How to Find and Protect Your Brand Voice

Hello, esteemed reader. It has been brought to our attention that the topic of brand voice has piqued your interest, so much so that you have embarked on a journey of researching.

Felt weird reading that? I know I felt weird writing it. That's because the tone is completely off - it's not Better Proposals, and you spotted it immediately. And that's exactly what brand voice is all about.

What is brand voice?

Think of brand voice as your brand's personality. It's how you communicate with your audience to create a specific perception you want them to have of your business.

You know how you sometimes have to adjust the way you talk to people based on the social situation and how well you know them? The reason you do it is because you want those people to see you a certain way. You know the way you talk to them shapes what they think about you.

For example, in a corporate job interview, being too informal might make the interviewer think you're not the right match. In a startup environment, being too formal might mean someone else gets the job.

The same goes for brand voice. How you express your brand is how your audience perceives you. It also affects how much they trust you and how connected they feel to your brand.

An obligatory note on brand voice vs tone

Unlike tone, your brand's voice is a constant that never changes. It's your business' underlying personality that reflects your core values. Tone, however, can change depending on the message you're sending and platform you're using.

Think of it this way: you, a person, only have one personality. It encompasses everything that makes you, you. That said, sometimes, your day doesn't start out that great. Or maybe the weather is getting to you.

The way you talk to someone that day might be different because your mood has shifted. The same goes for your brand voice. Your tone may shift depending on the message or circumstances, but your voice (i.e., personality) should always stay the same.

Why brand voice matters

Having a defined, consistent brand voice builds trust with your audience. And since 88% of people think it's important to buy from brands they trust, how you talk to them is more important than ever.

Your brand voice is one of the elements that build brand recognition. It helps you make sure that all your customer interactions feel consistent across all platforms. This includes everything from your website, social media, customer support, and even packaging.

Your brand voice makes you stand out

Whatever kind of business you're in, your competition is out there. There are brands that have been there long before you came, and there will be new ones as years go by.

To make sure your business doesn't flop, you need to stand out, and your brand voice is what makes that happen. It gives your audience a reason to choose you over a competitor because they resonate with your brand more.

Your brand voice reflects your brand's personality

The way you talk about your brand is what shapes your brand's personality. It determines how relatable your brand is to your customers. That's why, before you say anything, you have to consider:

• Who your customers are
• Their likes and dislikes
• Their buying habits and preferences

Take Netflix as an example. Their global audience is made up of binge-watchers, new genre explorers, and people who just want some background noise while they're cleaning. As a result, they've gone with casual messaging coupled with humor and clever content descriptions.

Your brand voice helps create authentic connections

A strong brand voice helps you create authentic connections with your audience. As much as 64% of people are loyal to brands that share their values, and your brand voice is crucial in getting those across.

How to find your brand voice

Now that we've covered all the basics of what brand voice is and why it matters, you're probably itching to start creating your own. Luckily, it's easier than you think - you just have to answer four questions.

1. What does your brand stand for?

In other words, what are your brand's core values? What is your mission? What problems are you trying to solve?

Which guiding principles influence your decisions, actions, and behavior as a company? Are you customer-centric, modern, traditional, eco-friendly? Why do these principles matter to you?

By knowing what your brand stands for, you can create a brand voice that's a natural extension of your core values. Think of it as defining your brand's identity as if it were a person. If you met a person with your brand's values, what would they sound like?

2. Who are you trying to reach?

You can't create a brand voice that resonates if you don't know who it's supposed to resonate with. So, your next step is finding out who your customers are. Here, you're not interested only in demographics. You want to know their interests, values, lifestyles, and behaviors.

Analytics tools can help you track user behavior on your website and social media platforms. Customer surveys and interviews are even better as they give you direct feedback.

But even if you haven't started posting on social media or communicating with your customers yet, you can do this easily. All it takes is a little Googling and data collection.

Remember how we pointed out earlier that you have competitors? Here's where you can use that to your advantage. If you have no data of your own, simply browse through Google reviews or other review sites for customer feedback.

This should give you a clear idea of what customers like and dislike about your competitors, which you can use to differentiate yourself. What this also gives you is direct insight into your target audience's communication styles.

Which words and expressions do they use? What kind of tone are they speaking in? Why did they decide to go with your competitor and what could make them leave?

3. What is your brand (not) like?

When defining your brand voice, knowing what your brand isn't like is as important as knowing what it is. Often, starting with the negatives is easier than listing all the things your brand voice should be.

For example, you could start by listing out all the things you don't want your customers to see you as. From there, you can create a 'dos and don'ts' list to guide you in your messaging.

Once you've got your brand voice traits down, there's still a small matter of getting them across to your audience on all platforms. This means you need your entire team on the same page and communicating the same way - from online channels, all the way to customer support.

Protecting your brand's voice

Once you've finally found and defined your brand voice, you've got to keep it consistent. Otherwise, you risk confusing or even alienating your customers.

How do you get your entire team on board with your brand voice? Simple - you create brand guidelines that you can update as needed. We've already covered what to include in your brand guidelines here, so go check that out if you haven't already.

While you're at it, you can also use Better Proposals to get your guidelines in writing, distribute them, and update as needed. We did, and they look awesome. They also come with tracking, so you'll know exactly which parts could use some more work so that your team understands them better.

Unique brand voice examples to get you inspired

So far, we've done a lot of telling, so it's only right to do a bit of showing. Here are a few examples of how others found their own, unconventional brand voices to get you inspired.

1. Tide

Laundry day is hardly anyone's idea of fun. So, if you were in the business of selling laundry detergent, you'd probably focus on product effectiveness. Your customers would expect you to be straightforward and conventional. They'd expect your messaging to be as mundane as the task of doing laundry.

Well, Tide decided to advertise their product with a bit more flair. All the usual info is there - reliability, effectiveness, how well the detergent removes stains. But what's also there is language their target audience can relate to on a personal level.

Tide often appeals to family values and uses everyday language to appear more accessible. As far as expectations go, Tide's brand voice is more engaging than what you'd expect in laundry detergent advertising.

2. Zocdoc

Speaking of no fun, how about going to the doctor's? Usually, the experience you get is, well, clinical. When it comes to healthcare services, you expect straightforward, serious language. Something that reflects the trustworthiness of the medical industry.

With Zocdoc, you still get the professional part, but with a more approachable tone. Instead of the usual formal, reserved tone of the healthcare industry, Zocdoc puts emphasis on clarity. The language they use is more user-friendly and designed to reduce stress while booking doctor's appointments.

3. Purple

If you've ever had to decide on a new mattress, you know it's all about cores, foams, springs or no springs, this height or that one. All in all, not the most fun experience since picking out a mattress usually looks like you reading a bunch of technical data and then Googling it.

What makes Purple stand out is a more dynamic brand voice than you'd expect while mattress shopping. They use informal language and humor, making them more approachable than competitors. Since the industry is dominated by serious and technical messaging, Purple's creative approach helps them connect with customers better.

4. Surreal

When you think about healthy breakfast cereal, your first thought is probably oats. Bland and boring, just like most of the advertising that happens around healthy cereal options. You learn all about the nutritional benefits and health aspects - a straightforward approach to straightforward food.

Unless the cereal you're buying is Surreal. Don't get us wrong - you still hear about all the health and nutritional benefits, just not the way you'd expect. Surreal's brand voice is as colorful and quirky as their packaging. It's what makes healthy cereal look fun and what gets customers excited about trying it.

5. Manscaped

When you're on the market for personal grooming products, you expect seriousness. You expect the company to focus on the practical aspects of the product and reserved, functional language. You expect to be told how many blades your razor has and how that helps you. Or how many shaves you'll get out of one charge of your machine. And that's about it.

Well, you won't get that with Manscaped. Compared to other brands in the industry, Manscaped's voice is more direct and engaging. By using a relaxed tone and incorporating puns into their advertising, they look more approachable and funny.

And what about your brand voice?

Does it make you stand out or are you blending into your industry with what you "should" sound like? If your answer is the latter, maybe that's what's stopping you from connecting with your audience.

You can't find your unique voice by following trends or conforming to expectations. Instead, identify what makes you different and express who you are and what you stand for. When your customers know who you are, it's that much easier for them to connect with you.