Brian Serocke
By Brian Serocke on August 26, 2018
4 minute read

4 Essential Steps to Creating a Brand Voice

 A brand voice is essential when starting a business. A good brand voice will encourage customers to engage with your company and motivate them to use your services and products. Your brand voice is what people associate your company with and makes them stay or come back to your content. With a strong brand voice, you’ll be able to create a successful and memorable business.

 

Watch this video to learn what all 4 essential steps to building a brand voice are. 

1. Explain Core Values

 

Core values are important to a brand because it tells the audience who the brand is and what they represent. Let your customers know what your brand stands for and the values your company strives to achieve. Showing consumers your goals and what your brand believes will help cultivate trust with your customers.

Explain core values and show how employees can follow these core values, as well as emphasize how they will enrich the customer’s experience. When the core values align with a customer’s values, it will increase retention because they believe in what you have to offer them.

 

2. Think About Tone and Language

 

Tone and language is extremely important in interacting with your target audience. Use language that matches up to your consumers and vocabulary that they will easily understand. Overcomplicating your content or using difficult words will make customers confused and more likely to leave your page. Avoid jargon that only people in the industry or people educated on the topic that your brand is speaking about might understand. Making relatable content will ensure that your message reaches a larger audience.

 

Certain tones will appeal to different audiences. If you want to attract fun customers, using light-hearted and happy language will bring in those who fit that tone. Some sarcasm and wit are acceptable in today’s marketing language, so casually interacting with customers using humor can appeal to your audience. As long as your tone matches your brand, you should be able to attract customers that match what you are trying to market.

 

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3. Compare and Contrast With Competitors

 

Your competitors should also have a brand voice. Looking at other companies and analyzing their brand voice will help you create your own. Learn what makes their brand unique and how you can differentiate your brand voice so you can stand out with your own style. When you take a look at other brands that are in your field, it can help you get a feel for what will work for your brand voice.

 

Creating a distinct style will allow your consumers to easily recognize you. It’s similar to having a brand logo – people will easily recognize it, and it stands out from everyone else. This will help further your reach with your audience because they will be able to find your brand easily and they won’t be confused with any inconsistencies.

 

4. Create a Brand Voice Guide

 

If a team is working with different ideas and guidelines, this can lead to an inconsistent voice. Within your team, a brand voice guide will be helpful when creating content. This will help your team members stay on the same page when writing content and keep the brand message consistent. Start with an external style guide such as a Chicago Manual of Style and then add your own requirements to it. Afterwards, you should explain the in-house style guide and external guide so that team members will understand what the brand expects of them. You should also explain your brand’s tone and voice, web guidelines, and what your brand’s social media style should look like.

 

There are many aspects to consider when making a brand voice, but these factors all contribute to having a strong brand voice. When you have a good brand voice, you will be able to stand out from other businesses, connect to your audience, and generate success with your company.

 

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Read Next: 

The Importance of Maintaining a Brand Voice

How brand voice consistency can make or break a brand

Published by Brian Serocke August 26, 2018
Brian Serocke

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