Now that's out in the open, we can talk about what everyone really wants to talk about - the importance of brand voice.
Well, it is how we communicate. It is how we present the personality of a business or an organisation. Its values. It affects how we come across. It is in everything we say and do - and everything we don’t. So it’s pretty big stuff, but loads of businesses don’t get it right.
(also, to be clear, we are calling it brand voice for this article, but we will include tone as well - the nuances of use in different contexts - say, the difference between how the voice would be used on Tiktok vs LinkedIn, or on social media generally vs complaint handling)
When a company nails their brand voice, it personifies their business. It helps it to connect with its customers, smartly conveying its point of view and the values it lives by, and setting it apart from its competitors.
Think of IKEA. Everyone knows IKEA and, quite possibly without thinking about it too much if you are not paid to think about such things, you probably already know that IKEA presents itself as forward-thinking and practical, yet down-to-earth. Humorous and playful, but underpinned with common sense. Made for the masses. One of us.
It is consistent, and recognisable, and - without stating the obvious - it grew from what is great about IKEA, rather than the other way around. IKEA started by making well-designed, functional furniture, high quality but able to be mass-produced. Asking customers to build the furniture themselves allowed costs to be kept quite low, meaning good furniture was available to most people. Sustainability was important. Good furniture became lifestyle solutions, and focusing on making customers’ home lives better. IKEA’s brand voice encapsulates all of this, IKEA’s brand awareness is HUGE (95% in the UK) and we all get IKEA. We know IKEA. We understand its personality, and we understand what it does and what’s great about it.
You need to understand and define your audience - who they are, what they are after, what they respond to (well and badly). Obviously you need to understand your goals and your values. What are you trying to achieve, and what do you stand for?
Set some standards - what we always do, what we never do. Work out how you want people to perceive your organisation, and how you want them to feel about it. When you have answered these questions, you can start to understand your brand personality. Literally think of it as a person. If it was a person, what would it wear? A baseball cap? A tweed jacket? Is it warm and approachable? Is it expert and formal? Is it someone’s Mum? Someone’s science professor? How would it speak?
Get all of that into your Voice & Tone Guidelines and - DO NOT MISS THIS BIT - then share those guidelines. Share them with everyone in the company. Those on the front desk, the first person people are likely to speak to if they call the company or walk through the door. Share it with the sales people, share it with the production team, share it with HR.
Talk them through with existing staff, then make it part of the onboarding for new starters. Give them examples of how they might be used, and give them examples of the things ‘we NEVER do’. Most of all, give them to whoever is writing on your organisation’s behalf. Give them to whoever will be writing your adverts, your press releases, your product guides, or your corporate communications. If they are writing anything that represents the organisation, they need to know. Consistency in your messaging, at all points in which a customer or potential customer interacts with your organisation, will help give your brand a recognisable personality, allowing your audience to make a meaningful connection.
Pick a lane. You can’t be all things to all people. Decide what personality your brand has, and stick to it, otherwise it will just end up being muddled and confusing.
Don’t copy someone else’s tone of voice - it won’t work. Just because Innocent Smoothies can sign off with ‘with love, hugs and vitamins’ doesn’t mean your Accountancy firm should.
Would an actual human say it? Read it out loud. What you are after is a version of a sharp and helpful human being, who knows about your business and speaks in a way your customers would appreciate. Does it sound like a robot at a networking event? Does it sound like it’s trying too hard? Ditch it.You need to be able to honestly say it represents your business.
Keep consistent! As mentioned above, the people who write anything that represents your brand need to know the voice, and need to consistently apply it to all of the touchpoints with your audiences.
They're all different, different colours, temperatures, different tones, feelings, origins, structures. They echo your voice back at you when you shout, they're calming or violent.
Or, the honest answer... as Steven puts it... "everyone likes mountains.'
