3 Steps to Creating Your Brand Voice
When it comes to defining your brand’s tone of voice, here are three steps to get you started:
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Establish Your Brand Identity
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Determine Your Target Audience
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Create a Style Guide
Step #1: Establish Your Brand Identity
The first step to creating your brand’s tone of voice is figuring out your brand identity.
Your brand’s identity is the foundation on which you’ll build upon. It’s your why and will help you shape your voice.
With that in mind, ask yourself:
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What’s your purpose?
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How would you describe your brand in one sentence?
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Reflect on your brand’s “personality.” Are you laid back, witty, professional, playful?
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Consider how you would talk about your business, products, or services to a friend or potential customer.
Once you’ve got those on lock, you’re on the road to better communicating with your community.
To help kickstart your brand identity journey, watch this video all about content pillars:
Step #2: Determine Your Target Audience
Before you start posting, you’ll want to determine your target audience (AKA the group of people who are most likely to be interested in and engage with your content).
Whether you’re selling shoes or offering financial advice, defining your target audience is essential to developing a brand voice that actually resonates with them.
To get the wheels turning, ask yourself:
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Where is my audience located?
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How old are they, on average?
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What interests or values do they have?
Once you can identify your target audience and how you can serve them, you’re on the right track to building your brand voice.
TIP: Leverage what you know about your current customers (their interests, demographics, etc.) to help define your target audience on social media.
Step #3: Create a Style Guide
A brand voice style guide is a blueprint that details the specific tone, language, and style that a brand should use across all its communications — from social media posts to customer service interactions.
It ensures that everyone on your team — from writers to social media managers to customer service reps — is speaking a similar language and presenting a cohesive image of your brand to the world.
So, what should be included in your style guide?
It varies based on the brand, audience, and type of content. However, here are some tips to get started:
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Your brand’s purpose and values
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A definition of your brand’s “personality”
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Guidelines on language, grammar, and punctuation usage
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A list of specific words or phrases to avoid or embrace
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Examples of your brand voice in action
By creating a brand voice style guide, businesses can be sure that their messaging is consistent and effective across all their social channels.
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