You've probably heard the term 'brand voice' before, but what does it actually mean? And why is it so important for your copywriting and marketing efforts? In this article, we'll explain what a brand voice guide is, how it can help you create consistent and engaging content, and what elements you should include in your own brand voice guide.
A brand voice guide is a document that defines and describes the tone, style, and personality of your brand's communication. It's a tool that helps you and your team write copy that reflects your brand's identity, values, and goals. A brand voice guide can cover aspects such as word choice, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, voice, tone, mood, and emotion.
"Writing stresses me out!" my client Samantha told me. A freelance graphic designer and brand consultant, she had a beautiful website that adhered to her brand guide's color and font specifications, but struggled to write effective web copy. Her social media messaging also began to feel off to her. To boost her confidence and better focus her writing, I crafted a brand voice guide to identify messaging that aligned with her brand. A brand voice guide is a navigational tool, providing clear direction for all brand messages. This investment simplifies writing, editing, and onboarding new employees, significantly reducing the time and effort involved. Now she said, "I could see how I could write things differently."
A brand voice guide is a document that defines and guides the tone, style, and personality of a brand's communication. It serves as a reference manual for anyone involved in creating content or interacting with customers on behalf of the brand. This guide ensures that the brand's messaging is consistently conveyed, fostering a sense of familiarity and trust among the audience.
Voice guides (or style guides, or tone of voice guidelines) must be practical. Nobody wants to read 100 pages about who you are, your history, and your values. But they do want to know what great copy and content is for your business, so tell them.
A brand voice guide can be incredibly beneficial for your copywriting and marketing. It can help you stand out from the competition by creating a distinctive and memorable brand voice, build trust and loyalty with your audience, save time and resources by streamlining the copywriting process, and enhance your brand image and reputation. A consistent and authentic brand voice can establish a strong connection with your audience, while a professional and polished brand voice can convey your brand's credibility, authority, and quality.
Brand voice guides are very useful for marketing teams. Everyone has their own style of writing. Having a guide helps keep everyone on the same page in regards to tone, voice, and goals. Also, when you're onboarding new staff, this is especially helpful to get them acclimated.
Consistency: A brand voice guide establishes a consistent tone and style across all channels, including website copy, social media posts, emails, and advertising materials. Consistency helps build brand recognition and reinforces the brand's values and personality in the minds of consumers. Differentiation: In a crowded marketplace, a unique brand voice sets a business apart from its competitors. A well-defined voice helps to distinguish the brand and creates a memorable experience for customers, leading to increased brand loyalty and engagement. Alignment with brand values: The brand voice guide ensures that all communication reflects the brand's core values and identity.
A brand voice guide is an investment in your long-term branding strategy. It provides a foundation for your brand's growth and evolution, ensuring that your messaging remains relevant and effective as your business expands and changes.
A brand voice guide can vary in its length and detail, depending on the needs and preferences of your brand. Generally, it should include a concise brand statement that captures the essence of your brand voice, a visual representation of your brand voice attributes, a checklist of dos and don'ts for your brand voice, and some samples of your brand voice in action. This will help you and your team write copy that aligns with your brand voice and differs from other brands. It also demonstrates how your brand voice works in different contexts and formats.
Tone and style: This section defines the desired tone, whether it's casual, formal, friendly, authoritative, or humorous. It also outlines the overall writing style, such as using concise sentences or incorporating storytelling elements. Language and vocabulary: The guide provides specific guidelines on the use of language, including preferred vocabulary, jargon, or technical terms to be used or avoided. It may also specify the level of formality or regional language preferences. Brand personality: This section describes the brand's personality traits, such as being innovative, trustworthy, or empathetic. It serves as a foundation for developing a consistent voice that aligns with the brand's essence.
Include aspects of brand personality and character traits. What are examples of brands and brand messaging that you do like? Also make sure to differentiate messaging and value propositions for each audience that you talk to, including internal audiences.
In crafting a brand voice guide, the right balance is crucial. My approach involves a blend of concise detail and practical examples. I start with the brand's positioning – including mission and core values – then detail key descriptors with clarifications and vivid examples. Listing essential words, phrases, and specific grammar and punctuation conventions is also part of my process. This ensures consistency and the establishment of a unique style, tailored to resonate with the brand’s target audience. A personalized method creates a brand voice guide that not only keeps copy on brand but also reflects each client's unique identity, fostering recognition, goodwill, and trust.
Creating a brand voice guide can be a creative and enjoyable process, but it also requires thorough research and planning. To begin, review your brand's goals, values, personality, and target audience. Analyze how your competitors communicate with their audience and identify their brand voice attributes. Then, choose three to five adjectives that describe your brand voice. Plot your brand voice attributes on a matrix or table and compare it with other brands. Afterward, create a checklist of guidelines for your brand voice, such as word choice, grammar, punctuation, etc. Lastly, write copy samples that demonstrate your brand voice in different contexts and formats. This way, you can ensure consistency and accuracy in your brand voice guide.
Research: Understand the target audience, industry trends, and competitive landscape to develop a voice that stands out while resonating with the intended audience. Define brand attributes: Identify the brand's unique attributes and values, which will shape the voice and messaging. Establish guidelines: Create clear and concise guidelines for tone, language, style, and specific vocabulary choices, ensuring they align with the brand's personality and values. Provide examples: Include examples of how the brand voice should be applied in different scenarios, such as customer support interactions, social media posts, or blog articles.
Once you have your brand voice guide ready, you can use it as a reference and resource for your copywriting and marketing projects. To make the most of your brand voice guide, it's important to share it with your team, review it regularly, and test it with your audience. Everyone who writes or edits copy for your brand should have access to the guide and understand how to use it. Plus, it should evolve and adapt to your brand's growth and changes. Testing your copy with your audience is key, as it helps you measure their response and engagement. With data and feedback, you can refine and improve your brand voice.
Ensure that you make your voice guide available to everyone in your company, and provide additional training or guidance that can be accessed by those that don't write very often. Whilst its common for copywriters/marketers to be very comfortable with your brand voice, consider those who are writing other documents, such as policy, who may not be as proficient. Keep your guidance clear, and with good examples that can be used as a template by all.
Onboarding and training: Share the brand voice guide with employees, agencies, and freelancers involved in content creation to ensure a unified understanding and application of the brand voice. Content creation: Use the guide as a reference to develop consistent and engaging content across various channels. Review and revision: Regularly revisit the brand voice guide to adapt and refine it as the brand evolves or new communication channels emerge.
A brand voice guide is crucial for consistency in messaging. It defines the personality and values of your brand, ensuring that all communications are uniform and resonate with your audience. For example, consider Apple. Its brand voice is innovative, sleek, and user-focused. All its communications, from product descriptions to ad campaigns, consistently reflect these attributes. This creates a strong, recognizable brand identity that consumers can relate to. Without a brand voice guide, your brand’s messaging could vary, causing confusion and diluting your brand’s identity. A solid, consistent brand voice builds trust, fosters loyalty, and improves overall brand perception.
Having a brand voice guide and using a brand voice guide is not the same. It does you no good to have a brand voice guide you don't utilize. Remember when you are writing for a client that the voice, tone, and style you use is to be that of the brand. Don't use your voice and then question why the message isn't getting across. At times it can be challenging to separate the two, but with practice, it will become easier. Also, make changes to the guide as necessary. Just because "that's how we've always done it" does not mean "that's how we will continue to do it." Societal changes and wavering trends can make changes a necessity at times. Be aware of what is going on around you so that you can make any necessary changes when they are needed.