Read this line from one of my favorite authors: “I love appointments. I love that Keuchen noises you make How to pass. “
What can you close about the person behind this line? Are you funny or serious? Happy or dark? Pleasant company or a total hole?
As a writer, part of my job is to express myself through words. And the decisions I make to create this expression become my voice. Maybe you hear it in your head when you read this heel.
If you know that you are looking for voices, you will see them everywhere: in writing, in video, in your interactions with others. And in the shop? The voice of your brand plays a major role in connecting with the world and its consumers.
Branding voice can help you underline authority, promote playfulness or to get your buyers’ hearts and mind. Well done, there is resonance – your voice Clicks With your buyer. Bad? Buyers flee and brands have difficulty survival.
What’s in the definition of your brand voice and where can you be inspired when it is time to get a pen on paper? Let us explore the details behind a great branded voice.
Table of contents
What is a branded voice?
They are their branded voice, which are shown in every type of communication. In the middle of the tangle of competitors, news and noise, it is the way the personality and values of your company break and thrive. It lives in what you say and how you say it.
Your consumers pay attention to their voice. It is the basis of trust and trustworthy when it is time to buy.
On the US market, 90% of consumers Say it is important to trust the brands you buy or use. Your branded voice lays the basis by showing your customers what you can expect from the content, services and even customer service of your company.
Why branded voice is important
Completing? The brand voice answers the most urgent question of your customer:
Why should I buy from you instead of someone else?
Part of the work of a brand on the market is to inform, raise and convince consumers to take measures (namely to buy their product or service). Her voice serves as an ambassador in this effort: it helps you to connect with buyers, even if you are not physically present.
The strongest ambassadors can quickly signal whether something is for them or not. For example, they make assumptions about an unknown brand when their ambassadors Rosa Cowboy hats wear three -part suits against black. Each choice conveys certain elements of a brand:
- Pink Cowboy Hut: sparkling, playful, youthful, disrespectful.
- Black three -part suit: dark, formal, relevant, exclusive.
Serious buyers will probably be interested in a formal or relevant brand. The more bubblier, disrespectful research will be explored. What matters is that you understand who yours The target group is and shapes their voice to meet them as they are – not as they want.
And your brand ambassador must be translated on several platforms and possibly also in countries and cultures. Every copy of your brand produces from the one on your website to the game on the back of a cereal box should radiate your brand’s own voice.
Branding voice also offers an important internal function. A precisely defined branded voice creates a coherent series of guidelines for your authors, marketers, content manufacturers and even graphic designers.
The key is “well defined” here. Most of the time I see brand leaders who put together a list of 4-5 adjectives that refer to their branded voice. They usually dig deep into the thesaurus, hoping to stumble across them perfect Decisions to explain the presence and perception of your voice.
You can certainly throw adjectives on the wall and hope that there is something, but without simple explanations about what means “clear, helpful, human and friendly”, content quickly becomes random.
For example, the Style Guide from Drift Kings Media states that “we primarily prefer clarity. The adhesives and sweets should never be at the expense of the clear.” There are also several examples of how “clear”, “helpful”, “human” and “kind” actually look like in the copy. Treasurer and new employees are not guessed – you will receive detailed explanations that you can use to go on the floor.
With a clarified branded voice you can speak to your audience, attract new customers or users and express the special feature of your brand consistently And mandatory.
Create your branded voice
So you know that your brand voice should represent you. But how do you discover whom? You Are? And how can you build this concept into something practical that you can share with your teams?
It doesn’t take a weekend -naturus -retreat to find your voice. In fact, most of them stand in front of them. Let us talk about this process and about what goes into good brand language instructions.
1. Center The mission of your company.
The mission and values of your company should live in the center of everything you do. However, I often see that these elements are the case in favor of the latest trend or hype cycle. These guides hunt instead of listening. And in return you get Cringy content – and abandonment of the audience.
You have selected your mission and values for one reason. They mean something to their organization. Let them lead your brand.
Compliance with the mission led to the HubSpot social media team successfully translated the branded voice in LinkedIn, with 84% more commitment in just six months.
Emily Kearns, Senior Manager from Drift Kings Media in the social media team, shares more:
“So much of HubSpot is the culture and how we treat each other – just the overall mood,” she said. “And there was a great opportunity to bring this to social space.”
Drift Kings Media’s branded voice is clear, helpful, human and friendly, which became the basis of the social media team for everything. “Human and authentic – these are just table inserts,” said Kearns.
Even if the core mission is the same, the way you express it varies depending on the platform and timing. Drift Kings Media’s official product descriptions may require more gravitas to address buyers, while his Instagram account can translate the HubSpot culture Vibes -a branded brand voice geared towards humans.
Since Drift Kings Media’s social team reinterpreted the company’s voice on social media in 2023, the team has received a nomination of 2024 Webby in the social, B2B category.
Lauren NaturalaleThe social media manager at tideA non -profit organization that promotes social justice agrees with the guidance of your voice with your values. “You cannot pursue a value approach for marketing if your company does not really live these values or adopts in a sensible way,” she said.
Naturalale was also the first social media manager at Merriam-Webster, in which she built the social media presence of the dictionary from almost nothing-“You would publish the word of the day on all social channels once a day” -I.
She notes that Merriam-Webster was missing the strategy deck that large companies pay a lot of money for the construction. Instead, it had “very well -articulated, common values about how interesting language was, how important it was and how it changes constantly”.
She summarizes these values: “Words and language are not a cultural capital. They are not the property of the elite. They can take care of words and language and are also interested in the way the language changes.”
The life of these values has contributed to building a well -known branded voice (no matter that the size of the audience is increased from 456% to X).
2. Infise your buyer person in your branded voice.
Have you had one of these conversations in which you are clicked with someone else? The chat felt effortless, the mood was strong – it really felt.
Studies show that we like People who are like us better. Your branded voice should imitate this human desire. In particular, they want to sound like the buyers they want to reach.
Ideally, you did the work that already builds up your detailed buyer personality. If not, start considering:
- Who are you trying to achieve?
- What do you need from your brand?
- What can you offer you that nobody else can do?
- How can you be communicated?
Your goal is to find out what clicks with you and consistently provides this experience over your branded voice. Perform basic target group research with tools such as Google Analytics or a simple survey of your target group. It will help you bring your audience’s wishes and interests home.
Ryan ShattuckA digital media strategist who managed the social media of dictionary.com for four years also encourages them to go on: “It is obvious that your audience is obvious, but I would go one step further. Respect your audience,” he said.
The buyer personality of dictionary.com creates a picture of someone who dives on his cell phone at midnight to play the latest Word game of the New York Times.
“I think it is certain that the people who follow a dictionary account on Instagram are also people who read books and make crossword puzzles,” said Shattuck.
This understanding conducts his content decisions and the way she communicates through his voice: “And so I can make a joke about the Oxford comma. I can use a meme to share the etymology of a word,” he said.
Finding the audience response brings confidence in her voice – and the support for your content decisions and your direction.
3. Search your best content for clues.
Even a few months of content can tell a strong branded language story. Check your current published content and evaluate it by performance. Many people start with views and impressions, but I would encourage them to cross the top line metrics.
Engagement – Likes, Comments, Shares – shows that you have touched something In a potential buyer. Even if these numbers are low overall, a signal still lives.
Grab these most appealing contributions and ask yourself: What was your brand voice in this piece of contents?
- Have you secured and felt significant, is based on deep topical knowledge and supported by original research?
- Or were they playful and disrespectful, did memes and pop culture prove fall to reach their people?
In particular, this question meets sound – an important brand language component. The sound carries several dimensionsHow seriousness, enthusiasm and respect. It is careful to make why they laugh at comedians and dark in front of a judge.
Nevertheless, you do not need a multi -dimensional check of the sound to adapt your brand vote. A quick exercise:
- Create a list of adjectives that describe how you want To sound their voice.
- Create a separate list of adjectives that describe how your voice sounds in each of your 3-5 top performing pieces.
- Mark the common elements and decide which one you want to replicate in your brand.
Now I have seen some of them that are enthusiastic about their top performances and replicating Contents ad nauseam. Don’t copy the words or pictures. After emulating the feeling that you get when you read these words, or take a look at this short form video. The commitment grows through a variety of content that causes the same feelings.
4. Decide who you are not.
Sometimes it is overwhelming to find out who they are. Or maybe you are a newer brand that has to deal with where to start.
In this case, I recommend concentrating less on discoveries and more on how to proceed. Who you you not I want to sound as if you can tell you a lot about your desired direction.
Maybe you like personally Duolingos playful, funny voiceBut they do brand work for a funeral home. Funny memories of studying Spanish are probably not mixed with the cremation services.
Start with examples of brands that you enjoy and others in your industry. Analyze your branded voice and see what doesn’t sound. For example, check several brands and feel what their voices are:
- Too precious
- Too seriously
- Too terrific
- Too unfriendly
Your branded voice lies in the antithesis: you are looking for something down -to -earth, fun, informal and modest.
From there you can build your voice on your way.
5. Get a second opinion.
Brand guides are involved in their own heads. I felt like a piece of my voice nailed … only for a (well -intentioned) friend to tear down this perception.
You will probably collect several estimates before you choose a job. Do the same with your brand language analysis. Trusty friends, partners and consultants can help you see your gaps and sharpen your branded voice before signing them on the market.
If you are a newer brand (also known as a short budget), you support yourself in your networks. Buy another brand manager a cup of coffee and take up your work. Startup communities and VC partners may also have free or cheaper services to validate their voice.
If you are willing to throw real money, recruit a content marketing agency from third-party providers as a co-developer. A good agency will carry out a deeper analysis, collect more opinions and bring your expertise to a final branded product.
For example, Forbes’ Brandvoice is a media partnership program that helps brands to reach their audience through the expert advice and direct access to Forbes’ audience and take them with them. Cole Haan (my favorite couple shoes) Worked with Forbes Creating content to style, art, travel, social effects and much more.
So if you need additional support to build up your brand voice or test you on your company or market, try a program like Brandvoice or explore the brand language offers from another agency.
6. Create a communication template with 3-5 branded language properties.
The definition of the branded voice is half the battle; The other half is the enforcement. A voice is not good for you if it is not consistent.
Formulate your branded voice in a communication template that is easily accessible in your company. Add a table with the 3-5 core properties that your voice needs and details about how your content manufacturers should use these elements in their work.
Specify several examples of each content (e.g. blog posts, copies of social media and images, short-form video scripts). The more tactical advice you deliver, the easier it is for everyone in your organization to replicate your voice carefully. This is the key to convert ideas into action.
Pro tip: If you want a prefabricated template that you can personalize for your organization Free brand language template.
Top tips of the professionals
If you optimize your template, use the advice of these professionals to improve the edges of your branded voice and stand out from the crowd.
1. Be human.
Kearns encourages her to ask himself: “Would a real person say that? Is there something that is available and that someone can connect?”
Shaduck reminds her of what should be obvious: “It is not a dictionary that sits on a computer, it’s a real person.”
2. Respect your audience.
It is good to know your audience – it’s gold to respect you. When The trust of the consumer continuesSuccessful brands enter this gap and show buyers who are important. Your branded voice should reflect your respect.
3. reflect the product and culture of your brand.
People can see a mile one kilometer away. Don’t copy the culture of another brand just because you want. Be yourself. And if you have this great corporate culture, celebrate it in your content.
4. Be culturally relevant, but do not sacrifice your brand identity.
I love a good meme, but that doesn’t mean that I want every company to use it. If a MEM does not reflect your identity, I will sniff out this fake and let this brand fall.
Shattuck said that at dictionary.com it reflected both the modern culture and the values of the company: “Is this post -formation? Is it entertaining?” If he could not answer both with “yes”, he knew that the contribution would flop because it does not give any value for the company’s audience.
Show that you know your audience, your industry and the world as a whole. But keep in mind who you are in everyone, even if it means regulating the mem.
Brand language examples
If you are looking for further brand language inspiration, read these examples. I think that each of these companies is a clear voice that makes it easily recognizable in its industry.
1. Drift Kings Media
A year ago, they would rather find a product description of Drift Kings Media on social media than a meme over Brat summer.
But then the social team began to experiment with a more precise gene and millennial tone of the voice.
Kearns announces that it is still in progress. The team inspects the performance every month and achieves the best results. “We find out how we talk about the HubSpot product in a way that is interesting and gives value and is culturally relevant,” she said.
Cultural relevance and topicality is important for the social team. Kearns says that she always asks how to combine the HubSpot product with “some hyper -relevant or something that the manager is going through”.
“If we only talk about our product in a vacuum, even if our funny branded voice is shot about it, it could fall flat,” she said. “
Kearns says that their branded voice should be identifiable and consistent, should “have a little flexibility” for adapting to different platforms.
2. Duolingo
As an embodiment of Duolingo’s branded voice, duo is “expressive, playful, hugged and worldly” with a shot “persistent and somewhat cumbersome”, so Duolingos brand guide. If you have ever missed a Japanese lesson, you have experienced the duo’s endurance.
Duolingo’s defined branded voice contains a section “brand personality” that describes who would be Duolingo as a celebrity (Trevor Noah), a vehicle (Vespa) and a song (Queen’s Now now “).
Duo thrives Tikkok, where the “unhindered” OWL antics have cultivated a committed global supporter. Duolingos CMO, Manu Orsaud, shared with Adexhanger This duo has brought up a branded voice that will continue to create something memorable:
“We want to continue to do content that is fun, are entertaining and people of something strange that is unforgettable for three seconds,” said Orsaud. “(This is) what marketing should try.”
3. Title nine
Title Nine is a sportswear in women in women and mixes a friendly “AWW Shucks” time with a triumphal motivation. I would describe his voice as friendly, powerful, playful and directly.
Freelance copywriter Robyn Gunn writes on her website That T9 had her copy written, which “reinforces the bad DNA of the brand, which distinguishes it from ‘softer’ competitors in the category”.
Title Neuns “Who we arePage summarizes this voice perfectly: Your clear language underlines the love of the brand about nature and its permanent support of women.
This graphic from his online shop is reminiscent of a more playful side of the brand voice of Title Nine – bright colors and patterns, the casual font, the “Trail Shop”, and the invitation to the “Track in a little dirt”.
4. Duluth Trading Company
When was the last time you laughed at a commercial about working pants? If you saw the display of the Duluth Trading Company, you probably had one or two giggles. How often can you do work trousers against an angry beaver?
Duluth’s lines of clothing aim at robust adventures and hard workers – and their branded voice fits this audience. From the grizzled narrator behind her advertisements to commitment to “”There must be a better wayDuluth captures a hardworking posture. It is realistic for the challenges of his buyer-das deposit of hay all day long requires hard clothing.
I also admit a little professional envy and wish I could have come up with “Go be bucking naked underwear. “”
5. Poppi
You can feel Poppi-Soda’s neon app from the moment you can reach the pink and yellow website on the eye. The company has dominated Z appeal, whereby a brand presence is suitable for the infinite characters and virus components of social media in new soda flavors.
The company “Our story“Page belongs to an Instagram picture signature. It is a bright and bubbling story that emoji and passion is, which also emphasizes the A-List celebrities as a brand ambassador. His newsletter registration also says:” Let us be friends. “
The Creative agency Responsible for Poppis Branding describes it as “quirky, nostalgic and lively”. Throw a shot “informal” or “casual” and you have a unique brand in the middle of the soda market.
6. Taco Bell
Did you know that you can Getting married at Taco Bell? (Well, only at the location in Las Vegas, but still.) Although it is most likely not connected to the knot with a kitschy Gordita crunch, it shows how deep Taco Bell can embed into people’s life. And the brand knows this, especially under its target market: younger generations.
For example, Taco Bell’s Instagram contributions would fit for many feeds from Gen-Zers.
It is not overly produced with a photo that you can receive from an iPhone and a basic lettering. And this simplified look captures the branded voice better than most of the campaigns of several million dollars.
Taco Bell’s content has authenticity that is reflected during his assets. Even titles for news publications are aimed at his audience, with PayPal “picking up” to the Taco Bell locations.
Taco Bells CMO, Taylor Montgomery, you summarize ethos as a “one” together “Cultural rebel“Reflect how his brand lives in his fans. It is a symbiosis that brings its branded voice to a great impact.
7. Mailchimp
MailChimp helps companies reach their buyers with authentic news. Its content shows the same devotion to authenticity.
Read the companies Content style manualAnd you will see what they mean:
“We want to educate people without patronizing or confusing them. If we use an unusual humor and a conversation voice, we play with language to bring their work joy. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Mailchimp consistently reaches its conversational, direct, playful voice in all content.
For example, This blog post Explore from “highly unscientific personas”, including the fainting goal. The E -Mail service provider describes this persona as: “When he is frightened, his muscles are inappropriate and she falls over directly.”
You then link to this video:
A blog post like this shows the subtlety behind the branded voice – especially in terms of diction (your word selection). What would be, for example, if the blogger had written: “If a goat is afraid, it gets nervous. The muscles of the animal are forgiven and she passed out.”
You as a reader notice the different mood. Both examples say the same thing, but one feels personally, while the other belongs to a textbook for biological high school biology.
8. Fenty Beauty
Rihanna’s Beauty Company, Fenty Beauty, makes it clear The first page What you can expect from his branded voice. The brave and honest language speaks to Fenty’s deeply kept wish to connect. It is not performative or presumptuous – you feel like you talk to a friend.
Fenty carries this tone over his social channels, as in this YouTube video description:
There is a casual, excited feeling. Take a look at this fire -emojis. If an insurance broker used it, they would flinch together. But here? They belong. Each piece contributes to strength. Fenty tries to call.
The branded voice fits perfectly with your target group: youthful millennials and gene -zers who use make -up for authentic expression.
9. Clare Paint
Not every brand needs sarcasm or “The no-make-up make-up” Ton “ reach younger audience. For example, Clare color has developed a mature, spirited and cheerful branded voice that gives your brand contents an airy girl-next-toed feeling.
For example, look at the title of one of your last blog posts ”,”6 stylish spaces on Instagram, which represent a strong housing for pink walls. “”
The article uses phrases such as “Millennial Pink”, “Pink Walls have obvious stamina” and “Designer and DIY enthusiasts have taken up the playful shadows with open arms.”
Clare Paint’s language is friendly, chic and professional. They combine like a knowledgeable, funny professional in a paint shop.
This assignable voice appears via channels. Here is, for example, Clare Paint on Instagram.
“When the baby’s first bedroom is on her adult vision board”, Instagram feeds brings a little ripe like an older, fashionable sister. The reference to the boy of the COO gives another opportunity to establish authentic connections to Clares supporters.
10. Skittles
As for Skittles, they tend to raw authenticity and show their contempt for advertising on every platform. Each piece of content is in the way how real It is and how it reflects culture today.
For example, Skittles will coopate popular memeformats and actually follow them instead of trying to transform them into an advertisement. An example of this is on Instagram:
The branded voice feels like they are clapping behind the scenes with a mischievous employee. The “I can’t believe that they only posted the factor” keeps the content fresh and exciting.
What is the most remarkable for me about the brand’s voice is the consistency. My favorite cone advertising is probably “Touch the Skittles”From 2008.
Every time a man touches something, it turns converted. His employee announces how “great” it has to be, while the man complains how he cannot keep his newborn child because he fears to transform him into cones. I will have the rest observed to see how it ends.
It’s ridiculous and funny – and cone has stayed that way for Almost two decades.
Brand language
Would you like a template for your own branded voice? Drift Kings Media is here to help! You can fill out this empty Google leaf template With your own branded language properties.
Complete the remaining cells and send them to your team.
note: You are asked to create a Google Drive copy of the template that is not possible without a Google account.
To find your people, you will find your branded voice.
If you know who you are and how you will come across the market, you cannot help but attract like -minded people. There is a magnetism for a strong branded voice – one that is honest with your values and washes through wherever they appear.
Logo, color palette and font are certainly important parts of Branding. But a good brand lives from good content. And good content needs its unique voice.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in April 2021 and updated for completeness.