Why Brand Voice Matters

In today's society, brands have to be able to stand out in their own unique way for success. It's true. This shouldn't be news to you. The modern business has to be able to individualize and differentiate itself to gain its audiences' attention and trust.

How do you do just that you ask? Well, for starters having a good appearance is crucial but that's not all it takes. Having a good brand voice is also a huge factor. Yes, it's important to look good but if how you sound doesn't match with the overall look, your business won't be able to truly connect and build that deep relationship with your audience. And this doesn't just apply to social media either. The voice of your brand should carry across your website, your blog, your newsletter, and any other content you're putting out.

What is Brand Voice?

If you haven't opened up a new tab on your browser to google this just yet, let me tell you. Brand voice simply represents the personality of a brand. And as I'm sure you're aware, showing personality is very important for a business's success on social. People don't always care about what you're selling them, they care for what the brand stands for as well as how they represent themselves. And how you communicate online is very telling.

Whether you are writing a blog, replying to comments on social media, putting out content, responding to customer service, writing a newsletter, or speaking to anyone of any kind - employees, consumers, other businesses, etc - through the lens of your business you are sharing your brand voice. Everything you say from what you say and how you say it represents your overall brand image. This is why it is important to make sure your brand's voice is appealing.

Show Character

Think of your brand as meeting someone new. In my opinion, the first thing I enjoy learning about someone is who they are as a person - their background, hobbies, what they like, etc. Aside from their traits, I also pay close attention to how they carry themselves through their voice. I notice how they talk and the way they express themselves.

Now just take this and apply it to your brand. When people come across your brand, they want to know these types of things about your business. Sure, promote your services or products but make sure your communication goes beyond just selling a service or product.

People will observe how you engage online with everyone - consumers, employees, the community, etc. Their interest goes beyond just the business aspect. Tell your story, interact with your followers, produce content that resonates with your community, share behind-the-scenes, create a poll, and/or share anything that your brand is passionate about. How you choose to communicate and showcase your brand online is going to truly impact your brand's overall image. It will either give people the opportunity to connect with your brand or simply shy them away.

Key Benefits of Having Good Brand Voice

Differentiation

Your brand should be more than its services. By having a clear tone of voice, you will be able to stand out from your competitors by having your brand be seen as far greater than just the services and/or products your brand offers.

Trust, Relationship, and Loyalty

By consistently communicating your message with your audience online, you will not only build your audience but build trust with them as well. And through trust comes good relationships and loyalty to your brand.

Aligning Your Vision With Reality

A big mistake many business owners make is thinking their brand represents itself in a particular way when, in fact, it does not match with how their target audience actually feels toward the brand. A business just saying they value and care for their consumers within their mission statement or in a simple sentence on your website without actually showing it across their channels won't do the trick. What's that saying again…oh right, actions speak louder than words. My tip to you is to learn how to speak to your audience like you would speak to a good friend. Don't get caught up in trying to sell them too hard too fast or else they will see that and most likely shy away. Focus on making sure your vision for your brand is aligning with your audience's.

So…here's an activity. Think about your brand. What 3 words come to mind when you visualize your brand's image? Transparent, Trustworthy, & Efficient? Fun, customer-focused, and energetic? Creative, Driven, and Funny?

Whatever 3 words you have in mind of your business, make it your goal to express those words through your voice online as well as in person. Make sure your audience sees that - not just you.

Examples of Brands Who Excel At Their Brand Voice

Chic-fil-a

Chic-fil-a's brand voice is very polished and well-mannered. They hit the hammer on the nail when it comes to having a good brand voice. They have truly made their brand stand out and resonate with their audience through their customer service and using their famous line, "my pleasure," after every "thank you."

They also do a great job highlighting and speaking very highly of their employees and customers, sharing their support in the community, and showcasing their acts of kindness. And they succeed at carrying this across all their media outlets.

Dove

When you think of the Dove brand what adjectives come to mind? For me, it's clean, women empowerment, body positivity. These words don't necessarily have anything particular to do with their products, but through their messaging, they have been able to build this unique vision for their brand. And when you visit their media channels, you can easily notice this theme.

Love Your Melon

A person who stumbles across Love Your Melon's website or social media profile will quickly be able to see the brand's vision and passion right away. Love Your Melon makes it clear from the get-go that they are a philanthropic company that is passionate about fighting cancer. They actively communicate their passion, give their support to their community through their blogs, and even share how their business came to be.

Another note. A person could hate wearing beanies yet still resonate with Love Your Melon due to their message.

In Conclusion

When it comes to your brand voice just remember to be a person, not just a company. If you're unsure of how to find your tone and carry your tone of voice across your media channel, we are here and ready to help. Go ahead and schedule a consultation with us and we'll begin showing you how to turn your Social into Sales.