How to Fine Tune Your Brand Voice

One key element to establishing brand recognition is to create and abide by the guidelines of your brand voice. For example, is your brand serious like Rolex or goofy like Jack-in-the-Box? Brand voice establishes a personality that should drive all communications strategies. 

Start with your adjectives

To determine your brand voice, begin by drafting a list of adjectives that come to mind when describing your brand. From there, narrow it down to three to five key descriptors that you think best encapsulate your brand personality. Once you decide your main adjectives, you should write definitions for each and tie it back to why you think it fits your brand to ensure it is a match.  

The sparkling water company LaCroix has created a voice that, like their product, can be described as bubbly. The fun, light-hearted content the company produces coupled with bright images embody the “bubbly” personality and captivate social audiences. While there are only so many ways to consume the carbonated drink on its own, LaCroix does a great job of using its brand voice to share interesting content such as cocktail recipes that can be made using the product. It’s all parties and fun with LaCroix. 

Be authentic, yet consistent

If your brand’s voice feels awkward and forced, it isn’t your voice. A good tip to determine if you really are who you think you are is to dream up who your brand would be if it was a person. Your mom and Rihanna are two very different people who likely share different interests and would not communicate in the same way. Create verbiage that sounds like your ideal spokesperson and stay consistent across every medium. 

One of the most recognizable brand personalities is the men’s hygiene company Old Spice, whose brand voice is irreverent, bold and comical. Whether it be their entertaining video content, brand partnerships or simply a tweet that reads, “Beards are just face trousers,” Old Spice stays true to itself across the board.

Don’t use clickbait

The internet has been overtaken by sensationalized words like ‘top,’ ‘best,’ ‘worst,’ ‘need’ and ‘only.’ While this might work short term for traffic purposes, it doesn’t do anything to establish a connection with your customer or viewer. Rather than focusing on pushing your product or service, focus on the story or message you want to tell through your brand as audiences are more attracted to things that reflect their lifestyle, mood and emotions. 

Instead of posting about having the “best product on the market,” portray the ‘why’ behind what you’re selling and how it will enhance the lives of your customers. This method of storytelling will attract and retain customers. 

Your brand’s core personality and spirit shape its voice, driving how you communicate in all your brand’s actions and interactions. Fostering a clear brand voice builds connections and trust amongst your audience and creates a memorable image of your brand.