So you’re starting to market your brand … where do you start? How do you decide what to post and say? The first place to start is by determining your brand voice. Even if you’re not familiar with this term specifically, you probably already know what we’re talking about here.
A brand’s voice is what makes them unique and different from other brands and companies in the market. While an alcohol company may use brand imagery and lingo that promises a fun laid back atmosphere and experience, a teen clothing brand likely markets themselves to closely follow the latest trends and probably doesn’t use very complex terminology.
Brand voice is the distinct personality a brand takes on in its communications. Maintaining your brand voice requires you to position your content to represent the brand persona you want to embody. The person or team in charge of creating content for your brand should be able to easily switch hats between how they’d speak for themselves, and how they’d speak through the public mouthpiece that represents your brand.
Define what your brand stands for, its core values, and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms. -Simon Mainwaring
Why is brand voice important?
Brand voice is critical in establishing your personal brand niche. The digital marketplace is jam-packed with creative business ventures. What is it that you can do to set yourself apart? If your brand voice is indistinguishable from your competitors and peers, there’s nothing to remember your brand by.
How do I determine my brand’s voice?
The first step in determining your brand voice is researching who your audience is. As previously stated, you’re going to talk to a young teen differently than you would talk to a middle-aged professional or your retired grandmother. But age is hardly the only thing to consider when assessing your target audience. You may want to consider their level of education, what social channels they use most often, what their average income is, and what activities they enjoy.
Once you determine some of these factors about who your target audience is, you can start to think about their needs. The goal of your business ultimately is to satisfy the needs and answer the questions of your audience. Whether that’s educating them on how to avoid an IRS audit or selling them the latest and greatest surfboard, your content should help them reach their goals.
Once you have this understanding of who your clients are and what their needs are, consider who they might be friends with or look up to. This is the persona that should represent your brand voice. Your target audience should see and read your content as if they’re interacting with a peer or someone they trust and look up to. Building trust is a critical step in positioning your brand as a reputable source.
Now I really know my brand voice … now what?
Once you’ve determined what your brand voice is, it’s time to implement it into your marketing strategy. How do I do that? You’ve taken into consideration the type of content that your target audience is likely interested in. You’ve also assessed what platforms they’re using most often. It’s time to put these two together.
If you’re targeting a professional business audience, TikTok and Instagram Reels may not be the best place for you to launch your marketing strategy. On the other hand, if you’re targeting young teens, TikTok is likely an excellent place for you to start.
Representing your brand voice consistently across channels includes using similar terminology and vocabulary in addition to maintaining consistency visually. Your brand voice needs to translate into visuals as well as in written content to build an overall view of your brand.
Establishing your brand voice is essential before diving into the development of your marketing strategy. Without a brand voice to consistently reference, you’ll likely end up with inconsistent content across platforms and confusing messaging to your clients. On top of that, without a distinctive and unique brand voice, there’s nothing to set you apart from your competitors.
Be the chardonnay in a sea of sauvignon blancs. If your business needs help to determine your brand voice, our team at Digital Storyteller is here to help!
