Brand Voice? What the heck is that you might be asking. Why does my brand need a voice? Isn’t my voice the same as my brand voice? If I need to find it, does it mean my brand voice is lost?!? Ok, you got me on that one. Your brand voice isn’t lost silly.

WHAT IS A BRAND VOICE AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

Another way to put it would be refining your brand personality. Sure if your brand is a personal brand, this is going to be very similar to your own personality, but it’s also a blend of who you’re trying to attract… those dream customers.

If you remember back from the Brand vs Logo post your brand is a unique blend of who you are, what your business is all about, and your dream customers. Since your brand is a blend of these things your brand voice should also be a blend. So, no need for a compass to go searching, your brand voice is already inside you, let’s just refine it and get it on paper. This helps you (and anyone you may hire one day) quickly know if your brand is staying true to its personality and core message.

Consistency throughout your brand is THE best way to foster trust, so you’ll want your brand personality to carry through from your website, to your email, to your social media… etc. ( read more about how this sort of consistency can actually help you make more money!)

“Branding is both how you inspire and attract others to you in the first place, but it’s also how you position yourself as a creative expert who can deliver on that promise.”

— Kathleen Shannon, Braid Creative

When I work with branding clients I ask them to tell me 3-5 words that, when combined, form a cohesive feeling of what they want their brand to be about... the personality they want their brand to exude. I call them their brand words. I know, I know… very creative of me. Once you have solidified your brand why, mission & values now you can use the brand words to take those concepts to your copy/language as well as into the visual components of your brand identity. They will be a great reference when you are creating inspiration/mood boards, whether it’s for yourself or for a designer.

Clarity is key when choosing your brand words! Use short, simple words that anyone can understand. Also, be sure not to confuse formal with professional because you don’t want to end up sounding robotic. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re selecting your brand words: the words are about evoking feelings, they are for internal use and won’t necessarily be out in the public, they are adjectives, and they can be a mix of words that don’t necessarily seem to go together at first (but form an entire picture of your brand together). For example, my tone words are: bright, empowering, genuine, quirky, relatable. These are the words I want my brand to evoke. When people interact with Nash Franks Creative (in ALL of my touchpoints) I want the words bright, empowering, genuine, quirky, and relatable to be what they feel.

Once you have your brand personality/tone words nailed down and develop what your brand voice will be, you can incorporate that into anything in your business that uses copy. And by copy, I mean ANYTHING that is written down for your business. Your website, your thank you cards, signage, social media...etc. It all should be consistent and it all should reflect your brand voice. The key here is to be authentic while keeping your customer in mind. For instance, I use a lot of random Spanish words in my real life… I minored in Spanish in college and it’s just part of who I am. So on my site, I use amigo, amiga, and hola, but I know that these are fairly common words that most people would recognize, even if they don’t speak Spanish. I save all the other words for my conversations with my BFF, Andrea (a fellow Spanish speaker).

Ready to get started in coming up with your own brand words for your business? If you don’t know where to start, I’ve created a workbook for you that will help you work through selecting your brand words and refine your brand personality. If you’re worried about not being able to come up with the 3-5 adjectives, I have you covered! The workbook contains a TON of adjectives to help you select the best words to describe your brand.

Once you select your brand words, I’d love to know what they are! Leave a comment below and tell me what words describe your brand :)