What exactly is brand voice, and why does it matter?
Can you think of the last things someone said to you that really made you feel something? We all know this on an experiential level:
- A friend’s stream-of-consciousness rant lets us know they’re comfortable with us, which makes us more comfortable with them.
- A co-worker’s stark “K” in response to your detailed email makes us self-conscious and unsure where we stand with them.
- A coach’s encouragement helps us feel confident before the big race.
For better or for worse, voice matters in relationships. It helps us understand someone’s character and how we perceive ourselves in relation to them. And if voice matters in relationships, it matters for brands— at least, it should, if your brand cares about making meaningful connections with your audience.
Just like with people, brand voice is how your brand’s identity comes through in the way you communicate. It’s how you use language, tone, style, and ideas to express your brand’s unique personality and make people feel.
A consistent brand voice helps you build genuine connections with your audience.
Your brand voice is your number one tool for developing long-term customer loyalty. Here’s why it works:
- You sound like yourself.
- A distinct brand voice helps your brand embody its one-of-a-kind identity, expressing your personality and point of view with authenticity. When you lean into the specificity of your voice, you’ll naturally become recognizable in a crowded marketplace though your words alone.
- You build genuine connections.
- Consistency in both your message and delivery (aka voice) builds trust with your audience. When a brand maintains a consistent voice and message across all touchpoints like website, social media, newsletters, and more, you establish familiarity and reliability. Like talking with a friend— or mentor, or idol— customers know what to expect, and this familiarity builds feelings of security which leads to affinity and belonging.
- You create something worth belonging to.
- Brands with consistent and compelling brand identities can make customers feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. A cohesive brand voice offers consumers the insider language to join a community that shares their values and helps them feel the ways they want to feel.
- You nurture a community.
- When a brand develops a distinct voice that resonates deeply with its audience, customers become advocates, spreading the word and inviting others to enjoy not only the incredible products or services you offer, but the experiences you create for them when they engage with your brand.
- You grow and evolve with integrity.
- At its best, a brand voice is timeless because it’s based on who you already are, not passing trends. It evolves with the brand, ensuring that the connection with customers remains intact even as the world changes around you. When you lean on the qualities that make you you rather than what you think people want to hear, your voice can endure for decades.
So, how do you develop a brand voice?
To understand your own voice, you have to get clear on a few things:
- Who are you talking to? What do they want? What do they need?
- How do you help these people achieve what they want and need?
- How do you want to make these people feel?
- And lastly, how do the answers above align with who your brand is already?
While it’s important to understand what brand voice is and why it matters, it begs the question: how does brand voice actually work? Developing a distinctive brand voice is simpler than you think. Want to learn more about what goes into creating a compelling, consistent, and repeatable brand voice? Check out this article, where we examine the three building blocks of voice.
