How to Develop a Natural Brand Voice Fast
A brand voice is the consistent personality behind a business. To develop a brand voice, identify how you naturally speak, define your core values, and create simple guidelines that keep your messaging and identity consistent across everything.
In this article, we'll cover what a brand voice is, why it matters, and how to develop one.
Summary:
How to Develop a Natural Brand Voice Fast:
Listen to how you speak naturally
Define your core values
Create a simple guideline
Do a quick exercise
What Is a Brand Voice?
A brand voice is how you sound when talking to someone, or when someone is reading your writing. It’s the underlying personality your words always carry and your unique identifier.
An outgoing person with high energy might be punchy and to the point. While an organized, introspective person might take their time, use bigger words, and explain things in greater depth.
Your voice never changes, because it’s a part of you and who you are–and the same goes for a brand.
Why Is a Brand Voice Important?
Well, just like how talking to someone who is monotone and uninterested in real life can be boring and off-putting, so can reading it from a business. People support people, not businesses. That’s why it’s important to position yourself (a brand) as a real person behind said brand. It allows you to leave an impression and establish a real connection with your audience. It’s easy to overlook monotone and uninterested; it’s hard to forget characteristic and personable.
A recognizable voice can help:
Build trust with customers
Define your core values
Differentiate your business from competitors
Strengthen relationships
Improve engagement and performance
3 Steps to Develop a Brand Voice
1. Listen to How You Already Speak
Most people think their brand needs to be some separate entity from themselves. Except what they don’t realize, is that if they thought of and created this brand, then it already resembles something about them personally.
Take a moment to observe yourself.
How do you speak with others?
Are you softspoken, assertive, or somewhere in between?
How do you prefer to be spoken to?
How do you sound when you text? (hint: ask your friends and family!)
What kind of words do you use?
2. Define Your Core Values
Your values are the foundation of you and your business. It’s what a brand stands for, operates for, and exists for. Make sure yours are clear–but don’t worry. If you’re already passionate about your brand, it’s more than likely you have solid values that just need to be precisely identified.
Ask yourself the questions below.
What do you refuse to do as a brand?
What’s something in the industry you wish was different?
Why did you start?
How does it impact people?
3. Create a Simple Brand Voice Guideline
Instead of making a big, long thing about what you should and shouldn’t say, just write down a few traits that describe your business at its core.
For example:
Wilde Marketing Is:
Helpful
Honest
Naturally conversational
With just those words, I know 90% of who and what my brand is.
Use This Simple Exercise to Find Your Brand Voice
Open your phone and record yourself naturally answering these questions:
Why did you start your business?
What do you love about what you do?
What would the perfect customer experience look like?
When you’re done, listen back. (Without being self-critical!)
Pay attention to how you talk, the energy you give off, the words you use, the stories you include, how long you talk, whether you stay on the same topic, and anything else you notice.
That's your voice.
If you need further help, sometimes asking family and friends is a great way to get honest feedback on how it is to communicate with you and what kind of unique style you have.
The way you communicate, the values you hold, the stories you tell, and the experience you create for others all contribute to your voice. The goal isn't to sound perfect. The goal is to sound like you.
