A brand voice guideline is a document that outlines the characteristics of a brand’s voice and style. It is designed to ensure consistency across all communications, whether verbal, written, or visual. A guideline typically includes descriptions of the brand’s personality, including its tone of voice, language, and keywords. It may also include suggestions for how to create engaging content and advice on how to remain consistent with the brand’s message.
88% of customers say authenticity is important for the brand they follow or buy from. That is why it is important that the personality and character of a brand as expressed through its written copy, spoken word, and other communications are genuine and authentic. It is the unique way a brand speaks and communicates with its audience. It is the combination of words, phrases, and tonality that make up a brand’s verbal identity and differentiate it from its competitors.
Audit your existing brand
Auditing your existing brand can help you identify areas of strength and areas of improvement. An audit will look at your logo, brand identity, messaging, positioning, customer experience, and more. It can help you understand how you are currently perceived and build a plan to improve your brand image. Here are some steps to guide you through the process:
- Analyze Your Brand Position: Take a look at your current brand positioning and how it is resonating with your target audience. Identify how your positioning has changed over time and how it can be improved.
- Evaluate Your Brand Messaging: Review your existing messaging and see how it aligns with your brand identity and positioning. Determine whether it is effective and if it needs to be updated.
- Review Your Brand Identity: Assess your logo, visual identity, and other design elements. Determine if there are any inconsistencies or opportunities to improve the overall look and feel of your brand.
- Analyze Your Digital Presence: Take a look at your website, social media accounts, and other online channels. Evaluate how they are performing and how they could be improved.
- Assess Your Customer Experience: Consider how customers interact with your brand through your social media platforms, email, and customer support.
Define your brand personality.
The first step in defining your brand’s voice is to determine the characteristics that make up your brand’s personality. This includes considering the values that your brand stands for, the types of people you want to attract, and the overall tone of your messaging.
Next, you will need to decide how your brand should be communicated. Consider the language you use, the tone of voice, and the types of stories you tell. All of these elements will help to create a consistent and recognizable voice for your brand.
Finally, you need to ensure that your brand voice is consistent across all platforms. This means you should use the same language and tone of voice in ads, social media, website copy, and any other marketing materials you create. A consistent brand voice will help create a strong and recognizable identity for your brand.
Research your audience
To create a successful brand voice, it is important to understand the audience you are targeting. By studying your audience, you’ll be able to understand their needs, motivations, and preferences.
Knowing your audience will allow you to create a brand voice that resonates with them and speaks to their interests. Researching customer behavior, demographics, and trends can help you craft a brand voice that reflects the values and interests of your target audience.
Brainstorm keywords
Think about the words and phrases that best describe your brand and capture its personality. These could be words like “energetic,” “innovative,” or “playful.”
Create a style guide
Once you’ve identified the words and phrases that best embody your brand voice, create a style guide that includes them. This will help ensure that everyone who works on your company’s content is using the same language and tone.
A style guide should document the brand’s core values, mission statement, and objectives, and then provide guidance on how to portray the brand in a consistent way across all media and channels. It should outline the company’s preferred writing style and tone, and describe any specific language that should be used to represent the brand.
It should also provide guidance on the use of visuals such as logos, photographs, illustrations, and videos. Additionally, it should provide guidance on the overall messaging strategy, including how to engage customers, how to respond to customer feedback and inquiries, and how to handle customer service interactions.
Be Consistent
Consistency in brand voice is essential to a successful marketing campaign. It is important to stay true to the brand’s voice and messaging in order to create a unified and recognizable message that resonates with the target audience. Establishing a consistent brand voice will help to differentiate the company from its competitors, create trust with customers, and ensure that all communications are consistent across all channels. This could include everything from the language used in marketing materials, to the tone of voice used in customer service interactions, to the overall personality of the brand. Taking the time to develop a clear and distinct brand voice will help to ensure that all communications from the brand are recognizable and consistent.
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