Could someone recognize your brand by language alone?
I got a new phone and lost all my contacts. A text came through, and even if I hadn’t had the number memorized, I’d know that voice anywhere:
“Oh my word! Soooo nicely done, buttercup . . . what a dress!”
Mom, of course.
But how do I know?
- Mom loves exclamation points, but unlike me, she always uses one at a time, not two. Ellipses are another favorite.
- Mom is maybe the only person I know to use the phrase “Oh my word,” and use it often.
- Mom is enthusiastic and encouraging. Even when we’re discussing the mundane— lunch plans, package tracking, pet pictures— there’s an effervescence and positivity to her message.
- Most telling of all, “Buttercup,” “Emzy,” “Princess Cards,” and “Sugarplop,” (yes, “Sugarplop”) are nicknames that only come from her.
Punctuation patterns, favorite phrases, syntax and word choice, the particular energy of a message— these are some of the elements that make my mom’s voice, my mom’s voice. Not only is it authentic to her personality, it’s instantly recognizable and lovable, even without other contextual information like her contact name.
Your brand voice can be a part of your identity that is strong enough to stand on its own, that your audience will recognize even when other brand assets— logo, color palette, type, photography — aren’t present to add context.
In fact, a strong brand voice is more than just a nice-to-have. While verbal identity can feel like an afterthought to visual identity, what you say and how you say it is your number one tool for connecting with your audience and converting them from lurkers into buyers, and then, best yet, fans that come back again and again.
Three ingredients for a repeatable brand voice.
Brand voice can seem more ambiguous than visuals, but just like patterns we see in your visual identity, brand voice is measurable and is made up of patterns that you can stick to to create a way of writing that’s uniquely yours and consistent across all channels.
To measure and refine your brand voice, focus on how your language, rhythm, and attitude come together to express your brand’s personality. How these three components come together is one way of understanding how your voice actually works:
- Language - This is your vocabulary. Which words and phrases do you use? What words do you not use?
- Rhythm - This is your specific use of syntax, or sentence length and style. Is your cadence short and choppy, winding and wordy?
- Attitude - This is where your point of view comes through in your language. What tone do you take? How do you convey emotion?
Just like my mom’s voice is instantly recognizable, lovable, and true to her, your brand voice is one of your best tools for expressing your identity, distinguishing yourself from the competition, and establishing enduring affinity and trust with your audience.
With precision, you can use language, rhythm, and attitude like chemicals in a lab or levers in a machine, to evoke different meanings, images, and reactions in your readers— and, most importantly, show up as yourself time and time again.
With a measurable brand voice, you can:
- Repeat Yourself - When you have set guidelines for how to write and speak, you can easily replicate your brand voice across every written touchpoint and teach anybody on your team to use your voice successfully.
- Distinguish Yourself - When you apply the same voice rules consistently over time, you grow into a brand voice that readers recognize as belonging to you and you alone— leading to familiarity, affinity, and brand loyalty.
- Express Yourself - When you have a firm grasp on how you speak and are equipped with the rules to make it happen— you can show up to every brand interaction with confidence, clarity, and authenticity.
Ready to discern how you can use language, rhythm, and attitude to bring your unique brand voice to life?
