How to Find Your Brand Voice: 10 Tips for Marketers

woman shoutout with loudspeaker to promote branding with social media

Your brand voice is how your company speaks to your customers and prospects. It’s the personality of your business, and it needs to be consistent across all channels – from your website to your social media posts, and everything in between. But how do you find your brand voice?

Do you know what your brand voice is? If not, you’re not alone. Many businesses don’t take the time to define their brand’s voice, and as a result, their marketing materials sound generic and uninspired. Your brand’s voice should be unique to your company and reflect your values.

What is brand voice?

Your brand voice is how your company speaks to your customers and prospects. It’s the personality of your business, and it needs to be consistent across all channels – from your website to your social media posts, and everything in between.

Think about some of the most well-known brands out there. Nike’s brand voice is confident and empowering, while Volvo’s is safe and trustworthy. Your brand voice should be unique to your company and reflect your values.

Why is brand voice important?

Your brand voice is how you connect with your audience on an emotional level. When done right, it can make people feel like they’re part of a community or tribe – something that’s essential for building loyalty and long-term customers.

Brand voice also helps people remember you. The more consistent your brand voice is, the easier it will be for customers to identify with your company and what you stand for.

How to Find Your Brand Voice: 8 Steps for Marketers

In this blog post, we will discuss how to find your brand’s voice and how to use it in your marketing materials. Follow these 8 steps and you’ll be well on your way to creating a strong, cohesive brand that resonates with your target audience.

Tip 1: Know your target audience

Before you can start developing your brand voice, you need to know who you’re talking to. Who are your ideal customers? What do they care about? What problems do they need solving? What are their interests and values?

Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, you can start to craft messaging that resonates with them.

Tip two: Define your brand’s personality

Now that you know who you’re talking to, it’s time to define how you want to talk to them. What kind of personality do you want your brand to have?

Think about some of the most well-known brands out there and how they position themselves. Nike is all about empowering their customers to be their best selves, while Volvo is all about safety and reliability. Consider what values and attributes you want your brand to be known for, then start brainstorming how you can communicate those through your marketing materials.

Tip 3: Write down your core messaging

Once you’ve defined your brand’s personality, it’s time to start writing down some core messaging. What are the three to five key messages you want your customers to hear? These should be the foundation for all of your marketing materials, from your website copy to your social media posts.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few questions that can help you develop your core messaging:

  1. What do we do?
  2. How do we do it differently than our competitors?
  3. What are the benefits of our products or services?
  4. What do our customers say about us?

Tip 4: What are your values and core beliefs

The first step in finding your brand voice is to understand your company’s values. What are the core beliefs that YOU stand for? What does your company stand for? What are your team’s core values?

These are the foundation of your brand voice – so it’s important to take some time to really think about what they are. If you’re not sure where to start, consider how you want your customers to feel when they interact with your business.

Once you know what your values are, you can begin to craft messaging that reflects them. Your brand voice should be consistent across all of your marketing materials, from website copy to social media posts.

I’m sure you believe in many things. First step is to do a brain dump of everything you may believe in on a piece of paper and set the timer to 10 minutes. Once time is up, it’s time to narrow down your list. Go through each point on your list, combine any point that is similar. Then, strike off anyone that is obviously something that don’t resonate with you. Carry on with that until you have only 3 points and those will be what you believe in at this point in time.

When creating content, think about who your target audience is and what they would want to hear from you. Tailor your content to fit their needs and interests. Be authentic and genuine in your writing, and avoid sounding like a salesperson. When people feel like they’re being talked down to, they’re less likely to trust or buy from you.

Tip 5: Be authentic and genuine in your content

One of the most important aspects of brand voice is authenticity. Your content should be genuine and reflect your company’s values. Don’t try to be something you’re not; people can see right through that. Be honest with your audience and they will appreciate it.

When I say, “be authentic,” this doesn’t mean don’t put any thought into what you write or how it will come across. You still want to craft well-thought-out messages that resonate with your target audience, but make sure they sound like something you would actually say.

Here are 3 steps to take to be authentic and genuine in what you have to say:

  1. Do a brain dump of everything you believe in and set the timer for ten minutes. Narrow down your list to three points.
  2. When creating content, think about who your target audience is and what they would want to hear from you. Write as you talk without feeling overly-conscious.
  3. Don’t try to be something you’re not; people can see right through that. Be honest with your audience and they will appreciate it.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to finding your brand voice! Just remember, it takes time and practice to get it right. Keep at it and soon you’ll have a cohesive brand that resonates with your target audience.

Tip 6: Write as if you are talking to one person

Yes! This is great way to connect with readers on a personal level and make your content more relatable. When you write as if you are talking to one person, it helps the reader feel like they are having a conversation with you, rather than being preached to.

When writing your content, imagine that you are talking to a friend. How would you explain your product or service? What language would you use? Write in a way that is natural and easy to read.

When writing for the web, shorter sentences are better. People tend to skim online content, so make sure your sentences are clear and concise. Get to the point quickly and avoid using jargon or technical terms.

Tip 8: Consider Your Tone

Are you serious or lighthearted? Formal or informal? Friendly or professional? The tone of your brand voice should be appropriate for both your product or service and your target audience. If you’re selling something serious, you don’t want to come across as flippant, and if you’re targeting young millennials, a more casual tone might work best.

Consider how you want your brand to be perceived, and choose a tone that matches. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at how other brands are communicating. Use their voices as inspiration for your own.

When studying other brands, don’t only watch what your competing brands are doing, but observe how other brands that your audience also follow, not necessarily in your industry.

For example, I may be providing graphic design services. Rather than only studying other graphic design service businesses, I also observe companies that are providing web hosting services and technical services like WordPress fixes.

Tip 8: Choose Your Words Wisely

Once you’ve nailed down your tone, it’s time to start thinking about the words you’ll use to communicate with your customers. Be sure to choose language that is authentic to your brand – and that resonates with your target audience.

Avoid using industry jargon or technical terms that your customers may not understand. Stick to language that is easy to read and understand.

The words you use in your content should reflect your brand’s personality. If you’re a fun and friendly brand, your language should reflect that. If you’re more formal, use language that is respectful and professional.

Your choice of words will also be influenced by who your target audience is. If you’re targeting a younger audience, you’ll want to use language that is hip and trendy. If you’re targeting an older demographic, avoid using slang or overly casual language.

Tip 9: Tailor content to fit the needs of your target audience

In order to connect with your target audience, you need to know what their needs and interests are. Tailor your content to fit their needs and make sure it is relevant to them. Don’t bombard them with sales pitches; offer helpful information and advice that they can use.

Think about the types of things your target audience would be interested in reading. What questions do they have? What problems do they face? Address these topics in your content, and provide solutions or advice.

Tip 10: Keep tone consistent across all marketing materials

The most important thing when developing your brand voice is consistency. Make sure all of your marketing materials are on-brand, and that the tone of your voice is consistent from one channel to the next. This will help create a strong, cohesive identity for your brand – and it will make it easier for customers to connect with you.

The tone of your brand’s voice should be consistent across all marketing materials. This includes website copy, social media posts, email messages, etc. When people visit your website or read one of your social media posts, they should be able to immediately recognize your brand’s voice.

In fact, do the same in every marketing collateral, from the language you use on your website to the way you interact with customers on social media. If your brand voice isn’t consistent, it will be harder for customers to connect with you – and that can lead to lost sales.

If you are not sure what tone to use, consider who your target audience is and how you want them to perceive your brand. Do you want to come across as friendly and approachable? Professional and trustworthy? Humorous or light-hearted? Keep this in mind when crafting your content.

How to use your brand voice in your marketing materials

Now that you know what your brand voice is, how do you put it into action? Here are a few tips:

  1. Make sure all of your marketing materials are consistent with your brand’s voice. This includes website copy, social media posts, email newsletters, and more.
  2. Use your brand’s voice to create a unique personality for your company. Be funny, quirky, or serious – whatever fits best with your brand.
  3. When writing content, think about how you can connect with your target audience on an emotional level. What are their interests and concerns? Address them in your content.
  4. Stay true to yourself and don’t try to be something you’re not.

Creating a strong brand voice takes time and effort, but it’s worth it in the end. If you’re not sure where to start, seek out help from a marketing agency or freelance writer. With the right guidance, you can create messaging that resonates with your customers and helps your business grow.

If you’re still struggling to find your brand voice, consider these tips:

  1. Know what your company values are and how to reflect them in your writing
  2. Be authentic and genuine in your content
  3. Tailor content to fit the needs of your target audience
  4. Seek professional help if needed

By following these steps, you can find a brand voice that is authentic and genuine, and that resonates with your target audience. Keep the tone of your voice consistent across all marketing materials, and don’t be afraid to experiment until you find what works best for you. With a little trial and error, you will be able to find a brand voice that helps your business stand out from the crowd.

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