Imagine being invited to a conference to give a presentation along with other entrepreneurs in your niche. When you arrive, you see you have a place on the stage specifically for you. You are surrounded by all the other entrepreneurs in their spaces. When it’s time for the presentation to start, you all speak at once. And, you discover that you are all using basically the same script, which means you all sound the same.
This is the plight of many service business owners, coaches, and entrepreneurs as they try to attract a following in the digital marketplace: With so many others offering similar services in the same space, how do you stand out and get that all-important attention that is necessary to build a thriving business?
This is where a well-crafted brand voice comes in. I want to walk you through everything you need to know to start crafting your brand voice, and then show you how you can use it to get an edge in your marketing.
What is a brand voice and why is having a great brand voice important?
Your brand voice is basically how your brand personality sounds through your messaging. Because it reflects your uniqueness, it makes you stand out from everyone else. The stronger it is, the more it will attract your ideal clients to you, because they will not only resonate with what you say but how you say it. And because they learn to trust you over time, those ideal clients will tune in whenever you speak to them, regardless of the marketing channel you use.
Ultimately, developing a strong brand voice allows you to let your target audience get to know you (really know you, as a personality), like you, and trust you. Then, when they are ready to work with someone, you are at the top of their list.
Let’s take some time and look at what goes into your brand voice.
Developing your brand voice from your distinct personality and core values
“Know thyself”: Identify your personality
Why do people get together?
Like attracts like. People want to be around others who get them, say things of interest to them, and validate who they are.
It doesn’t matter what group you look at, there’s always a sense of commonality that binds them together. Maybe it’s a shared interest in sports. Maybe it’s an interest in politics. Maybe it’s an interest in learning how to market your business.
In other words, it’s about your personality. It’s no surprise that a growing trend in marketing right now is to display your core values on your website. These values reflect the things that you stand for in the marketplace. Your brand values reflect the heart of who you are and help define your unique brand voice.
Just think for a moment about how seeing values might impact you if you were looking for help online. Imagine going to a website and discovering that an entrepreneur you’re interested in working with upholds these values:
- honesty
- quality
- personal attention.
Immediately you get a sense of whether this is the kind of person you want to work with. It also gives you an idea of what working with this person might be like.
Two of the key effects are these: On the one hand, there is an incentive to work with this person. On the other, it helps to remove the barrier of the unknown and helps you feel safer.
Anything you can do to help your ideal client feel safe will work to your advantage. But, to do this intentionally, you need to first know who your ideal client is.
Focus on your ideal client
You shouldn’t try to target everyone in your marketing.
This is always hard for entrepreneurs to hear. We’re all afraid we’ll leave money on the table if we leave people out.
But, the opposite is true.
If you try to sell to everybody, you have to have a message that everyone can relate to, which means watering it down. The more you water down your message, the less people will be able to connect with you, which means the less likely they are to buy from you.
If you want to make sales (and I know you do), laser focus is your key to success.
Begin by creating an ideal client avatar. Your ideal client avatar is the answer to “Who would you most love to work with?”
Dig deep and get a strong idea of what motivates them. What are their hopes, dreams, and aspirations? What are their concerns, fears, and pain?
Think about demographics. How much money do they make? Where do they live?
Think about intense emotions. What keeps them up at night? What sparks joy in their hearts?
When you craft your avatar, bonus points if you give it a name. Try to make it as much like a living breathing individual as you can. Envision that person sitting right in front of you whenever you’re writing some part of your marketing message. In your mind, turn your marketing experience into an actual conversation.
In fact, that’s exactly what every piece of your marketing is: a conversation. It’s about your personality meeting their personality in a back-and-forth dynamic.
Bridge the gap through conversation
All great conversations are about listening and speaking in a way that helps people connect. Through our words, we touch one another deeply in a back-and-forth, harmonious linguistic dance.
One tells a joke. The other laughs.
One talks about their struggles. The other listens.
One talks about their fears. The other comforts them.
This is the dynamic you want in your marketing message. This dynamic is fueled in part by your core values.
As your ideal clients interact with your marketing message, they should feel as though it’s a conversation between two kindred spirits. It should feel like they are participating in a symphony where your brand voice resonates deep within their hearts.
The real magic begins when your brand story and their personal story merge into one.
Crafting your distinct brand story
Many entrepreneurs seem to think that a brand story is the same as an origin story. It isn’t. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good idea to tell your origin story, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.
Your brand story is all about your ideal client and how you help them embark upon a grand adventure that will make their dreams come true.
Take Nike, for example. What does Nike sell?
Do they sell shoes, t-shirts, and other cool apparel?
Sort of, but not really.
What Nike really sells is empowerment to people who want to break out of the norm and achieve great things in their lives. Whereas many people dream about such opportunities, Nike sells you what you need to “Just do it.”
When people are moved by Nike’s marketing, they are paying money to buy into (through their products) Nike’s brand story of achievement and transformation.
Nike is a great example of a brand story that works very well.
As you craft your brand story, think about some common elements of the hero’s journey:
- Starting point: They have a vision of where they need to go, but they don’t know how to get there. They need a guide (that’s you) to show them the path and empower them to walk it.
- Challenges to overcome along the way: These are all those nasty obstacles along the path they need to overcome to reach their destination.
- Achievement & Transformation: This is their new life once they’ve arrived.
After you have incorporated all the elements of your brand story into a coherent whole, you can break them out and use them in your marketing materials.
You might be inclined to think that the biggest reason a brand story works is because it is a narrative that speaks to the meaning-making processes of potential clients. And, yes, that is a huge part of it.
But, I believe the real power of a brand story lies in…
Authenticity.
Because you have anchored it so thoroughly into your personality and core values, it reflects accurately what your ideal client can expect and hope for from you.
Your brand story helps your ideal client see how you fit into their puzzle as they envision their ideal future.
In your brand story, your ideal client is the hero, but it’s not just about them. You are their guide, but it’s not just about you.
It’s about the two of you resonating deeply and working together to do something great.
Finding your strong brand voice
What kind of singing do you like?
Opera? Rock? Country? Barbershop quartet? Choir?
When we hear the sound of music we like, we instantly tune in. It gets our attention and keeps it as our hearts start singing along with the chorus.
You want your brand voice to work like that. When done right, it has a certain appealing quality that draws in listeners. And the next time they hear your company’s voice, they will get excited and tune back in instantly.
Let’s look at some key elements of fine-tuning your brand’s voice.
What’s your voice brand voice archetype?
Think of an archetype as a pre-built personality for your brand. They are generalizations that capture the essence of your unique voice when talking with your ideal client.
Here are just a few examples of brand voice archetypes to get you started.
The go-to expert
Got a problem and need an answer? No problem. The expert has you covered. They come across as knowledgeable, informative, and authoritative.
The witty friend
Casual, funny, and insightful. The witty friend is a light-hearted companion who slips easily into your inner circle. They’re just fun to be around. Come on, how can you not like the witty friend?
The visionary pioneer
There’s a saying in leadership circles: “You can’t take people where you’ve never been.” The visionary pioneer has gone there and lives on the bleeding edge of innovation. Talk about an out-of-the-box perspective.
The empathic guide
Need someone to walk with you on your journey? The empathic guide will be there for you. Every. Single. Step. Leaning into their wisdom offers support and empowerment to reach your journey’s destination.
Notice how each archetype is unique. Each one has a core that animates it and boundaries that keep it from spilling over into something else.
You want to find an archetype that fits your own personality so that you can attract the clients who will resonate with you best.
Tuning in your tone of voice and style
Once you have your archetypal personality, let’s start to dial in some particulars that become part of your brand’s tone. Again, since you want it to reflect your own personality, a bit of introspection would help.
When you relate to people, do you tend to…
- Be serious or lean into humor?
- Speak formally or casually?
- Drop numerical data bombs or rock metaphors and similes?
The better you nail down your own personal tone of voice and style, the easier it will be to develop your brand’s. So, take a bit of time and make sure your brand voice and tone are the way you want them.
Harmonizing your brand voice to consistent expression
Imagine what it would be like to read one blog article by someone you follow where they sound like an expert, and then the next article sounds like the witty friend who cracks jokes and dances around the topic.
Do you have any idea what you’re going to get on that third article?
Nope. It could be anything.
This is why you want to make sure that your company’s brand voice is consistent across all of your marketing materials, whether that is your blog, email, or social media posts. You want your ideal client to feel like they are talking with the same person regardless of which channel your brand communicates on.
Remember, like attracts like, and you’re trying to attract the people who are most likely to resonate with you personally. Having consistent brand messaging allows them to anticipate having yet another pleasant experience with you, which makes them more likely to listen and engage.
Using your compelling brand voice to get your brand the attention it deserves
Have you ever noticed that some people are just really good at conversations? They can say the same thing as someone else, and somehow the way they say it makes it much more captivating.
These people know how to intentionally use their voice to connect to others. Believe it or not, this is a skill you can learn. Here are some basics you can start using right now in your marketing.
Capture attention with headlines
If you cannot get your reader’s attention, it’s all over.
Headlines are a perfect tool to draw readers in and make them want more.
Too often people want headlines that are merely descriptive, overly poetic, or just downright bland.
Remember, many people are going to skim down your page and try to absorb as much information in as little amount of time as they can. Write your headlines with the intent to capture attention, tease out the following section, and play nice with Google Search.
Focus on achievement and transformation
When people encounter your marketing, what goal are they trying to achieve? What inner transformation do they hope for?
Focus your writing on the benefits of your products and services rather than their features.
Features are what your products and services specifically do. For example, the features of a laptop include such things as memory, screen size, and color.
Meanwhile, benefits are how you improve your clients’ lives. So, if you buy a laptop from me, you can take your office to the beach and enjoy going to work more than you ever have.
Focus on “you”
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who just wanted to talk about themselves? Not always the best experience. Don’t be that person in your marketing.
Remember, all of your marketing materials should revolve around your ideal client rather than yourself. Even things like an “About Me” page on a website aren’t really about you.
This is where the conversational mentality comes in.
When you write, speak with your audience as if you are including them in the conversation
- Talk to them directly with the word “you” (see the previous sentence).
- Ask them questions.
- Show them that you’re listening by bringing up their dreams and fears, hopes and struggles.
Be clear with your call-to-action
If my car is kaput and I need you to drive me to the store, I’m not going to call you up and beat around the bush. I’m not going to talk around the topic with subtle hints about what I want from you. No, I’m just going to ask, “Can I get a ride to the store?”
In the same way, be clear about your calls-to-action. If you want someone to click on a button, encourage them to very specifically click on the button.
That being said, don’t be afraid to incorporate what I’ve written in earlier sections. Make the call-to-action more interesting. Focus the call-to-action on a benefit.
Maybe, instead of, “click here to download” you might say, “download and add an average of 10 years to your life”. It’s the same free lead magnet, but I’m far more inclined to click that second link. (In fact, if you come across a freebie like that, let me know.)
Everything I just talked about can be applied regardless of your brand personality. There’s power in presenting your brand voice conversationally. In fact, learning how to use your voice in this way is often the difference between curiosity and conversion.
Create a brand voice guidelines reference to maintain a consistent brand voice
I don’t know about you, but my days tend to be busy enough with so many different things that keeping track of it all is sometimes difficult. If I don’t write things down, I will regret it later.
Take the time to create a brand voice style guide. Over time, it’s natural to shift a little and veer off course. Once you make that shift, your brand can start sounding completely different. Having a style guide to refer to will remind you of the voice your audience expects to hear.
Also, if you hire someone to write for you, they have something to help them learn what your marketing materials need to sound like. It’s great if they have plenty of samples to read and mimic. It’s even better if they have an understanding of why it was written that way in the first place.
Every once in a while, you may want to do an audit of existing materials. Do you see the consistency in your written materials that you want your ideal client to experience? Do you need to rewrite sections here and there? Consistency is important when you’re trying to earn the trust and confidence of your audience.
Incorporating feedback from your clients and audience can improve your brand voice to strengthen it. Gather feedback regarding what will resonate with your audience best. Sure, you might find some incompatible responses. That’s okay. You’re just trying to feel for the pulse of your followers so you can improve your brand experience.
When you update your brand voice style guide, I recommend you make notes for all changes that you make. That way any shifts are readily apparent along with why they were made.
Your brand voice is important. Craft it with care and use it consistently in your marketing message to maintain brand prominence in the marketplace.
Your brand voice is part of your brand identity. It’s who you are as a business. It’s your brand’s unique personality that ultimately attracts ideal clients and makes them want to work with you. So, you’ll want your brand personality to have a unique brand voice that helps you stand out, get attention, and keep it.
Above all make sure the brand voice you craft is authentic to you. Your brand voice is the personality of your business, so make sure it’s also your personal voice. Just as your personality makes you unique, being faithful to you will secure the uniqueness your business needs to enable it to stand out among all the others.
If you need help, let’s talk, because your brand voice matters
Developing a brand voice is an important part of your overall branding process. Because it is foundational to everything you do, you want to get it right. And if you want help, we’ve got you covered.
In the Automagic Business Academy, you will learn all the marketing you need to build, grow, and scale your business. It goes beyond helping you establish your brand and takes you right into the nitty-gritty of strategy, planning, and getting done what needs to get done so you can clock out at the end of the day and spend time with those you care about.
So, if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, click the link below and find your roadmap to a stronger future for your business.
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Bo is the community manager for Wise Owl Marketing. He also helps with email marketing and content creation. Outside of Wise Owl, Bo owns his own dog-training business. When it’s time to relax, he prefers to simply spend time with his two dogs, Loki and Lugh, aka the “#McBuppies.”
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