The ultimate guide to creating a memorable and authentic brand voice as a coach or a soulful service-based business owner
Maya Saric
Empowering service-based businesses to streamline content creation & management, freeing up valuable time and energy to foster business growth, enrich client relationships, and prioritize personal well-being.
(So you can stand out like a flamingo ?? in a flock of pigeons)
Have you ever wondered why (oh why + the ugly cry) you’re not building your audience as fast as you’d like to…
Why you don’t bring in more leads so that you can make more sales…
Even though you’re doing EVERYTHING business coaches tell you to. Of course, there could be a number of reasons, but in this article, I want to bring your attention to the importance of your brand voice, otherwise known as verbal brand identity and help you build or boost yours.
A distinctive brand voice, especially if you’re a personal brand - soulful service-based business owneress, course creator, or a coach - will help you attract your ideal clients, bring about your tribe, and have them watch for and listen to what you have to say over and over again.
The more distinct and coherent your verbal brand dentity is throughout all your communication channels, the more recognizable and memorable it will be.
This is not to say that the WHAT of your content is less important than HOW you communicate it - but it does play a significant role you don’t want to dismiss if you’re serious about serving your audience the best you can and filling your bank account in the fastest and the most effective way.??
Yet, I see so many service-based business owners, like course creators, coaches, consultants, VAs… have their color palettes, logos, and fonts all figured out…
Some even mention their values here and there, but they fail to work out a truly distinctive communication style, a brand voice that encompasses their vision, mission, values AND phrases, figures of speech, and sentences, along with powerful words, that altogether fuse into a unique messaging style that helps them stand out and attract their ideal clients.
How about an illustration?
Compare:
Both ladies are business mindset coaches. But which homepage headline makes you raise your eyebrows?
Which one makes you feel more excited, interested, more curious to keep exploring?
Figuring out and documenting distinctive elements of your brand voice will enable you to easily replicate it anywhere you talk or write.
And as a result - your target audience and ideal clients will recognize you and remember you, and it will significantly impact the know, like & trust factor which, as we all know leads to
So how do you create a remarkable, authentic, memorable verbal brand identity?
Think of it as a layered cake with a cherry on top.
At the bottom of the cake - you need to ask yourself some tough questions for your brand, like - What vision do you have for your clients (and your brand) What’s your big WHY?
Let’s do an exercise. Take a few minutes. Breathe and calm down. Leave everything else you're doing right now aside. Close your eyes. Imagine your favorite client. The one whose “Yass, I made it!” happy dance would make your entire week!
And then picture what they are up to now after they’ve worked with you.
How does it feel for them to wake up in the morning? And what about an awful traffic day - how does it differ compared to how it felt before working with you? ????? What do their conversations with their loved ones/colleagues/friends look like now? What do they secretly think when they look in the mirror now, after working with you (as opposed to how they felt before)?
Got it? Good.
Stick with me here, because here's the kicker:
How does your vision translate into your brand voice? What words, sentences, and phrases will you use on your website, in your pitches, newsletter, sales pages, and social media posts?
Let me give you my example to illustrate:
My vision, for you, my dear soulful enterprenerus, is to have enough free time, and cash to work as much or as little as you like, and use your precious time either to transform more of your clients' lives or spend quality time with your kids, develop and grow your business, or do absolutely no-thi-ng. Zilch. Nada (while a super energetic babysitter has your kids for the day).
So, the words I use in my copy to paint the vision I have for you are: work on your business, not in it, outsource, leisure, guilt-free Netflix binge-watching, walk in the forest, mindfulness,? self-care, soul nurturing, kids-free, kiddos, family time, memories, joy, ease, headspace, free time, save time, time off, etc.
And now it's your turn :-).
Genuine brand values and beliefs are at the core of every authentic brand voice
What does your brand stand for? What do you want to be known for? The list of possible values is absurdly, ridiculously, and dauntingly long, but, it’s your job to discern 2 - 4 most important ones that you want your business to stand for both “on paper,” and in your day-to-day comments, posts,? launches, and actions.
Here’s the list of brand values to get you started:
PROtip: Don’t just circle the words. Put them to use in your sentences and explain what these values truly mean in your business, and for your future clients.
Somethin’ like this:
Let your audiences’ language be a part of your brand voice - it’s theirs, so they’ll recognize and remember it.
The more your content echoes what and how your ideal clients think, feel, and talk about, the more you’ll win their hearts and wallets. Simple as that. So, if you don’t already “speak” your ideal clients’ language do your leg work and go through the:
And then note what words and phrases your ideal clients use when it comes to describing their pain points (that you solve), and the outcomes (that you sell ??).?
PRO tip: Strip away most of the jargon from your copy.?Why most and not all? Because SOME of the relevant jargon, ideally that your ideal clients are already used to, will help you build authority and credibility.
And another one: If you want your website content to be ultra-relevant to your ideal clients, download my FREE Sharp Questions For Web Content That Works Workbook.?
And we don’t stop here.
Keep building your distinctive brand voice aka communication style?aka verbal brand identity
I have both bad and good news for you.
Bad news - even if you’ve done all the squinting meticulously and learned all there is to know about your ideal clients and set solid foundations for your brand - you’re still pretty much like everyone else in your industry.?
You still blend in.?
Like a pigeon in a flock of pigeons.?
A beautiful one.?
But a pigeon is a pigeon.
Even if you’ve super-heroically niched down, you still need a special guac recipe to set you apart from your competition and attract YOUR people - those whom you'll enjoy working with the most and who will benefit from working with you the most.
The good news is that this article doesn't end here (and if you’re tired - save it for future reference, so you can refill and keep building a unique communication style that will make all the difference).
Or move on to crafting that next layer now.
“How?” you ask.
As it so happens, it all comes down to asking the right questions. And the key question here is:?How do you want your audience to feel when they read the stuff you write?
Because the truth is: unless you make them feel wickedly informed and inspired, entertained, encouraged, empowered, or even pissed off and furious (not at yourself, obviously), your content will only be just an open tab in an indefinite sea of open tabs and windows.
And after answering that key question, go after a bunch of other questions, and examine your own, natural way of communicating.
Ask yourself:
Roughly speaking, all of the communication styles fall into 1 out of 5 wonderfully different brand personas I recognized and documented by observing and soaking in the communication styles of entrepreneurs and business owners I worked with, admire and/or follow:
See which verbal brand identity aligns with your brand the most.
Teachers are thought leaders and often radiate authority. They usually share a lot of valuable and foolproof knowledge. They use examples, statistics, case studies and showcases in their copy. Their communication style is down-to-earth and sometimes serious and dry, but friendly. The copy is detailed but tight, without many digressions, stories, proverbs, quotes, anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, similes etc. This style mainly dominates the corporate-style copy big companies use and the content of business owners that serve them. On the downside - the teachers' copy may appear too dry and "stiff" to their website visitors and readers.
Nothing cracks up the Entertainer's audience better than their stories, anecdotes and metaphors - and they are the kings & queens! The Entertainers’ brand voices are playful, quirky, and FUN to read. They’re not afraid to break the rules and have fun with their visitors. They use strange words like zingy, sucky, or gobbledygook, and are never afraid to show imperfections in their copy and use storytelling, metaphors, and analogies to make people love them for their flaws. The drawback to their style is the danger to appear too friendly and people-pleasing, thus not being taken seriously.
The Inspirer is their audience’s chief cheerleader! When the Inspirers' fans and followers feel down, they’ll visit their SM channels. When they need encouragement, they’ll think of what their fave Inspirer would say. The Inspirers' language is trendy and their ideal clients are their buddies. They use slang, buzzwords, and are often masters of hype. And they use stories, idioms, and exaggeration in their copy, with little respect for formal grammar rules. Their ideal clients feel energized and pumped they read such content and always come back for more.?On the flip side, Inspirers can take the hype too far and underestimate the value of actionable tips, info, education, and explanations in their content. As a consequence, their audience can treat them as live memes - coming back for pep talks, but going elsewhere to invest in services.?
Rebels take BS from no one! They are true experts in their industry, and they proudly share stories about how they earned their battle scars. Their brand voices are full of confidence and attitude, and they do not steer away from using bomb words ??. They also provoke their audience, bust industry myths and start controversies. Rebels use powerful words in their communication. They also usually conspire with their ideal clients against certain industry trends, ideologies or approaches. The rebels are masters of polarity. In their copy, the Rebels will often rely on emotions of anger and frustration in their ideal clients to provoke a reaction and desire for change. Their language invites action.?
The downside: Sometimes, they take it too far. An occasional f-word is OK, as is a fine rant, but too much revolt can appear not client-focused and too many "orders" can be intimidating. Likewise, if Rebels aren’t careful, their content can sometimes be too harsh and lack compassion and empathy toward the very people they're trying to help.
Goddesses make their audience feel the divine has never been closer. They are queens of stimulating their readers’ intuition and waking up suppressed desires. Their brand voices summon up their ideal clients’ inner princesses, divas, and goddesses, empowering them to unapologetically "demand" what they want and deserve. The Goddesses paint with their words. Their romantic and whimsical copy brings divine and "hidden" reality to light and their voices speak to their target audience’s inner selves, vulnerable selves, inner children and suppressed desires. Their usage of sensory words and phrases, devices and stories in our minds makes all of us feel ANYTHING is possible.?
The risk for Goddesses is to use too many vague words that everyone can interpret as they please. Likewise, unless their audience is already familiar and on board with the "woo" language, and if they don't share practical tips, exercises, meditations etc., the Goddesses might repel clients they would enjoy working with.
Do tell me in the comments - what brand persona dominates your writing?
Obviously, it's not possible to squeeze your whole communication style into only one persona.?It’s a mix.?
But it's a start and recognizing “the persona” that dominates your writing as well as keeping an eye on "the traps" will help you enrich and boost your style to make it more recognizable and memorable.
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Spice up your verbal brand identity with figures of speech
Whatever brand persona best describes your style you can always enhance it and make your texts more engaging and vivid, by animating your readers with a figure of speech, like:
Metaphors
In other words, you can use metaphor to put 2 phrases in a certain relation:
Your brand voice is your business’s interior design - from concept to lighting it’s the vibes it creates that make your visitors take interest in the individual items (or not).
Similes are the same as metaphors, except that they encompass as or like:
Your brand voice is like your business’s interior design - from concept to lighting it’s the vibes it creates that make your visitors take interest in the individual items (or not).
Or:
Stand out among your competition like a flamingo in a flock of pigeons.?
Analogies are yet another mighty figure of speech.
Here's an example:
When creating and upgrading your brand to represent your business - think of yourself as a robot engineer. It's your job to design how the brand will look visually, determine how it will behave & react in different scenarios, what its personality will be like, and how it "sounds and feels" when it talks and writes.
Hyperbole is a? figure of speech that uses gigantic exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis.
A few examples:
? Turn your website into a money-making machine
? You heard this story a gazillion times
? Learn how to get inside people’s brains
Slang
The rule of thumb when it comes to using slang words in your copy is to know your audience as the back of your hand. So, as much as I’d sometimes like to say: “Heyya girl! Let’s make some dough!” I know my ideal clients are serious women, maybe chill and young-minded, but definitely not Gen-Z.
The same goes for you and your audience.?
Also, slang words tend to come in and out of fashion quickly, so to use them is usually to experiment. On the other hand, slang words are great for refreshing and jazzing up your content.
Storytelling
Your story matters. Even though your website (as an example) is about your clients, at some point, the visitors will wonder: “Who’s hiding behind the curtain,” aka “Who’s the person behind their business?”
So, if not anywhere else, use the About you section on whatever page of your website not to bore your readers to death (hyperbole) with your bio, but to intrigue them with a? drama about your own business journey (with a happy ending, explaining why you’re the best person to serve them).
Somethin’ like this:
Mind the rhythm
When you finish writing your piece check its rhythm and flow.? If you’re inclined toward a more informative, straightforward, "watch-TV-if-you-want-to-be-entertained" style (Teacher), I suggest you pick up the pace and make your copy more dynamic like this:
? Vary the length of your paragraphs. Sentences. Use one-word sentences. Use ellipses...
…They’re my favorite because they suggest there’s MORE juicy stuff coming up.?
? Use questions. Are they great for creating friction in your copy, or what?
? But be mindful - if you have Tons. Of. One. Word. Sentences and questions - take it down a notch.?Inspiring and entertaining communication is great and all, but your readers don’t want to be interrupted every 2 seconds. One friction too many and they’re out a page.
Words are bricks in any content that represents your communication style. Make them count.
Avoid hollow words (don’t be lazy)
Copy that’s not specific is wishy-washy. Doesn’t really make your readers buy into whatever you’re talking to them about. The trick to attention-grabbing copy is to know your audience well and be specific. And the secret to being specific in your copy is to ask questions.
Here’s a real-life example from a coach’s website:
Stop undercharging your services & expertise - own your truest value!
But whom is she talking to? A doctor? A VA? A language teacher?
It "works" for all, hence, if this coach’s ideal client is, say, a creative (a copywriter, photographer, graphic designer...) that creative won't recognize the coach is talking to them!
But, if our coach discovers in time that their ideal client is, in fact, a digital nomad who seeks a more luxurious lifestyle: infinity pools, cocktails, deluxe hotel rooms and fancy outfits...
They can get more specific and concoct a headline that eventually reads something like this:
Stop undercharging your creativity, talent, and emotions you invest in your work
Own your truest value and dip your toes into your own infinity pool whenever you are it instead!
See the difference?
Similarly, avoid the meaningless gobbledygook, like: “high-quality, top-notch, leading, awesome, cutting-edge” etc. in your copy.
A wee bit example of fine - painting with words: Instead of the plain:
If you’re passionate about carving out more free time in your business and life…
??????????
? If you’re fanatical about carving out more free time in your business and life…
? If you’re deadly serious about…
? If you’re unapologetically committed to carving out more free time in your business and life…
? If you’re absolutely infatuated with the idea of having more free time in your business and love…
Choose your authentic theme and weave it into your brand voice
Your vision, why, values and beliefs make the core of your brand, yes. But the topics and themes that are unique to you and your experience and that are personal, human, and not necessarily business-related are, in my humble opinion, just as crucial to making your brand distinctive and captivating as the core of your brand itself.
It can be your hobby, obsession, food or drink preference, a TV show you can’t shut up about, your nomad life, your kiddos, pet, your condition, your favorite book genre, your secondary business, your passion for sustainable living, or juggling fire torches.?
There are thousands of business coaches out there. But you can be the only one whose foot blisters tell the story about your love for hiking…
Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying your ideal clients will buy your program because of your foot blisters, but telling the story about how you earned them will catch their attention, and assuming you check all the other boxes, the blisters can easily tip the scale in your favor.
Just like there are hundreds of social media strategists, but dog owners slash business owners will remember YOU if you’re the only one who recorded jumping up and down because your puppy finally “did their business” outside after you consistently reported on your efforts to teach him/her - without seeing the results.
(Well, except in your living room ??).
Here are a few examples of how you can include your “theme” in your website copy:
By the way, this is a great example of the brand theme and values mixed together in an About me section on a homepage.?
And here’s another great example:
Lock your words into your personal brand voice vault
Time for you to eat the cake from the beginning of this post. Bottom to top.?
I suggest you create a special document, your brand voice vault or a word bank, where you’ll document the words, phrases, and sentences that describe and represent:
Last words of wisdom: Don’t be afraid to stand out! Your quirks make you special, your imperfections, interests, the way you do business, and your opinions and PoVs make you special. And the more you share them, the deeper you understand your unique way of communicating, and the more appealing you'll be to those who'll love working with you the most and vice versa.
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And if you want my attention on any aspect of your messaging, or you'd like to explore hiring me to take copywriting off your plate, feel free to DM me. We'll set up a Connection Call to see if we're a good match and take it from there