Understanding Brand Voice and How to Amplify It in Your Marketing Strategy
When we think of brand presence, we often think of logos, social media design, websites, and brand colors, visual representations of the brand that resonate with consumers. However, one key element of establishing a brand identity is the brand voice; its consistency or lack thereof can make or break how consumers view your brand. But what exactly is a brand voice, and how can you amplify it in your marketing strategy? Today, we’re looking at all aspects of brand voice and offering three ways to raise that voice in all of your marketing assets.
What Is a Brand Voice?
A brand voice refers to the personality of your brand. Now, whether that personality is funny, direct, light-hearted, or more serious is largely determined by your target audience. For example, if you’re looking to reach an older demographic in the medical field, you want to keep your voice more straightforward and avoid puns and risky humor. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with your brand voice in your marketing assets such as email content, social media, newsletters, blog copy, etc.; but it does mean your brand voice and tonality should always be guided by how your target audience will perceive your brand based on your messaging.
Your brand voice also doesn’t stop at your external communications, it should be utilized internally as well. So, if you send out a company-wide newsletter, ensure your brand’s personality is present within the content. The more consistent you are with your voice, the better because consumers and employees alike regard organizations with consistent branding more favorably. In fact, according to Zippia, a consistent brand presentation increases revenue by up to 33%. So, being consistent is not only recommended, but it could take your brand to new heights.
Three Ways to Amplify Your Voice
Now that we’ve established what a brand voice is, it’s time to find ways to use it in your marketing efforts. There are many ways to accomplish this, but we’ll be looking at three of the most prominent:
- Determining your voice with the help of a brand audit
- Educating your team
- Customizing by channel and assessing the impact accordingly to the feedback
Determine Your Voice
Finding your brand voice, or re-finding it, can be a daunting task. That’s why the most efficient start to finding your brand’s voice is by conducting a brand audit. A brand audit looks at all aspects of your brand and compares it to other competitors in your industry. It tells you what works and what doesn’t while also providing insight into the type of content your customers find the most engaging.
Brand audits can be conducted internally. However, the best use of your time would be to enlist the help of a skilled marketing agency with experience in brand audits. This way, you know you’ll be receiving the most accurate and unbiased feedback possible, as employees and clients tend to share more information during confidential discussions and surveys.
Educate Your Team
Once your voice is determined, the next crucial step is making sure all members of your team are on board and have a deep understanding of the new tone. This is especially important if a portion of your business comes from word-of-mouth advertising. The way your employees speak about your brand influences the way consumers view your company. So, we recommend having an elevator pitch that your employees of all ranks have a grasp on; therefore, if they’re ever asked, “So, what does your company do?” they’ll always have a consistent answer.
Customize and Assess
Just as a person’s personality can vary based on the setting they’re in, so should a brand’s. Make sure you’re customizing your brand based on the platform. For example, your social media content can be a bit more playful than your straightforward case studies but should still follow your established brand tone. By tweaking your language for each platform, you stay connected to the platform audience while also presenting a unified presence across mediums.
It’s also important to assess how your audience is reacting to your tone. Do they engage with more authentic or polished content? Do they prefer humorous or more informative pieces? What kind of feedback are they giving, if any? These are all questions to ask when reviewing your brand’s performance long-term. If you feel your audience isn’t giving the positive feedback you want, then assess and revise. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your strong brand presence won’t be, either.
If you’re struggling with your brand’s voice, enlist Rizco’s team to help. We provide services to help establish and amplify the brand voice and help companies tap into their overall presence. Interested in a thorough brand audit complete with a competitive analysis, audience demographics, and marketing suggestions? Contact our team to get started!
