Has your business established a clear brand voice?
While it’s easy to overlook, this aspect forms a critical part of your marketing campaigns and brand awareness. The value of this tool is even higher now that most advertising takes place online.
The concept isn’t new. It dates back several decades. Many years ago, firms used radio jingles to get their audience’s attention. It helps establish the voice and tone of their business. Presently, video content and online blogs dominate the crowded marketing space, and it’s essential to make your brand stand out.
Are you ready to discover more?
Let’s dive right in by defining this concept.
Key Takeaways
-
A brand voice is a style and tone used by a business in its marketing campaigns and communications.
-
Having a distinct brand voice helps a business stand out from competitors and increases brand recognition and trust.
-
Developing a brand voice should be based on the company’s mission statement and target audience.
-
Using storytelling, humor, and a bold or sincere approach can make a brand voice more memorable.
-
Creating a “do’s and don’ts” chart can help refine a brand voice and ensure consistency across all marketing efforts.
What is a Brand Voice?
When you think of a specific business and how it portrays its message, the way they do this is its brand voice. Some companies have a playful one that uses puns or makes controversial jokes, and others have a more sincere approach.
A company’s style helps you identify its content even when a logo isn’t present. It’s almost like a business personality that audiences can detect in all communication. When your organization has an excellent voice, it stands out from the rest. When someone encounters one of your advertisements, they instantly know which brand it refers to.
Why does a brand voice matter?
When your target audience can recognize your campaigns just from the content, you know your marketing is working. Regardless of your niche, you need to stay a step ahead of competitors. Having a brand voice helps your audience resonate with your business. A catchy, bold, or funny statement might intrigue new leads who want to learn more about your company. As a result, your customer base may expand.
It allows you to portray who you are consistently across various platforms and encourages your audience to connect with you.
After being exposed to your marketing strategies over time, your brand will seem like an old friend rather than just another business selling something. This feeling strengthens your appeal and builds consumer trust and loyalty.
How To
How to use a brand voice properly
When creating an online campaign, use all the tools at your disposal. Be clear about your business’s voice vs tone and create content that aligns with both. There are three different ways to make your voice memorable:
-
Tell compelling stories
-
Be quirky, witty and use humor
-
Have a bold, sincere approach
But, how do you develop a brand voice?
Several aspects come into play.
Mission Statement
If creating a company persona is new to you, it may seem a bit overwhelming at first. A great starting point is the business mission statement.
Consider the values and objectives of the brand, and figure out a voice that embodies these. Your company’s attitude and stance should align with the product and company ethos.
Find two or three core values and use that as the foundation for discovering your brand voice.
If your mission statement is about being eco-friendly, echo that message in your tone, content, and attitude. On the other hand, if the company’s aim is fun and entertainment, keep your style lighthearted and funny.
Buyer persona
Some businesses try to match the voice of their audience, but this technique is niche specific. Using jargon and slang isn’t appropriate for all industries. Identify your target audience and keep the buyer persona in mind. The goal is to expand this group and retain the existing members. Your brand voice needs to be relatable and invoke a positive reaction from the viewer.
Taking an emotional approach to campaigns typically yields connective results, especially if the storyline is compelling.
Do's and Dont's
Once you have a basic idea of what your company persona looks like, refine it. Create a do’s and don’ts chart to brainstorm the details and then document why those strategies are best.
There are various ready-made templates available online, but it’s straightforward to create your own.
Decide on how formal you need to sound or how playful you’d like to be. Think about the feelings you’re trying to cultivate in your reader and what personality you want your brand to display.
Decide on three characteristics that you want your audience to notice, and develop those accordingly.
Consistency is key
This step may seem simple, but the details make the difference. Document the brand voice you’ve selected, and ensure that all staff and content producers understand it.
Ensure that all interactions with customers, advertising, and other campaigns have a consistent voice. The uniform approach comes across as professional, and customers are more likely to trust your business. As a ripple effect, your brand benefits from a higher authority within the niche and word-of-mouth marketing.
Check your tone
In marketing, there’s often some confusion about voice vs tone. Although they go hand in hand, they’re not interchangeable. While the voice is your business persona, attitude, and stance, the tone refers to how you bring this across.
Is your tone professional and sincere, or casual and friendly?
There are various options to choose from, but ensure that your tone and voice blend well. The former doesn’t follow the same consistency rules, though.
The tone you take when launching a new campaign may differ compared to dealing with cancellations
Revise and refine
As your business grows, changes may occur. Be sure to revisit your do’s and don’ts chart regularly and amend it to align with the company’s development.
Minor tweaks and refining details make a big difference in the greater scheme of marketing.
New developments in your branded online content can also intrigue and attract customers, but remember to limit your adjustments. A drastic change may have a negative impact.
Boost your brand voice
A brand voice is more than a helpful marketing tool; it’s a representation of what your company is all about. Combined with an appropriate tone, you can use it to gain credibility and generate leads.
Finding your company’s voice isn’t a quick endeavor. It takes time to evaluate the mission of your brand. Fortunately, there are tools to assist you in finding the ideal persona for your brand.
Once you’ve established your brand voice, start using it to spread the word about your business. One way of doing this is by hiring experts to get your message out there. Contact Hippo Thinks for premium content.
Related
Is AI the Future for Content Marketing?
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Artificial intelligence is creeping into the world of technology more and more. When it comes to marketing, many businesses are opting to
9 YouTube Myths and Legends Debunked
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Undoubtedly, YouTube is one of the most attractive platforms for content creators. What common YouTube myths and legends are out there that
Understanding Your Digital Maturity Model: A Complete Guide
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn How established is your company’s online presence and is it easily adaptable to the ever-evolving digital landscape? If your answer to these