When you lend your unique brand voice to your communications, encapsulating your tone and style, it can make your brand more expressive and memorable. In this guide, we explore how to define your brand voice through journaling prompts and practical tasks.
What is brand voice?
Carving out a distinct brand identity is about more than style. It’s about story. Your brand voice is your unique tone and style, a cocktail of language and personality that sets you apart. It’s not just what you say but how you say it—how you express your story, connect with your audience, and present yourself to the world. A well-crafted brand voice weaves these elements together seamlessly.
Find your tone and style
Understanding your brand voice begins with self-reflection. Here are three journaling prompts that can guide you in identifying the tone and style that resonate most with your audience.
- What style of language resonates with your audience?Is it casual, formal, or heartfelt? Knowing this is the first step to crafting messages that feel more like you. While it may be tempting to emulate someone else’s style or hop on the latest trend, authenticity tends to engage people more effectively.Quick tip: Read your sentences aloud. You’ll be surprised how much it can impact your editing and improve your flow!
- Review your existing contentWhat do your best-performing blogs, social media posts, and newsletters have in common? Delve into analytics and feedback to find out. This will give you a clearer picture of what genuinely engages your readers.Quick question: Do you find it easier to write high-performing content? Many people find that content comes together more naturally when they’re not forcing it, making it more engaging to the audience.
- What messages do you want to convey?After understanding your tone and style, the next step is clarifying the key messages you want to share. What are your core values? What do you want your audience to know? How should these messages be received?Quick tip: Be careful not to sound too robotic or repetitive. Keep your content diverse by tailoring your messaging to different mediums and contexts.
Your brand voice is an amalgamation of many things, including your core values and the tone and style in which you deliver your messages.
Practical tasks to hone your brand voice
Now that you’ve spent time reflecting, it’s time to put that knowledge to work. Here are three tasks to help you craft a cohesive brand voice.
- Task 1: Edit existing content
Go through your existing content and tweak it to align more closely with the brand voice you’ve identified. - Task 2: Write a blog post
Draft a blog post incorporating your brand’s tone and style. Use the key messages you’ve identified and measure its performance. - Task 3: Review social media
Review and revise upcoming social media posts to reflect your brand voice. Make it a regular habit to ensure consistency across all channels.
Your brand voice is an amalgamation of many things, including your core values and the tone and style in which you deliver your messages. But remember, crafting this voice is not an overnight task, but an ongoing process. With reflection and practice, it will become one of your most valuable assets.
So, what are you waiting for? Pick up that pen and paper, or open up that laptop, and start crafting a brand voice that truly “speaks” to your audience.
