Finding Your Brand Voice with 12 Sequential Questions

So you’ve got an identity crisis on your hands. For a brand voice, that is. Maybe it’s a brand you started, or perhaps one you manage. You’re feeling the heat to dial in its personality, evolve it, or whip it up from scratch. With just a little bit of soul seeking and a touch of imagination, asking the right series of questions will lead you down the right avenue and knocking on this mysterious entity’s door.

But wait. What’s a brand voice anyway? Here’s how I break it all down.

A brand without a voice is like macaroni without cheese — bland, forgettable, and pointless.

So let’s take a trip to the reflection pool.

Dipping a Toe

Start with the basics to get you rolling. Before you can land on a brand voice, being able to answer these fundamental questions will put the horse before the cart. This will also allow you to get on the same page with your team, if it’s a group effort (as it probably should be).

• What does your company do, and why?
• What are your company values?
• Who are your customers and community? It’s often helpful to make archetypes of these people and imagine you’re speaking right to them.
• Which companies do you think nail their brand voice? Is there anything in particular you admire about their presence?

Diving In

If you’ve gotten a grasp on the brass tacks, move on to the questions that will require a bit more deliberation. Even better, bring it on back to grade school and make use of a whiteboard wall and bubble maps.

• Can you describe your company in 3–5 adjectives, with clarification as to what your company is not? (e.g. confident, but not cheeky; high-class, but not snooty; scholarly, but not stale)
• How do you want your customers to think about your company?
• What perspective and message do you want to add to the conversation?
• Are there any brands that have a similar personality to yours? Why are they similar?

Deeper Reflection

Time for the hard hitters. Before asking yourself these questions, you may find it beneficial to dim the lights, spark some incense, and get in touch with your warm, fuzzy core.

• How do you want people to feel when interacting with your brand?
• If your brand were a person, what kind of personality would he or she have?
• As that person, what would their relationship be to the consumer? (e.g. a coach, best friend, or guardian angel)
• If you could assign any celebrity as a spokesperson or muse for your brand, who would it be, and why?

Committing is Key

Once you’ve met your proverbial match, key to putting this personality into action is remaining authentic and keeping it consistent across channels. Sure, the tone, or how you speak in a given context, may change from medium to medium, but your audience should never feel like they’re speaking to different brands.

Below are a few super helpful, in-depth articles to further guide your exploration, and I welcome you to hit me with questions in the comments below!