5 Tips to Help Identify Your “Brand Voice”
Table of Contents:
Finding My Brand’s Core Values
My Brand Uses Storytelling
My Brand is Consistent
My Brand Tells the Truth
My Brand Asks for Feedback
Are you in the process of identifying your brand’s voice?
Are you feeling tired and overwhelmed?
You’re not alone.
Every business owner goes through this struggle. Starting a business comes with new challenges, and finding your brand voice is one of them.
But it doesn’t have to make or break you.
Luckily, I’ve got 5 tips to help you.
ONE: Finding My Brand’s Core Values
You don’t have the same core values as everyone else.
Your brand is special and unique.
The most important aspects of your business are deeply rooted in your values. Your mission and vision depend on them. Finding out their identity is the first step in discovering your brand voice.
Let’s review a few brand voice examples to get you started.
Brand Voice Examples
Let’s say your business helps postpartum moms. One of your core values is honesty. As an audience, you believe postpartum moms deserve complete honesty and transparency. In serving this audience, your brand voice would be especially empathetic and calm.
You may use words or phrases like…
🌿 “We understand.”
🌿 “In your shoes.”
🌿 “We’re here for you.”
🌿 “You’re not alone.”
Now, let’s look at another example:
On the other hand, let’s say your business helps entrepreneurs and CEOs. One of your company’s core values is strength, and your product makes business owners stronger.
Your brand voice, in this case, would be drastically different from our first example. Your voice would be bold and direct.
You may use words or phrases like…
💥 “Tenacious”
💥 “Dominant”
💥 “Bold”
💥 “You play to win”
Which one are you?
It can be difficult to pinpoint. If you’re still not sure which direction to go, use the following brand voice questionnaire to help.
Brand Voice Questionnaire
Who does my product or service help?
What does my company believe?
Of the beliefs we have, what is most important?
What does my audience find to be most important?
Keeping your brand values in mind will only help you. You’ll be more in tune with your voice, and your audience will trust you.
Did you know that 89% of shoppers stay loyal to brands that share their values?
Clearly, values are important!
Think about it. You support businesses you believe in, so you probably wouldn’t give a lot of money to businesses that oppose your beliefs.
You put your money where your heart is. Emotional connection is deeply rooted in our buying decisions. Keep this in mind as you develop your brand voice.
TWO: My Brand Uses Storytelling
Everyone loves a good story.
You want to create a story that has your audience bending an ear. You need to show them something they deeply care about.
Storytelling is an art, and if mastered, can bring a lot of value to your brand voice. Just like any good story, it has a beginning, middle, and end.
The flow of a story: An inciting incident followed by a climax that falls into the resolution.
It keeps them guessing and wondering how to solve the problem.
A good story for your brand would result in them acting on something that would help them. The happy ending is finding specific people your product or service is perfect for. If your target audience connects with your story, it will speak to them on a deeper level.
In today’s online world, people are constantly bombarded with advertisements and content. Quality storytelling is more rare than you’d think. Taking the time to tell your company’s story will make you a rare jewel in the midst of gravel, I promise you.
Remember, facts are important, but facts combined with a story create pure gold.
THREE: My Brand is Consistent
Don’t underestimate consistency. Your audience will notice.
No matter what content you’re writing, make sure the mood and tone of your voice are consistent. You’ll prove yourself to be trustworthy and thorough. In fact, staying consistent on all platforms can increase a company’s revenue by 23%.
Surprised?
Well, if you are, it might be time to look at your brands’ consistency.
Here are a few ways to help:
🚀 Decide on keywords that are consistent with your core values and goals
🚀 Know exactly who you want your words to reach
🚀 Make sure your voice is the same across all communication channels
🚀 Consider making templates with your brand’s voice guidelines
Taking the extra time to ensure brand voice consistency will pay off. Trust me.
FIVE: My Brand Asks for Feedback
Lastly, ask for feedback.
What does this mean, and why is it important?
Ask your target audience what works best for them. A lot of companies forget to ask their ideal customers what they like.
It's a simple step, really. However, many companies assume they know the answer.
This can be a slippery slope.
Yes, you may guess correctly. Yes, you can make good, educated guesses.
But there is no better information than from a direct source. Sometimes, your audience surprises you. It won’t hurt (and can only benefit) to check in with them.
Here are some ways to ask your audience about brand voice:
👉 Create a survey or brand questionnaire
👉 Use social media polls
👉 Email surveys
👉 Focus groups
👉 Interviewing individuals or groups
I promise you, they won’t take offense or think you’re incompetent. Asking your audience for input will only increase your validity. This shows you’re willing to go the extra mile for them.
Don’t skip it.
What’s Next?
Does finding your brand voice still sound completely overwhelming?
That’s okay!
Lucky for you, I help companies find their brand voice.
I can help find yours, too.
Book a free, no-obligation consult with me (aka virtual coffee). 🍵
FOUR: My Brand Tells the Truth
Honesty is a value well worth pursuing.
With products and services, people don’t enjoy being lied to or scammed. Scamming someone into buying something will likely only work once. They will not be a repeat customer or recommend you to anyone else.
Your reputation is your most important business asset. You should treat it like a prized jewel behind a pane of glass.
Glass is also transparent, just as you should be when sharing details about your business, product, or service.
A bad reputation is…
☢️ Difficult to recover from
☢️ Costly
☢️ A large obstacle
Honestly, a bad reputation could make or break your business.
An overwhelming number of people value complete transparency. People don't enjoy dishonesty. A recent study found that 94% of customers are more likely to spend their money on a company that values complete transparency.
If you feel the need to lie, you may want to reevaluate your company’s values and the quality of your product or service. It may be lacking in some areas.
Ask yourself: “If my audience knew everything there was to know about my product or service, would they still buy it from me?“
If the answer is no, it’s time to take a few steps back.