1. Show your personality

By defining brand voice principles, you can better communicate who you are and what sets your company apart from your competitors. Take Nike, for example. Without even looking at their website, or any collateral for that matter, you already have an idea of how it will sound and the type of language it will use. Nike is positive, friendly, motivational—like a coach or trainer. They leave you feeling inspired, pumped up, and capable.

Now, you’re not Nike. You have your own defining characteristics, unique personality, and target audience. The way you speak should be tailored to who you are as a brand—whether you’re writing an article, script, web page, ad, or brochure.

2. Resonate with your audience

People desire connection. It’s a basic human need that doesn’t only apply to our personal relationships—it applies to the brands we choose too. Think about where you shop or the celebrities you follow. Why do you choose them? Chances are it’s because they speak to you in some way that just clicks. That feeling of connection is not only about what is being said, it’s how it’s being said. It’s the attitude that’s coming across and, when it comes down to it, their personality.

By carefully and strategically defining your brand voice, you’ve got a far better chance of resonating with your audience and building meaningful connections. You might even be surprised to find that certain language you were using alienates the people you’re trying to attract—you just didn’t realise it. We’ve seen this time and time again. That’s why customer research goes a long way when you’re defining your brand voice.

3. Speak consistently

Think of your favourite brands. You already know what to expect no matter what platform they’re speaking on or what format they’re using—and this consistency builds trust. By defining a brand voice, you make sure that no matter who is speaking and on what channel, you sound like the same company. While you may adjust the tone depending on the message you’re communicating or the situation, you always speak from one place. In other words, you always sound like you.

To demonstrate the difference between voice principles and tone, let’s take Shopify as an example. Shopify’s Voice Guidelines are:

• Be real, but not too tough or overly familiar
• Be proactive, but not needy or pushy
• Be dynamic, but not scattered or impulsive
• Guide, but don’t handhold or prescribe

While these remain their voice guidelines across all communications, they adapt tone to context. That means, they’ll use certain voice attributes more, or less, based on the situation. This applies to everything from their social media accounts to ads right through to their UX (user experience) copywriting.

4. Be thoughtful about how you’re communicating

While this is something you can apply without a brand voice, it’s a natural outcome of defining one. By thinking about what you’re saying and how you’re saying it more carefully, you’re more likely to tap into the emotions that you want your audience to feel when interacting with you.

Going back to the Shopify example, they use their voice guidelines with an understanding of their audience experience and emotions to make their interactions better. For example, when they’re announcing new features or updates, they understand that while it’s exciting, change can be intimidating or annoying for users. In line with their voice guidelines mentioned above, they clearly pitch any updates and explain the specific benefits without using overly promotional language. Below is an example from their voice guidelines.

This:

Introducing the new Buy Button 

Make it your own with custom fonts, colors, and styles. It also loads 50% faster so your visitors won’t miss it.

Not this:

Get Shopify’s new Buy Button 

It’s never been easier to customize the fonts, colors, and styles of Buy Buttons. It’s also twice as fast.

5. Be recognisable and memorable

You’re operating in a crowded landscape where businesses are competing for the same eyes. A strong and consistent brand identity helps you stand out and, you guessed it, your brand voice plays a key role in this. By combining a defined visual identity and voice, you make sure your audience knows who you are. An ad pops up, a social post goes out or a newsletter hits their inbox—your target audience will start to recognise your brand if you stick to your principles.

So, if you’re wondering whether developing a brand voice is worth it—the answer is yes. And once you have your voice guidelines polished up, remember to use them. Make sure anyone writing content for your brand knows where to find the guidelines and how to use them. We look forward to seeing your brand around—and most importantly, remembering it.

If you need help developing your brand voice, get in touch with our team on 1300 867 678 or hello@ravel.com.au.