Brand Voice

As we continue on this brand strategy series, our next topic is brand voice. All brands have a voice… even if you may not be aware of it. No, it doesn’t mean a sound effect, a song, or anything that necessarily has to do with audio. It’s all about the tone of your brand communications which is found in the messaging (copy, audio, or video) you produce to engage with your customers.

Like all other aspects of a company’s brand strategy, the voice also has to be cohesive, authentic and purposeful – this helps determine the personality of the brand that the customers create in their head.

These days, social media can be another way to muddle the voice of a brand. You want it to reflect the identity of the brand but the accessibility and ease of use of social media makes It just as easy to create inconsistencies that could impair the tone you previously created.

Did I do enough to convince you this is an important aspect of a marketing and branding strategy yet? Well, much like most of the concepts in the brand strategy series the voice trickles down and is embodied by everyone that has an affiliation with the company and communicates with the customers.

Okay okay! Now let’s get down to the real questions: How do I ensure my brand has the right voice? And how do I know it is consistent!? Well, like anything related to a field of study, I’d recommend consulting with an ad agency near you or even talking to marketers within your company. But, the fundamental strategy isn’t far off from others we have talked about.

• Know your audience.

When you’re going through brand strategy you already have defined your ideal audience and have a great idea of why they engage with your brand. Use this to your advantage to ensure that your voice “speaks” to them and is easily identifiable.

• Know your vision/mission/values

To create cohesion among your communications it is paramount that you have already defined your company’s values/mission/and vision. The understanding of these components of belief among employees and anyone who communicates about your brand safeguards any miscommunication or inconsistencies.

• Monitor engagement

To determine if any aspect of your marketing strategy is going well it is important to monitor and analyze what works and what does not. Maybe you’re unsure about a recent post on Facebook or an email campaign you created… by monitoring engagement you can determine how effective each communication is. Then you can determine which interactions received the most highlights – replies, comments, direct messages, emails, etc.

Simple steps can go a long way in intentionally engaging with your audience. But know that there is always a marketing guru around the corner to help if you get hung up. It may seem tedious but it is a fundamental part of any brand strategy, finding a voice.