If you’ve never thought about your brand voice, chances are that your brand is just using your voice! While that’s okay as you get started, it’s important to hone in on the unique characteristics that make your brand different and stay focused and consistent on those attributes as you grow. Why? Customers love consistency. They want to know what to expect from your brand—and that shouldn’t change depending on your specific mood that day!
Whether you’ve got a way with words or writing is one of your not-so-favorite things about being a small business owner, discovering and establishing your brand voice can be a breeze—after all, you’re the expert!
Start by asking yourself these questions:
1. What is our brand’s personality?
Chances are, there’s a lot of overlap between your personality and your brand voice.
2. Who is our customer?
If you have a wide variety of customers, think about who your ideal customer is.
3. What type of business are we?
You’ll probably consider the way you speak a bit differently if you’re selling healthcare vs. a pair of workout leggings.
4. What are our core values?
If you haven’t defined these, now is a great time. What are the rules you live by as a brand?
Now the hard part is already over! To establish your brand voice, take a look at your answers and see where there’s overlap—and there should be a lot. By doing this, you’ll create a brand persona, or what your brand would act like if they were their own person.
If your answers were…
- Bubbly, Outgoing, Conversational
- 30-Something Women
- We sell workout gear
- Always take care of yourself first
you can start to see how this person might communicate.
The final step is putting it into writing. Maybe you’ve decided that your brand voice should be the same as your personality: Bubbly, Outgoing and Conversational. That works, and it’s perfect! Now, every time you write a piece of content for your brand, you can ask yourself if it meets those requirements—and your brand voice will be more consistent than ever before!
Still not sure where to start? Ask us your questions in the comments, or send us an email and we’ll put together a personalized easy-to-follow brand voice guide to keep you on track.
