Finding Your Brand Voice and Identity

Finding your brand voice is important for any kind of marketing success. Every brand needs a unique voice. According to Domo.com, the average time a new user spends on a webpage is 15 seconds. Assuming that the webpage runs fast and smooth, this means that brands have a mere quarter of a minute to make the sale. If the brand lacks a unique voice, then that sale is never going to happen. Finding and maintaining the right voice for your brand is crucial to its online success, but developing one isn’t always easy. Here are a couple of tips and tricks to help find the right voice for your brand.

Identity

The first thing to do is to establish the identity of the brand. If you were to explain what your brand does in one sentence, what would it be? A good template to follow is “We/I help _____ do/to ______ by ______.”

An example might be, “I help college-aged students to travel inexpensively by providing personal travel planning and consulting.”

Once you have established the brand identity, it’s time to move on to the next step.

Voice

Having a brand identity is meaningless unless it is combined with the right voice and delivery. Sure, a company might know what it stands for but does its target audience know what it stands for? If not, then business is going to be tough. An efficient way to find out how to represent a brand is to see what values the brand wants to represent and what consumers want within the brand’s industry. Check the web for popular search terms in your industry. This will give an idea of what people are looking for already.

Once this middle ground has been found, personalize the message. Every brand has something unique to offer, or else they wouldn’t be in business at all. Creating a brand voice that understands its consumers while projecting positive values that both consumers and company agree with is a recipe for success. If you like humor, check to see if consumers within the industry appreciate and want humor. Add a little bit of humor to the voice and brand. The same thing goes for all types of personalities. The brand voice should be unique to you and your consumers.

Evolve

The voice is going to change over time, whether one likes it or not. Things that were appropriate to say and joke about ten years ago are no longer appropriate today. Make sure to keep up with these changes. Brands that have built great reputations over decades can destroy years of work and lose millions of dollars with a message consisting of 280 characters. Be aware, be considerate, and be unique.

Stay Authentic

Over everything, remember who you are and the brand you are trying to represent. When finding your voice, do not pretend to be something you are not. People appreciate authenticity they can relate to. Many consumers are looking for the exact service your brand offers, so make sure the brand voice includes your personality and is tailored to their understanding. At Big Marlin Group, we have a brand and identity we are proud of that reflects our story. We help businesses find, keep, and expand their brand voice and identity. Check out the different brands we’ve helped already, and don’t hesitate to contact us on help you may need with your brand.