How your brand voice can give you authority and dominion over your marketplace
Your business carries a very important quality, and that is your brand’s voice. This is almost the “essence” and “core” of any business establishment. Despite how vital a business brand voice is, not all business owners seem to be in touch with theirs, and some are unaware of the importance of brand voice.
This is why we found it very important to do this post because we want you to connect to your brand’s authentic voice.
The importance of creating your business brand – no matter how small your company
A business brand is the character of your business as well as its “emotion”. While this may sound strange it’s very important to emotionally connect to your market all the time. With a brand voice, it sets the tone for that “human factor of emotion”.
A business brand also sets the platform for elements such as visuals, tone, and voice.
In the digital marketing scene, standing out from the “noise” or crowd can be very challenging. In fact, if you cannot bring your message across clearly, your efforts will drown in the sea of competition.
With a strong and defined brand voice, you can work your way through the noise and crowds, making your business stand out where it matters most.
The tone of “voice” in written and spoken content
Your brand will influence the way you write content too. If your business is young and influential, you probably have a younger market. This allows you to adopt a casual tone and that voice will be used consistently across every blog, email and article.
However, professionals such as lawyers will use a far more serious tone throughout their digital marketing and advertising efforts.
There is a difference when it comes to the actual tone and voice of your brand and this is important to remember as well.
- Tone – adds emotion to the voice so that you can get the message across to the correct audience.
- Voice – refers to personality and this will be the same throughout your branding efforts.
For a new business owner, this may all seem so daunting. Whatever happened to plain old advertising and selling your products? The truth is it was never simply about advertising and selling. However, all successful and strong companies have all established an influential brand voice.
Well-established companies like Coca-Cola, Nike or BMW, for example, have already created strong brand voices.
When you think of Coca-Cola, you think of a refreshingly cold, fizzy, cola drink to enjoy on a hot day.
Nike inspires us to be physically active and enjoy their quality sports apparel.
BMW wants us to think of their company as forward-thinking when it comes to technology. Their brand voice speaks to people looking for luxury and upward mobility.
Those are just a few of the companies that have been around for many years and have always been doing well, but take note that apart from their high-quality product, they also have a very strong brand.
How to create a brand voice for your business
Strong brand voices are successful at connecting the business with the customers.
To put it simply, your business brand voice is what your customers will think of, consider, and relate to when they hear or see your product.
1. Re-establish your company’s mission
Going back to your roots and to what your company stands for is very important for establishing your brand voice. This is where you want your business core values to stand out and be clear.
Through all your branding efforts, your customers and potential customers, as well as anyone who sees your brand, should be able to understand what your company stands for. This is the importance of brand voice.
For example, your business is about creating natural skincare products that are safe and great for all skin types.
Your brand voice would be about using natural ingredients with no synthetics or harsh chemicals. It could also be a strong advocate for anti-aging or skin conditions such as eczema. So, when people see your brand they immediately think about all those good things for your skin.
Evaluate whether your company’s mission is aligned with your branding efforts and make adjustments to either if necessary.
2. Find clarity through your current content
Since you’ve already been running your business operations, you should have plenty of content such as your business Facebook page, blog, website, email campaigns and even videos.
Do a quick audit check to determine if the content you have aligns with your brand’s voice. Does it speak your company’s values and mission statement? Is it going off track? How can you repurpose what you already have so that it can fit your brand’s voice?
3. Get feedback from your audience
Another way companies often see results and feedback is through quick and simple surveys. Surveys are a great way for you to get information that you need to help you better your brand’s voice.
People are willing to give feedback because at the end of the day, it not only makes things better for the business, but it also helps the business improve things for them.
Surveys don’t take up too much time either and people complete them in a matter of minutes and give their honest opinions.
Tips for creating an effective survey:
- Speak plainly and don’t complicate your questions
- Make the option choices simple (multiple choice/ checkboxes etc)
- Be specific
- Only ask one thing per question
The following are some important questions that any company should ask their audience as a means to improve:
- How would you describe our business brand?
- Do you like our tone?
- How would you rate your experience with us?
- How likely would you recommend us?
- If you could change something about our products, what would it be?
4. Go behind the social scenes of your audience
These days it’s hard to find anyone at all who doesn’t spend time on social media. You can go “behind the scenes” and see what your audience is up to when it comes to their social networks.
See what fascinates and attracts them on networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google Plus. You could use the way they speak to your advantage if it fits with your brand and sound more appealing to your audience with a conversational voice.
5. Be authentic
Authenticity lends to the importance of brand voice. It should actually be at the very top of the list because it bears immense power over the success of your brand.
Firstly, people want to relate to your brand emotionally and additionally, they want to relate to a genuine idea.
It’s ok to draw inspiration from other brands, but don’t mimic or copy their ideas. Think about what your brand and your business truly stand for. Which again, brings us to the first point and that is soul searching the core values of your business.
If you’ve always aimed to help make people’s lives better by offering them excellent service, then you should continue to work at perfecting your niche.
**Important extras to note:
- Persevere – It’s of utmost importance to stay consistent in all of your content as you portray your brand.
- Simplicity in language – Use simple words, as we’ve already mentioned, but be mindful that it stays in sync with your brand and your industry. People also prefer slang in the case of a young brand and young audience.
- Take another look – Follow through by checking up on your audience, see what gets them excited about your brand.
The takeaway
We hope you can appreciate the importance of brand voice and why it matters for your business.
For any business to truly be successful, creating a strong business brand sooner rather than later is very important. If you’re still uncertain, then take inspiration from large brands out there. Some of them may not have been so successful had they not established their brand from the beginning.
Having a business is a constant learning process, and when it comes to online or digital marketing, that too is a constant evolution. The great thing is that while you’re always learning, you’re also improving your business strategy.
When it comes to your brand’s voice, remember to stay genuine, so that your audience will grow to know, like and trust your business. Authenticity helps build expert status and credibility, which is vital to building your brand.
If you haven’t thought about the importance of establishing your brand’s voice, then it’s time to make your first step today!
Everything you do from here on out will be a contribution to your goal of continuous business success.
