A brand voice is a way a company or person expresses themselves. It communicates values, mission, and vision through tone, vocabulary, imagery, and other elements.
It is composed of a personality or attitude towards the listener or consumer. Also, according to the firm Larsen, these interactions are done in a purposeful manner and involve verbal and nonverbal communication.
To understand what a brand voice for a personal brand is, it helps to first think about a well-known brand. With your imagination, think of a person who could embody their identity and image and try to imagine establishing a conversation with them. Disney could be a cute and cheerful lady. Apple could be a sophisticated and creative man.
As abstract as this exercise of the mind can be, we still can picture some brands having a distinct personality and way of expressing themselves to engage with us. Many of these brands have developed strong and authentic personalities because they know themselves and know who they are talking to very well. That is when a Personal Brand Voice kicks in.
The Sprout Social Index revealed that 61% of people surveyed consider that what makes a brand’s social best in class is “engagement with audience”, as well as it found out that 49% unfollowed a brand’s social media because of “irrelevant content”. This is where having a clear brand voice is valuable.
You may find that a doctor speaks differently from a lawyer, a clown, or a soldier. Even if each person has a particular personality and is bound to be as authentic they can be (which we will discuss later in the article), they still are bound to use a vocabulary and express themselves in a manner that goes according to their context, their purpose, and their audience.
This shows how someone who is not aware of the importance of building a good brand voice may make the mistake of the equivalent of trying to speak to an experienced veteran the way they would do it to an innocent child, risking losing potential supporters for your cause or customers.
In this article you will find:
- The importance of creating a personal experience through your brand.
- The elements of a brand voice: tone, language, imagery, and more.
- How important it is to use an authentic voice.
- The importance of self-awareness in personal branding.
- How a brand voice helps a personal brand.
Contents
Why Does A Brand Need A Voice?
It is scientifically proven by biology that the emotional component is key in a decision-making process. People will gravitate towards products and ideas they identify with. This means a good proposal will always be incomplete without the added value that we can offer by expressing ourselves in a purposeful manner.
Considering this, we can see why the most successful companies and public figures that have mastered their branding have one thing in common: they stick to a set of values and ideas that represent them and their product or service. A brand voice offers just that.
Now, you may ask: who is that voice? the answer to this will depend largely on yourself. Some voices are identifiable because they are expressed through the company’s CEO, or a mascot, or a celebrity linked to the company or product, or just the omniscient personality of the brand.
Companies like Apple would not have surged if there had not existed the personality of Steve Jobs, who through his passion for creativity, innovation, challenging the status quo, and design, managed to present the idea of iPhones and MacBooks successfully.
Probably Fenty Beauty, the makeup brand, would not have the same prominence without the personality of the superstar singer Rihanna, who truly believed in making products for diverse skin colors and styles.
Even M&M’s, the chocolate brand, would not be as recognizable without the colorful structure of their packaging and the incredibly built and recognizable array of mascots that represent the humanoid versions of the little rounded chocolates; where each shows a wacky personality that aligns with the fun way they present the sweet treats.
Having a personality and voice is what sets aside a bland thing from an idea that someone might feel identified with or support.
In a personal brand, it is already given where the voice comes from and who makes it. It is your own voice!
If you want to learn more about examples of personal branding for thought leaders and CEOs, check this blog.
Remember this: Your voice and your tone are not exactly a brand voice, although the latter feeds off the former.
Now, you just need to take into account some elements, to shape this brand voice as best as possible.
Elements Of A Brand Voice
Tone
A brand voice tone is how you establish your message, is the way you come off to others when communicating. Do you seem childish? Serious? Dominant? Confident? Self-aware? Reflective? It all comes down to the tone and how you think your audience wants to be treated.
A way to differentiate a tone of voice in examples is picturing the way a trainer speaks to a client, which is different from the way a politician may treat a voter.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary is what you say and the language that you use. The choice of words can vary greatly from personality to personality.
Vocabulary also depends on the market or field you are located in, the age group, the region, among other things. Choosing carefully a vocabulary that is clear to your audience, gets the message across, and is engaging enough is very important.
You can see the differences in the way teenage influencers speak to their followers compared to how doctors would speak to their patients. One can be very common and colloquial, while the other is technical and more specific.
Imagery, Font, Colors
The phrase “a picture can speak a thousand words” is well known. In this case, it is not far from the truth. Picking and creating the aesthetic aspect of your brand is surely an art.
It may be really easy or you might need a little help from a professional like a graphic designer, depending on your budget and skills. Surely, the right way to do it is always going to be through authenticity. The important thing is to make sure people can connect the message with the way it is being presented.
Color psychology plays another important role in the making of these aesthetics. Colors can influence the way people perceive your brand. Besides, they also can help to establish energy and emotion in your message.
For example, the color yellow can be seen as cheerful and creative, while the color green portrays a sense of nature and freshness. Try to keep this in mind so you can have a stronger message and a more integral message.
Audience
Shouting into the wind may have some silver linings, but surely not when making a marketing strategy and creating a brand.
Making sure you know your audience, the way they connect to what you have to offer, and what most of them have in common is essential to know how to direct your message and shape your brand voice.
Medium
The way and the structure of your speech and communication vary in different media. It is not the same to say something in 280 characters on Twitter as in a 20-minute video on YouTube, and the resources at hand also change.
Keeping this in mind is also another element of building the right brand voice. It is very important to know where your audience will be able to find you more and get your message better.
An important consideration to have with these elements is that you are not supposed to lock yourself in a box when it comes to your voice. Just like you would talk differently to your friends than to your grandparents, you can change and mold your speech to who you talk to and where you are communicating.
On one hand, a brand needs to be consistent through the years. This way the effort put into building its identity pays off as it becomes more recognizable.
On the other hand, it is good to have range, diversify your ideas, and find different ways to show the vastness of your personality.
The point is: if you deem it necessary for your growth, don’t be afraid to change things up a little bit from time to time!
A lot of pop stars do that. Many starts with an innocent message and a young audience, and then their content becomes more mature as they grow with their fans.
Why Authenticity Is Key For Personal Branding
Being authentic is a very complex endeavor. Even more nowadays, where everything is being under scrutiny online 24/7, a lot of personalities fall behind the mistake of faking their way into the spotlight. Or, on the contrary, oversharing and being too transparent.
People appreciate more than ever being able to consume content and follow leaders that are not afraid to be themselves and who are consistent with their values, but what we are meant to focus on when creating our brand voice is in working the balance of having a sense of an identifiable image without hindering a possible path to growth and change.
In this process of building a brand voice, authenticity goes hand in hand with being original. Even more so in personal branding. There is only one you, so make sure you take advantage of that! Setting yourself apart from others is part of what makes you memorable.
However, as important, it can be to be different, being authentic also involves tapping into our humanity, and reaching to those elements that we all share. Relatability and self-awareness are very valued right now, and with all reason to be. That is why great authenticity is achieved through the balance of being thoughtful and thought-provoking.
Nielsen found out that 92% of people surveyed trust the recommendation of a person more than that of a company advertisement, which emphasizes the importance of managing this trust and using it in your favor as a personal brand.
Finally, finding a niche in the market is part of the work that involves having a personal brand and a brand voice. People can help us be critical and develop the power to handle feedback and awareness.
Since it is so important to know who you are talking to, and figuring out why they should hear you, studying and getting to know your audience better is an inevitable part of the process of being authentic.
How Self-Awareness Is A Sign Of Wisdom And Strength In Branding
As mentioned before, self-awareness is important to develop an authentic brand voice. It is also a good way to connect to others by being reflective and knowing how to take feedback. However, it goes much more beyond just that. This mindfulness is also a way to build trust and credibility.
Another way to build trust is through being ethical and honest. On one hand, ethical considerations are thoroughly connected to your particular industry (for example, in the ethics of the pharmaceutical field of study), but there are also the ethics of marketing.
A lot of the lessons come from experience, but a good way to start will always be to conduct yourself with honesty and openness to learn.
Also, checking in with past actions is very important in the long-standing development of a brand voice. Asking yourself (or your company) to review how you are sticking to your values and previous commitment to your audience and clients is essential to maintain the bond and keep them engaged. This is the kind of element that makes a voice worth hearing.
This can lead us to consider the debate of whether you maintain the aforementioned consistency vs. changing ways.
In the particular case of the personal brand, there is the gift of freedom.
This, in the long term, will depend on the experiences that can lead to a rebranding, where a slight change of tone may become the best way to maintain other aspects of the message alive.
A Brand Voice For A Personal Brand
A brand voice offers the tools, the structure, and the base to amplify your personal voice. This way, you are able to: communicate better your ideas, be a better leader, find your niche quicker, attract like-minded people, and more.
We have explained the importance and the elements of a brand voice. But how can a brand voice benefit a personal brand, specifically?
Think of a strong samurai warrior without any weapons or protection. Sure, he could give a good fight with his fists, but his performance would be nothing compared to the one where he has access to his sword.
Having a personal brand voice also shows how serious about your beliefs and how capable you are to share them, which could help you find better opportunities to materialize your vision in ways you may not imagine.
Nobody wants to be the kid in high school that doesn’t have any friends because they lack communication skills, right? So many people who are aspiring to build a brand voice have valuable things to make and to say. Yet, they may not find the proper way to express themselves if they don’t take the time to think about something as important as their brand voice.
A brand voice contains elements ranging from personality to aesthetics. It comes from the inside but is shown on the outside. And this is why it is also important to be authentic and self-aware. Leaving a mark in the world does not come without added value and a lot of effort.
Although, if you are true to yourself, half of your work will be already done!
Are you ready to build your brand voice? If you want to keep learning about the process of creating a personal brand you can book a call with us here.
