversations and your brand’s communication across all platforms – email, social media, website, newsletters, interoffice memos, etc.
Identifying and articulating your brand voice is one of the best ways to create consistency in your communication with your audience. Brand recognition goes beyond the look and feel of your logo and landing page to how and what you’re consistently verbalizing, both written and audibly.
Your brand voice is perceived similarly to having a conversation with someone. When conversing, you can feel a person’s persona through their tone, temperament, their terminology. How a person relates to their audience and how they tailor their message constructs their voice and persona.
When identifying and articulating your brand voice, consider who would your brand be if it were a person? What does it sound like? How does it talk? What words does your brand consistently use? Should you spend your time talking to this audience or that audience? Working through answering these types of questions can lead you to identify and articulate your brand voice. Doing so as a brand will help build strong connections and relationships with your audience.
Brand voice is the distinct personality a brand takes on in its communications. Consider the 5 T’s to help develop your brand voice.
Tone: A dimension of your brand voice is the tone of your communication or how you communicate. Some brands are cheeky in their communication, like Wendy’s and MoonPie. Others are empowering and uplifting, like Dove. Many are friendly and informative, like LaCroix and Starbucks. Once you pique your ear to the various tones of your favorite brands, you will be able to shape yours authentically.
Target Audience: When establishing your brand voice, consider your audience. Who is engaging your products or services? Who are your purchasers? What generation are they from, and what is their buying power? How you speak to mom and dad about buying a car for their child is different than how you communicate to a young professional looking to buy their first car!
Temperament: Having any digital and social presence guarantees naysayers, competitors, and complaints from customers. How your brand uniformly reacts and responds to the world is valuable to have identified when those opportunities to showcase your customer service and tact arise.
Terminology: Create an index or reference guide of common words, terms, or phrases your brand uses. Be specific about your grammar, punctuation, and abbreviations per written communication and context.
Tailor: 61% of people are more likely to buy from brands that they feel deliver tailored content. Your brand voice can help you differentiate yourself from competitors, and again, help you stay relevant in the minds of your audience.
Studies have shown that consistently presenting a brand can increase revenue by 33%. Taking the time to establish your digital presence and create a community to connect with is essential, as is creating a unique, true-to-you brand voice.