Brand voice is an essential part of any identity. But how do you develop one? Senior Writer Dan Steiner breaks it down.
Just like people, organisations have a unique way of expressing themselves.
The way your brand writes and speaks is called Brand Voice.
Take a moment. How many brands with a recognisable and memorable voice come to mind?
If you’d like to someday join that list, here are three things to consider before, during, and after the process of creating a brand voice.
BEFORE: Say it with strategy
B2C.
B2B.
Ultimately, we’re always speaking to and with people.
There’s a superficial approach to voice, where introducing “hi” and contractions and slang and other human-speak into comms is viewed as the solution. These may be part of the solution, but voice applies to all the things your brand says.
To achieve that level of depth and detail, we need to clearly understand the brand strategy. First, we internalise it, then we verbalise it.
“First we internalise the brand strategy, then we verbalise it.”
At a basic level, your voice is how you express your brand personality through comms. From there, it’s about conveying your key messages in a way that’s true to the personality.
It’s not so much about being human, but rather translating the brand strategy into language that connects with your audiences.
DURING: Use your words
Now it’s time to leverage your love of words and get creative!
There might only be 26 letters to play with, but a sound strategic base, a knowledge of competitors’ voices (audits can be tough, but they’re important!), and an obsessiveness about language will set you up for verbal success.
“Strategy plus creativity equals a voice that’s ownable and which creates an emotional connection with audiences.”
It doesn’t matter what category you’re in, either. Strategy plus creativity equals a voice that’s ownable and emotive.
If you’re Fed Square, that might mean a voice that’s inviting and intriguing, so it can engage and excite a variety of visitors.
If you’re NextSense, that might mean a voice that’s warm and passionate about what’s possible, so it can support and empower the people using its services.
If you’re Westpac, that might mean a voice with the stretch to show how a bank can help people in life’s everyday moments and during major, life-changing events.
In all of the above examples, voice principles provided structure and guidance. While theory helps people understand where the voice comes from and how to use it, a range of examples that show it in action is essential reading for all stakeholders. Ideally, these examples should be extensive: spanning across touchpoints, varying between short and long copy, and showing how they can work in B2B or B2C comms. Once people see how a voice can flex, depending on the message or audience or channel, that’s when they really get it.
AFTER: Many people, one brand voice
We’ve brought a brand voice to life!
Just listen.
Isn’t it lovely?
Now, a brand may have a single voice, but there are usually multiple people expressing it. They may not all be experienced writers. They may all be speaking to different audiences. They may not be in any way familiar with the brand strategy.
For different people to be able to speak as one brand, training and governance are key. This might include writing workshops, FAQ sessions, even a brand voice help desk. The ROI on these activities is consistency — no matter who the author is.
“For different people to be able to speak as one brand, training and governance are key.”
Skip this third step and you risk ending up with a fragmented, confused voice.
It’s common for people to equate a brand’s identity with its logo.
When the visual and verbal work together, though, that’s when an identity becomes truly ownable and differentiated. And it stands to reason they’d operate in tandem: If you’re going to evolve your look, why leave your voice behind (and vice versa)?
A final thing to remember is that brand voice is about more than just language. The way we speak is deeply connected to how we act. Because your brand voice is expressed through communications, behaviours, and interactions, it shapes audiences’ expectations of their relationship with your brand.
In 2021, those expectations are higher than ever before, brands are in more places than ever before, and the world’s a noisier place than ever before.
That means a distinctive voice is more important than ever before.
