You’ve invested time, research, and probably money in turning everything that’s important to your business into a unique brand identity. But, how do you take all of the hard work you’ve done, and communicate it to your customers in a way that’s cohesive and fresh?

Your brand voice is how you convey your brand’s personality through your communications. It’s a way to express and reinforce who you are, and so it’s important to make an effort in finding a brand voice that properly reflects you.

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Here are a few steps for finding and developing a brand voice that stays true to your identity:

1. Reflect on Your Purpose

Think about your brand’s vision, mission and values. These are the core of your identity, and need to be translated to your developing voice. What is important to you? What is important that your audience know about you? Are you approachably warm and non-imposing, or bold and unapologetic?

2. Think Like Your Audience

Who are your customers? Are they teenage girls who love to dance? Are they senior-level executives and board members? You would approach these two audiences quite differently: consider the people who utilize their services, and how they would prefer to be spoken to. Pay attention to your audience, and try to put yourself in their shoes. This serves as great inspiration, and can really help when you’re pinpointing elements of your voice.

3. Select Characteristics of Your Voice

Do you want to come across as sensitive? Authoritative? Will you use slang or lingo? Make a list, and build upon it, and build upon it some more. Review it, review it again, and refine it. Keep only the characteristics that truly serve your identity.

4. Create Guidelines & Reinforce Them

Use that list to create comprehensive guidelines for how your brand should be communicated, then make sure that your team follows them! Every single person and medium that operates on behalf of your brand should abide by the rules that have been set. It’s the only way to create a consistent and cohesive experience for your customers, and it’s an incredible way to make a lasting impression.

BRANDS WHO FOUND THEIRS

Casper Mattress

Casper Mattress created a quirky and lovable personality that customers love to engage with. Whether through Subway ads or a captivating Twitter presence, Casper is witty, fun, and smart.

Duluth Trading Company

Rugged, funny, and edgy, you can’t avoid reading anything from Duluth Trading Company without hearing a grisly “man’s man” saying it in your ear. It’s consistent, cohesive, and completely compelling, while really engaging a niche audience.

Nike

There aren’t many brands that can inspire an audience quite like Nike. The team that owns “Just do it.” breathes life into its identity with every interaction, pushing customers to their limits (in a good way) and eliciting emotional reactions.