Voodoo, schmoodoo! There's no dolls, pins, saliva, hair or anything when finding a brand voice packed with personality. Learn these magical powers to master your brand personality.
Defining the tone of voice for your brand is not just a task. It's a journey that can significantly boost your confidence in marketing, sales, and brand awareness.
A unique brand voice is not just a tool. It's a powerful force that can elevate your brand and transform your business. Imagine using it consistently across all your communication channels, from emails to social media, websites, phone calls, and packaging. The possibilities are endless.
If you run a service or product-based business, this is vital for you. When you have a strong voice, your staff can embody it in comms. It affects the customer journey in unimaginable ways. It brings life to your brand promise.
Research other magnetic brands
Start by examining 4 to 6 brands that you genuinely admire. These brands captivate you like a moth to a flame on a warm summer night.
Snoop over everything. I'm talking emails, socials, packaging, product descriptions, and websites. Anywhere branding touches. Maybe it's downloads or legally sniffed-out presentations; get your hands on content and look at how they humanise their brand.
Think about how they engaged you. What drew you in? If you love how it's written, others will, too.
Humanising your brand voice is key when talking to people, and there are loads of examples of brands that nail this.
Take Mountain Culture, a brewery in Australia's Blue Mountains. The About page on their website reads, "How can we brew a beer even better than the last? It's the question we ask ourselves every day. Sometimes at 3am, too." Give me more of that. It's aspirational and isn't a statement that puts its feet on the couch and says, "I'm done". The first question, "How can we brew a beer even better than the last?" works in two ways.
If they brew a bad beer, they'll improve the next. But if they brew a delicious beer, they're gonna make it even better. Mountain Culture has that little edge of self-confidence. They're not gonna say, "We just brew beer." How dull would that be?
Why should you care about irrelevant brands? It's research! You need to discover how other brands have built their personalities. Then, young padawan, you must apply that knowledge to your brand.
Get creative with your brand's personality traits
Combine your new knowledge with buyer personas, haven't got a buyer persona? See my blog, The Art of Attracting Your Dream Customers. This is where you start adding creativity to your copy. That hearty mix of buyer personas, personality quirks and knowledge of what works will start captivating your audience quicker than a sausage sizzle.
If Heaps Normal came in saying, "Buy our non-alcoholic beer, it's great." They wouldn't even get a look in here.
They're doing things differently – a non-alcoholic brewery shifting the drinking culture to a more mindful experience. If you look over their website, their copy has serious swagger and confidence. It's super engaging. Here's a little extract, "Whether you are meeting a few mates after work, catching a gig or having a Barbie. The traditional alternatives to alcohol suck. The options at most pubs, bars and restaurants in Australia are sugary soft drinks, tea, coffee, or water. Not exactly an inspiring night out."
By exploring personality traits like assertiveness, raucousness, cautiousness and sheepishness, you too, can paint a vibrant picture of how your brand talks and acts.
Look at:
- How they walk. Are they dawdling, fast-paced, awkward?
- How they talk. Do they have a really good rhythm? Do they use slang? Is it really formal? Is it really brash or super intense?
- How they dress, be specific — are they off to a job, a meeting, a night out, or a wedding?
- The brand values. How would they react when someone has a conflicting opinion?
- What they talk/think about.
- What they drink. Are they a quadruple shot latte on soy? Or are they English tea?
Get into it and have fun. All those extra details add depth and personality. This is what people engage with. And if your not sure how to do it, test our robot...
Find balance in your tone of voice
Our personalities are complex, and so should be our brand's voice. It's not about being one thing but about finding the right balance. This guiding principle can help you navigate the complexities of brand voice development.
Some branding agencies refer to personalities as dualities, where we have contrasting thoughts on a topic. Except people don't like being labelled.
Humans also contradict what they say and do, so it's essential to balance this. To do this, I use a game called This, Not That. Essentially, you're highlighting a dominant characteristic of the brand's personality but finding balance.
These are things like we are confident, not cocky. We're experts but not bossy. We're humble but not weak. Concise but not dull.
Listing these can solidify your brand's personality and give you quick tips to jump to when you're stuck writing content.
Discovering your brand voice
First – analyse brands you love, find their human qualities and consider which bits resonate with you and why.
Second – combine that knowledge with your buyer/customer personas and dream up a brand personality they'd love. Think about entertaining and educating your customers. Throw in personality quirks, and check out the bullet points above for inspiration.
Third – balance out the voice. Don't go too far with one of those personality traits you are dreaming up.
Soon enough, your brand personality will take shape, and storytelling won't be as awkward or confusing as it was. You'll be left with an authentic, natural, fun, and fruitful way of marketing your brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is brand personality?
Brand personality is the set of human traits and characteristics associated with your brand. It defines your tone of voice, language style, and emotional traits, shaping how you communicate with your audience across every channel. When you give a brand a distinctive personality, you give people a reason to fall in love with it.
How do I define my brand's tone of voice?
Start by examining 4 to 6 brands you admire and analyse why you love them so much. Then define specific guidelines covering vocabulary, sentence style, humour, and formality level. Test it across different channels to ensure consistency.
Why does tone of voice matter for branding?
A consistent tone of voice builds trust, strengthens brand recognition, and makes your marketing more effective. When your staff embody it in communications, it transforms the customer journey and brings your brand promise to life.
