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There are so many layers to your brand outside the visual aspects and one of those is your brand voice and tone. We talk about this a lot with our branding clients; so much goes into your brand strategy like your mission and vision statements, brand personality, and values. We actually did an episode on brand strategy vs. brand design that breaks it down! Today, we’re just focusing on your brand voice and the tone that comes with it. If you don’t have a clear brand voice or don’t even know what that means, this episode is for you!
What is Brand Voice?
Here’s how we describe brand voice to our clients and define it in our style guides.
- This describes how you talk with your audience across all channels of communication.
- Your brand voice makes you sound like you, regardless of where you show up.
- It should be an extension of your personality and values.
Simply put, it means that if someone reads your Instagram caption, then your website, then listens to you on a podcast, it all should sound the same!
It’s deeper than just a voice. Your brand voice and tone should reflect your brand’s personality, values, and overall vibe. It shouldn’t feel foreign or not like you. You embody your brand, and your brand voice and tone should portray that!
The power of a brand voice should not only communicate what your business does but also connect emotionally with your audience, turning potential customers into loyal advocates.
How To Find Your Brand Voice if you don’t have one defined yet
Not sure what your brand voice is? You can start to define it by asking yourself the following questions. Then, use your brand voice everywhere you market yourself: Instagram, your website, emails, podcasts, blogs, etc.
1. Who is your audience?
Your brand voice should speak directly to the people you want to reach. Understanding who they are, what they care about, and how they communicate will help you tailor your voice to resonate with them.
Really think about who they are as a person AND as a business owner. These are some questions to consider about your audience:
- How do they talk?
- How do they like to be spoken to?
- How do they interact with family and friends?
- Are they introverts or extroverts?
- Do they like to be called out or take offense by it?
- Do they want a friend, an expert, or both?
2. What are your brand’s values?
Your brand voice should reflect your business’s core values and personality. This ensures that your communication is authentic and aligned with what your brand stands for.
Here’s an example of incorporating your brand values into your voice. Let’s say you are a wellness brand and part of your brand values is to encourage a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Your voice is defined as calm, holistic, and nurturing.
Then you post something on social media about “Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Fitness Craze!” talking about how you need to jump on wall pilates right now to lose 50 pounds and have abs. This definitely isn’t giving a balanced, nurturing vibe. It’s going to make me think you are into quick fixes and the urgency might instead make me feel stressed out or behind on my own fitness goals.
It contradicts your brand values of being calm and nurturing. Instead, you would want to post something about being patient with yourself as you work toward your fitness goals.
3. What do I NOT want my voice to be?
Sometimes it helps to define what your voice is NOT before you start to think about what your voice actually is.
For example, here are some things that Duo is not:
- Exclusive
- Serious
- Bold (Minnesota Nice holds us back a little.)
- Formal
- Authoritative
- Luxury / High End
- Nostalgic (We don’t focus on the past. Look forward, bright, excited, new age)
Think about the vibe you don’t want to give off to your customers. Again, this goes back to understanding your customers and what they wouldn’t resonate with.
4. What voice does my current content give off?
If you already have a website, plug some of your content into ChatGPT and ask it to analyze the voice. This can give you an idea of the vibe you’re currently giving off and make changes from there (ChatGPT can also help with that!)
Try this ChatGPT Prompt: Can you analyze this [insert content] and use some unique adjectives that would help define my brand voice?
What’s Duo’s Brand Voice and Tone?
We already said what we don’t want our voice to be, so now we’ll share what we DO want it to be. Our brand voice was built around these adjectives, which is why we get comments all the time from our audience saying we’re fun and outgoing and they feel like they know us as friends. (We LOVE that about our brand!)
Relatable – Your tone is down-to-earth and shares personal experiences that many in your audience can connect with, making your brand feel approachable and human.
Encouraging – You inspire your audience to take action and reassure them that progress is possible, even in the face of challenges.
Authentic – You’re open about the realities of life and business, sharing both the good and the bad with honesty and transparency.
Empathetic – You understand the struggles your audience faces and speak to them in a way that shows you genuinely care about their journey.
Motivational – Your content is filled with calls to action and a positive push to help your audience take that next step toward their goals.
Playful – You use humor and a light-hearted approach, making your communication fun and engaging while still delivering a meaningful message.
Inspirational – You lift your audience up, helping them see the potential in their own “one day” and encouraging them to start making it happen now.
Nurturing – Your voice is caring and supportive, offering guidance and advice that helps your audience grow, both personally and professionally.
Sincere – The honesty in your messaging builds trust, making your audience feel like they’re receiving genuine advice from a friend who has their best interests at heart.
Download our free brand voice workbook to help you build out your brand voice!
Once you have some adjectives to describe your brand, gut-check everything you put out into the world. Does it feel aligned with that list? Post the list next to your desk. Infuse it in all your content and SEO metadata. Live and breathe your voice!
And take this quiz to see how strong of a brand you have!
If you liked today’s episode on The Duo On Air Marketing Podcast, don’t forget to leave us a review & subscribe!
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts, educators, and co-founders of boutique marketing agency Duo Collective, which specializes in SEO, social media strategy, and branding for small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. To learn more about Duo Collective, or to inquire about working with our team, head over to www.duocollective.com.
To inquire about being a guest on Duo On Air, please fill out this application form.
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