Brand Voice: What Is It, and Why Does It Matter?

When you’re building out a digital strategy for your brand, there are a lot of things to consider. And while they are all incredibly important, some of them can feel bigger and weightier than others. It’s really critical to keep your focus for your digital strategy on the things that will most benefit your brand and help you achieve your digital marketing goals, regardless of how big or small they seem. 

One of the things that can seem smaller and less significant – but actually has a large impact on your strategy – is brand voice. 

What is Brand Voice?

Anyone who has spent an hour or two on Netflix can help answer this question. There is a significant difference between the tone of The Office (yes, we know it’s no longer on Netflix, but don’t act like you haven’t watched it there yet) and that of The West Wing. Essentially, they have a different voice. 

The same is true in business. Your brand personality is unique and has a definite emotion that it invokes, and the way you communicate to your audience is specific and exclusive to you. The voice found in the content of a financial advisory company is different from that of a car dealership. This is something you probably realize intuitively: different brands have different tones, or different voices. And many of us intuitively realize when a brand is missing their mark. 

Why Does It Matter?

Don’t be deceived that brand voice isn’t as significant as other aspects of digital marketing and strategy. It may not be something that is as large or as in-depth as web design or digital ads, but it packs every bit as big of a punch. Your brand’s voice is significant because it plays a critical role in helping you to connect with your audience and prospective customers. 

We’ve talked often about the content you create for your digital marketing: how to determine which topics to write, what to share on social or email, and how to build out a successful keyword strategy. But devoting all the time and expertise in the world for these things is completely worthless if you don’t nail your brand’s voice. Get your voice wrong, and you will quickly lose your audience’s attention and engagement. 

3 Ways to Nail Your Brand Voice

Since the stakes are high with getting this right, we’re sharing three things to focus on to get your brand voice right so you can authentically connect with your audience and develop a relationship that is both meaningful and mutually beneficial. 

• Determine your tone. Is your brand serious, or playful? Are you humorous and a little snarky? Or are you sincere and humble? Your tone needs to fit your company, your team, and your work. If it doesn’t, you just come across as inauthentic. 
• Create transparency. Speaking of authenticity, people really appreciate it. Be transparent and honest with your communication. It not only builds rapport with prospective customers, it also increases trust with your audience. 
• Know your audience. When you know your audience and your buyer personas inside and out, you know exactly how your audience communicates. You know how they word things, how they “sound,” and the stance they will take. And you emulate this in your own communication. 

It’s impossible to build out a successful digital marketing strategy without content. And it’s impossible to create meaningful content without nailing down your brand’s voice. But identifying your brand’s personality and tone is just a small part of a successful digital marketing strategy. There is so much more involved in helping your brand connect with your audience. Learn more with our free offer below!