How To Find Your Brand Voice
Brand voice. What is it, how do you find your brand voice, and how do you actually let it bleed through all of your business copy?
Let’s start with what brand voice means. Brand voice is your brands personality, it’s the unique positioning your business takes when speaking to your customers. Your brand voice represents who you (your business) are and what you stand for.
Now, how do you find your brand voice and then how do you actually infuse it into your marketing? Finding your brand voice takes time and it won’t happen overnight.
Start off by answering these questions:
What makes my product unique?
What are my brand values?
What message does my brand send at first glance?
Who is my target audience?
What qualities do I want them to see? (luxury, fun, inviting, exclusive, etc)
Where does my audience spend the most time?
How does my audience talk to their friends?
Once you have these answered, work on a word bank. What words do you use regularly? Then define what words you do NOT use. Does your brand use contractions or fully write out words? For example: do you write “does not” or “doesn’t”, these small details matter when defining your brand voice. More than anything, answer why you do or don’t use certain words or phrases. A big one is slang or cuss words, these really can define a business so make sure you know how you want to be perceived by your audience.
Now it’s time to practice. Using all of the answers to the questions along with your word bank, write out 10 captions and maybe even a blog. Focus on writing as if you’re speaking directly to an ideal customer. Tell them what they want to hear. Make them understand your product and feel something through the words that you’re putting together.
Once you’ve written it all out, read back and don’t be afraid to give yourself a hard time. Tip: read them out loud to yourself so you can fully soak in the message. Pick apart what works well and what doesn’t.
Finally, put it to the test.
Share the content with your new defined brand voice and watch what your customers stick to. Are they engaging in more conversations now? Are they enjoying the fresh content you’re releasing? Do you see your engagement going up? Take note of all of these pieces.
If you’re able to talk the way they do and mimic their actions, you are more likely to connect with them on a much deeper level and begin building true customer loyalty. Communicating the way your audience does can make your brand more relatable therefore over time can also increase your sales.
Remember, growth takes time so it’s crucial that you’re tracking your insights and noticing any changes to your customer interactions. Make sure that your brand voice peaks through every part of your business. From your Instagram bio to your website error pages, and especially your about us, your brand voice should be recognized no matter where your audience is reading copy from your business.