Questions to Ask When Determining Your Brand's Voice
Spin Creative • April 25, 2020
Few things communicate your brand’s story to audiences like your brand voice. Through this voice, you’ll tell customers who you are, what you stand for and who you’re trying to reach. But first, you need to identify and solidify what that voice actually is.
A brand voice goes beyond what you say to your audience and determines how you say it. It encompasses the unified personality, emotions and values of your brand and is unchanging. You’ll use this voice in any customer communications, from social posts to videos. Creating your voice is a crucial part of building your brand strategy.
One of the most important things to remember when creating your brand’s voice is that it needs to be authentic and reflect the actual values of your business. Customers notice when a brand is putting on an act, so put in the time and effort to perfect a voice that builds trust.
To start creating your voice, it helps to answer a series of questions about your brand. Try some of these.
Who are you targeting?
First and foremost, your brand voice must appeal to and resonate with the audience you’re trying to reach. Thus, you need to understand your audience in order to create a voice they can relate to. If you’re trying to reach a young audience, you might rely on humor and a casual voice more than you would with an older audience, who might appreciate a more austere or professional tone.
If you have brand personas, these can be a great tool for humanizing your audience and finding ways to tap into their emotional responses. How would you speak to them?
What is your brand trying to achieve?
Define your brand’s purpose. Why does your brand exist, and what does it aim to deliver to customers? Do you want to entertain, to inform, to teach? This purpose can go a long way in shaping your voice because the way you deliver information must help you achieve your purpose.
What adjectives describe your brand? What adjectives don’t?
Identify three to five adjectives that truly describe your brand. Are you witty, silly, scholarly, or luxurious? How about classic, dynamic, mature or wise?
To further develop your brand identity, contrast those with adjectives you are not. You might be high-class but not exclusive. Funny, but not snarky. Each of these sets of adjectives brings you closer to a specific and authentic voice.
How do you want customers to feel about your brand?
What kind of attitude or emotion should your customers have after interacting with your brand? Do you want them to feel happy? Should they be inspired? Confident? The emotions you want to achieve should drive the words you choose and the way you use them.
If your brand was a person, what relationship would they have with customers?
Visualize your brand as a living, breathing human. If they were to interact with your customers, what kind of relationship would they have with them?
Would they be your customers’ friend? If so, an approachable, casual voice is necessary. Would they be an educator or an expert they look up to? This might require a voice that’s more serious and factual.
Creating a consistent and memorable brand voice helps build trust with your customers and boosts brand recognition. At Spin Creative, we’re experts at developing brand identity and infusing it into your marketing efforts. Say hello
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About Us
Spin Creative is a video production company and creative agency helping marketers create winning video and creative strategies that engage, inspire and activate targeted audiences. Spin is headquartered in Seattle with offices in San Francisco and London, serving brands around the globe.
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