When it comes to creating a brand voice online to feature across your digital footprint, including your website, social media platforms and customer service channels, focus on action and authenticity.
Your brand’s voice directly communicates your story to your audience. It breathes life into the content you create. Best of all, it’s unique – like a fingerprint – helping you establish a recognizable presence online.
Before we dig into how to develop that voice, let’s get started by identifying why it matters.
The Purpose of a Brand Voice
Voice is a distinguishing part of a person’s identity. When you recall what a familiar person’s voice sounds like, you might think of the tones they use or how their expressions reflect their personality.
It’s no different for brands. When a creative, consistent voice is established, brands have a clear direction for the content they develop and structure for the customer service they provide. Plus, a discernable voice helps set expectations for curious consumers looking to interact with you online.
5 Qualities of an Effective Brand Voice
First of all, what do we mean by “effective”?
In a nutshell, think of this voice as another vehicle that drives you toward accomplishing your brand goals. As you actively sell your products online, your voice brings life to what could easily be lackluster. It pumps personality into everything you say about your brand online. The voice is your spokesperson, your cheerleader, your representative.
So whether you’re selling products in a social post or responding to reviews online, let your voice do all the talking.
That said, here are 5 qualities to keep in mind:
1. Distinct
Every interaction online represents another opportunity to win over new customers and keep old ones coming back. For food and beverage brands, a little creativity goes a long way. Find out what tone you can take that sets you apart, be it humorous, playful, punny, or even sarcastic.
2. Interactive
Communicating with your audience is never one-sided, especially online. If you publish a post, send an email or reply to a comment, there will be a response. Make every conversation worth your consumers’ while!
3. Relevant
No brand dares the risk of becoming “tone deaf” to what’s happening in the world. Educate yourself and your team on what you should say and when, especially throughout more sensitive times of year.
4. Authentic
Otherwise known as: genuine. Consumers carefully see right through brands that attempt to say things that aren’t suited to them. Be real with your audience.
5. Action-oriented
Arguable the most important quality, an action-oriented brand voice sees each interaction as an opportunity to entice consumers to take valuable actions: add to cart, shop the store, visit the website, enter the contest. Let no call-to-action go to waste!
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How to Create Your Brand Voice
Now that you know the power and potential behind creating a brand voice online, consider the following tips to get started.
1. Brush up on your buyer personas
A buyer persona represents your ideal consumer, including their spending habits, shopping behavior, geographic location, and much more. Identifying or reviewing your buyer personas gives you a glimpse into the kind of voice your consumers could consider worth engaging with.
For instance, male millennial gamers making up the primary fanbase of the Call of Duty series frequently interact with Totino’s Pizza Rolls on Instagram thanks to their humorous content and special offer for players. Knowing your audience well is the key!
2. Identify your brand values
So what is equally as important as knowing your audience? Knowing what your brand stands for and how it wants to tell its story. Oftentimes, your values can align with that of your audience, making the voice you share with them become more familiar and engaging over time.
3. Premiere your content and track performance
In the end, the only way you can measure the effectiveness of your brand voice is to actually debut it online. You don’t have to lean in hard to certain character traits in the voice right off the bat – let it develop naturally over time as it settles in with your audience.
Track reviews, engagement, and follower or subscriber growth from the onset to help determine if this distinct personality supports your goals. Remember, you can always switch up your creative direction in small ways to make a big impact over time.