Defining Your Brand Tone and Voice
Brand messaging can simply be just words on a page if it’s not given a voice. The tone and personality of a brand are all part of the experience you create for customers. It’s not just the tagline or the logo that creates a connection with your audience. It’s how you tell your story and how that sounds to others.
When establishing a brand, defining the brand’s personality is kind of the icing on the cake. In order to build your brand personality, you must create a voice, tone, and word wardrobe that represents your brand. You need to define your brand personality in order to ensure you are being true to what your brand story is and what your target audience needs to hear and/or learn before they buy.
A brand personality can be defined as how your brand feels to your consumer. Is it fun? Is it professional? Is it friendly? That is for you to decide! You can start this process by brainstorming words and/or adjectives that describe your brand, your products, your service, and your experience from the perspective of your target audience.
To find your brand’s voice, consider whether it is male, female, or neither. Think about the sound you want your brand’s voice to convey. Authoritative? Helpful? Guiding? Pro tip: Is there a celebrity, professional athlete or somebody famous that you feel could inspire you during this brainstorming process? Write that name down and then brainstorm adjectives to describe this person to help you develop the voice of your brand.
Once you’ve found your brand’s voice, move on to tone. While some may think voice and tone are the same, they are very different and can be a defining factor in your brand identity. It is important when finding your brand’s tone, you define what your tone IS and what your tone IS NOT. For example, the tone of a retail store that sells household goods could be sassy and functionable but not exclusive and dull.
The last step in defining your brand’s personality is building a word wardrobe. This essentially means curating a bank of words that align with the voice and tone you have established. For example, if your brand personality is upbeat and helpful, some of your words in your wardrobe could be optimistic, confident, bright, friendly, and/or productive.
Does your brand have its own voice? If not, let’s talk. Grab a spot on our calendar.
