How to Create a Successful Brand Voice: Our Top Tips for Discovering, Building, and Showcasing Your Brand’s Personality

We’ve got a challenge for you.

Think about a person you know really well. How would you describe them in only three words? 

Don’t worry, we’ll wait. *Insert Jeopardy! music here*

Got it? Great!. 

Think about those three words. This individual has shaped their relationship with you through a consistent pattern of communication, actions, and personality, which reveals itself in the words that spring to mind when you think about that person. In a very real sense, every person has created their own “brand voice” through the way they interact with the world and the people around them. 

This is an intriguing exercise in boiling someone’s personality down to their core values. It becomes even more intriguing when the same exercise is applied to your company. 

Many businesses miss out on the superpower that is a clear, consistent brand voice. They believe if they simply provide a great product or service, and have good interactions with their customers, all is well. 

While there’s no denying that you need to have a solid product and incredible customer service, a brand voice that is consistent over every channel (including marketing campaigns, creation of content, sales experience, etc) will really take your company to the next level. 

What is a “Brand Voice?”

A brand voice is more than just how your company communicates with your clients and customers (although that is a large part). It could be better defined as “brand personality” or “brand identity.” It’s a broader definition that encompasses what makes you YOU as a company. 

Just like every person has their own distinct personality—from your sweet, sensitive, artistic daughter to “that” uncle who fills up every room he enters with in-your-face energy and slightly irreverent jokes—your company can (and should!) create an instantly recognizable presence that is driven by a strong, clearly defined personality.

Why Should I Care About Developing a Brand Voice?

Perhaps you think creating a brand voice is a waste of time. You believe your brand voice will naturally develop over the course of time. Or you think the mission statement posted on your website is more than enough to communicate your brand to the world. 

We’re gonna shoot it to you straight: it’s not. A brand voice is so much more than a statement. It’s a consistent expression of your company’s personality through every channel, creating such a strong, comprehensive expression of YOU that your audience experiences an immediate, specific feeling the moment they hear your company’s name. 

Think of some companies who’ve done this well. Consider Geico. We would wager that almost any US citizen could instantly quote their tagline, visualize the Geico Gecko, and recall at least one of their hilarious commercials. We could describe their brand as: 

• Creative
• Down to earth
• Affordable

Another example of a strong brand voice? Apple. Everything from their product design to their ads is clean, trendy, and practically synonymous with “tech.”

Their brand voice could be portrayed as:

• Authoritative
• High-Quality
• Innovative

Developing a brand voice makes your business instantly recognizable and evokes a visceral feeling and response. It clearly defines how you want to be perceived by your clients and customers. It sets you apart from the competition and drastically improves your chances of being remembered. 

How Do We Discover Our Brand Voice?

1. Identify Your Target Audience.

The purpose of creating a brand voice is to “speak” to your target audience in a way that is appealing and draws them in. You want to figure out what makes you stand apart from your competition and why others should listen to your voice.

When asked to expound on how to build a brand that people actually love, one of the leading voices in business, Gary Vanerchuck, encouraged company leaders to ask themselves some questions:

Why would people be giving me attention? What’s in it for them? Brands become beloved when they try to provide value.

His point is that as a brand, it’s crucial that your focus remains on serving your audience and providing them with information, services, and products that are genuinely helpful and valuable. When you create and execute your strategy with a mind set on serving your customers, you’re on a good track to becoming the “go-to” brand in your industry.

2. Ask Questions.

When building your brand voice, it’s helpful to enter into the endeavor with an inquisitive mindset. This is a journey of discovery! So don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions of both your team and your target audience. 

Once you’ve identified your target audience, create a survey asking them questions such as:

• “If our business was a living, breathing person, who would we be? What do you imagine our personality would be?”

• “Are you happy with the tone of our company, or is there something we need to change to better engage with you?”

• “If you could describe our brand in a sentence, what would it be?”

• “What content/mode of communication do you enjoy the most from us?”

• “How can we improve the way we interact and communicate with you?” 

As the results come in, you should get a clear understanding of what really resonates with your customers, how to encourage engagement with your brand, and how you should focus your brand voice moving forward.

3. Define Your Brand Voice.

Once you’ve established your target audience and gathered data, your next task is to define your brand voice to interact and build relationship with that audience. 

This is easily accomplished by creating a brand voice chart. Create a sheet with columns such as:

• Voice Characteristics. These are the words you choose to describe your brand’s personality. 

• Description. This elaborates on the chosen word and what it represents for your brand voice.

• “Do’s” and “Don’t’s”. These columns show how each characteristic is expressed practically in business communications and interactions, as well as phrases or actions to avoid that would compromise that brand voice.

Get a big box of donuts and brainstorm together with your team. How would they describe your brand voice? Is this lining up with the data you’ve compiled from your target audience? What goals are you hoping to accomplish with these changes? How will you implement this brand voice in your company strategy moving forward? 

How WILL We Implement This Brand Voice in Our Company Strategy?

So what does it look like to practically incorporate your brand voice into your daily business strategy? 

1. OWN Your Brand Voice.

We asked Kaleena Stroud, a Copywriter and Brand Voice Specialist, if she would share her top tips for creating a strong brand voice. As an expert in the industry, she encourages companies to really own their brand voice and step wholeheartedly into using that voice to communicate clearly with their audience. 

Some of those tips from Stroud include:

• “Don’t be afraid to have a strong Tone of Voice (ToV). Every business wants to be friendly and professional. The most memorable brand voices are the ones that get specific and purposeful about their tone.“

• “Speak the way your audience speaks. Once you’ve got your main tone words, create your verbal identity based on how your audience speaks – formal, knowledgeable, beginner, etc.”

• “Consider your sentence length and grammar, as well. Some of the most beloved brand voices don’t just have great tone but unique structure as well. Think Apple with their short, choppy 3-4 sentence headlines that mirror their “make it simple” mission. Or “innocent” who doesn’t capitalize letters to make their brand seem more childlike.”

2. Review Your Previously Published Content and Current Messaging.

This might be tedious, but if you’re serious about creating a brand voice that is consistent across all channels, past and present, you have to review all your current materials and tweak them to reflect the current brand voice. Make sure you also update your SEO  for any online content to reach your target audience more effectively.  

Comb through all platforms and channels, including:

• Videos
• Website
• Social Media
• Blogs
• Marketing Ads (TV, radio, billboards, etc.)
• In-Store Advertisement

3. Ensure a Unified Team. 

From contact center reps to sales and marketing teams to your graphic designers, every member of your team has an important role to play in building and maintaining your brand voice. 

Once again our Brand Voice BFF Kaleena Stroud has some expert wisdom to help the communicators on your team.

…Create a style guide for consistency! You’ll want every writer to be on the same page so the voice is streamlined, no matter the channel or who is penning the copy.

A brand book is also helpful for the entirety of your team to have reference point for maintaining your brand voice. This could contain company colors used, fonts, breakdown of values and personality, goals, and any specific details outlining implementation on a day-to-day basis. 

How Does Squeeze Help Develop Your Brand Voice?

We combine a few of our (not so) secret company superpowers to help you achieve your goals and maintain your unique brand voice.

Number one, we fully integrate with your team so we understand your personal brand voice and how that translates into our work as your sales experience provider.

Secondly, we are expert communicators. Our contact and transfer rates are out of this world, and we have the numbers to prove that we don’t just talk a big talk. Our teams are US based, highly trained, and fully prepared to not only meet but EXCEED your expectations.

Want to experience the awesomeness for yourself? Drop us a message. We’re excited to join your team and help your company skyrocket to success!