How to Define the Brand Voice and Tone

A brand is a personality that has a voice and characteristics that differentiate it from the competition. It is made to serve specific needs.

We must do extensive research before we start designing a brand.

We must learn what kind of brand it is, its values, who its target audience is. This is the necessary information we must know, to proceed to the brand’s design.

If we want to understand the brand better, we can compare it to a person. People have names, voices, features, and statuses that give each a specific identity. Everyone is different.

But let’s talk about the voice that is one of the most important things, as it is distinctive for each of us. The same is for brands.

In order for us to find a brand’s voice, we can ask ourselves the following questions:

· If a brand was a man, what would his personality be like?

· What kind of relationship does the brand have with the target audience?

· Are there any other brands like that; which are they?

· How do you want the customers to think of the brand?

The brand voice reflects the brand’s feelings. For example, the brand may feel free; independent; premium or luxurious; local or international; cheap or expensive. This way, the brand can speak the language of those customers who identify with its feelings.

The brand voice can’t change. It must always stay the same because it reflects the brand’s personality. But, the way we address the target audience can change. And that way is the tone of voice.

The tone of voice is the emotional inflection that happens to our voices during a conversation and differentiates according to whom we speak. That adjustment brings out feelings that modify a person’s temper.

We need to know the values and the purpose of the brand and also what are the right words for it to speak, to understand what its tone of voice will be.

The tone of voice changes depending on the kind of the customer we address. Even if the target group is a group of people, each customer is a unique personality. And to that personality, we must adjust the brand’s tone of voice.

We can say that our persona defines which will be the tone of voice of our brand.

Of course, by adjustment, we don’t say that we make voice tones for each customer. We mean that we adjust the tone of voice according to the media that we use as like the radio, TV, and social media.

The tone of voice may be friendly, aggressive, jolly, encouraging, imposing, formal, and more.

Taking everything into account, the most successful brands have an established voice and tone. They manage to preserve the values and timelessness while remaining connected with people. And that means a relationship based upon trust and authenticity.