If you are a small business owner, you know firsthand that there are a lot of checkboxes to complete when building your brand. While some of these tasks are simpler than others, building your brand’s voice can be tricky. Sure, you may know your business like the back of your hand but defining your brand with a voice is tough. Heck, even the best content marketers can’t say they’ve perfected the timely, qualitative process.
That being said, there are still some useful exercises you can work through to perfect your company’s brand voice. Check them out and start letting your brand be heard!
Start by Creating a Character
This exercise should take you back to your grade school days in English class. Try creating a fictional character who exemplifies your brand’s qualities. This is a great first step because as humans, we naturally identify characteristics with tangible things like people but not with intangible things like brands. If you can successfully transform your brand into a character, it will be easier to build its brand voice.
To do this, start off by defining the basics. Ask yourself:
- How old is my brand?
- What’s my brand’s gender?
- Is my brand tall or short?
- What type of body does this person have? Are they fat, skinny or athletic?
- What kind of clothes do my brand wear?
Next, give your brand some personality traits. Some questions to ask would be:
- Is my brand serious or does it have a sense of humor?
- Is this person brand soft spoken or more lively?
- Is my brand stubborn or laid back?
Finally, think about your brand abstractly and what they do in their daily lives. For instance:
- Where does my brand go on a Saturday night?
- Is my brand passionate about animals?
- Does my brand participate in the community?
- What would my brand do if it won a million dollars?
The goal of this exercise is to thoroughly “get to know” your brand as a human so you can understand the way it interacts. By doing this, you should be able to better communicate in your brand’s voice and tone.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Now that you have a brand character developed, you need to “embody” this character and let their voice be heard. The key to perfecting your brand voice is to practice as much as you can by tailoring everything from your website to your voicemail with your defined voice. While implementing this voice, keep the following in mind:
- Your voice is always important when it comes to branding.
- To do this right, you must know your target audience. Do a little research and understand the “collective” brand tone of your market. How do they communicate? What kinds of style do they respond to? How do they perceive themselves? Knowing your audience will help share your own voice and show you how to best interact with them in relevant ways.
- Capture attention. Your brand’s voice should capture your audience’s attention and evoke emotions. Remember, your brand’s voice is articulated through the when, how and with what you communicate.
Coach Your Team on the Brand Voice
You now have your voice down, so it’s time for your team to not only know it, but understand how to properly integrate it into their role with your company. Your employees should replicate your brand’s tone when interacting with both clients and partners. It’s a fact that your team of employees are one of the most influential factors in creating consistency in your brand voice; make sure you give them the best tools to make it happen.
Building a brand voice will take time and effort, but it will pay off in the long run! To learn more about perfecting your brand’s voice, contact us today!
