Why Your Brand Voice is Key to Connection and Growth
There are a few things in every marketing strategy that are easy to do but also easy to overlook. To paraphrase Jim Rohn, they’re "things that are easy to do but also easy not to do." These are the small shifts that can be absolute game changers - but only if we pay attention to them.
For the longest time, I couldn’t understand why my content wasn’t resonating. No matter how many hours I spent researching, brainstorming, and carefully crafting my posts, they’d fall flat. People weren’t engaging. It wasn’t just disappointing; it was deflating. After all that effort, I found myself questioning whether I was cut out for this at all.
Then one day, while scrolling through a marketing blog I follow, one article caught my eye. It was about finding your brand voice. The author highlighted how critical it is to discover a unique approach that truly connects with your audience. It was a thought-provoking moment - or so I believed at the time.
I had always believed that if I stayed factual and packed my content with value, people would naturally flock to it. Surely, they’d recognise how much thought and effort I put in and worship me for my amazing content. But I was wrong. Painfully wrong.
What I didn’t realise then was this: finding your brand voice is a lot harder than it sounds. It’s not just about what you say but how you say it, and there was a deeper challenge I hadn’t uncovered yet.
What is a Brand Voice, and Why Does it Matter?
Your brand voice, also known as your brand tone or messaging style, is the personality of your business in words. It’s how you communicate your values, mission, and identity to your audience. Think of it like a person’s voice: distinct, recognisable, and carrying emotion. Your brand voice is what ensures your audience knows it’s you speaking - whether it’s in an email, a blog post, or a social media caption.
Types of Brand Voices
Warm and Conversational: For businesses aiming to build a friendly and approachable connection (e.g., “Hi Artists!” from Nicky’s Atelier). This voice often uses inclusive language, poses questions to engage the audience, and prioritises relatability over formality.
Bold and Confident: Great for brands wanting to inspire action and energy (e.g., Nike’s “Just Do It”). This type of voice conveys authority, empowerment, and motivation, often with short, impactful phrases that leave a lasting impression.
Quirky and Fun: Ideal for brands that thrive on playful and memorable engagement (e.g., Innocent Drinks). This voice uses humour, unexpected phrasing, and a touch of irreverence to stand out and make the audience smile.
Professional and Trustworthy: Often used by financial consultancies, legal firms, or healthcare providers. This voice conveys reliability and expertise through clear, jargon-free language that builds trust.
Inspirational and Aspirational: Perfect for lifestyle brands or personal development businesses (e.g., a wellness coach). This voice uplifts the audience with motivational language and vivid imagery that connects to their aspirations.
How to Decide?
Choosing the right voice depends on your industry, audience, and values. For example, a financial consultancy might lean toward professional and trustworthy tones, while a toy company might opt for fun and energetic language.
Imagine two companies selling the same product:
Company A (Robotic and Distant):"Our product helps you save time and increase productivity. It is a solution tailored for your busy lifestyle. Our features are designed with efficiency in mind, allowing you to accomplish more with less effort."
Company B (Friendly and Relatable):"We know how busy life gets, and sometimes it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why we created a tool to give you a little breathing room. Imagine having more time for the things that matter most to you. Ready to make life easier? Let’s get started!"
These examples highlight how the choice of tone - whether professional, relatable, or aspirational - can significantly impact your audience’s engagement. Each tone connects in a unique way, reinforcing the importance of aligning your brand voice with your values and audience.
Understanding the concept of brand voice is one thing, but applying it to your own content can be a challenging journey - one I know all too well. It’s a process of digging deep to uncover something that feels true and resonates authentically. This is where I stumbled. I thought providing value alone was enough. I didn’t realise that the delivery - the voice - was just as important as the message itself.
My Journey to Finding My Brand Voice
When I started out, my voice was inconsistent. In one blog, I was overly formal; in another, I leaned too casual. To fix this, I analysed my past content by asking:
Does this sound like me?
Does it align with my values?
Would my audience feel a connection?
Adjusting and Refining
Through trial and error, I began experimenting with different tones, always measuring audience responses. One post’s warmer, conversational tone garnered more engagement than any others. This signalled the need to lean into an empathetic, story-driven style that resonated deeply.
The process of finding my brand voice wasn’t quick or easy. It took countless rewrites and a lot of introspection. At first, I mimicked the voices of others I admired - thinking that if it worked for them, it would work for me. Spoiler: it didn’t.
I’d write in a way that felt polished but lifeless, ticking all the technical boxes but failing to connect on an emotional level. It wasn’t until I got honest with myself that things started to shift. I asked tough questions:
What do I really want to say?
How do I naturally communicate in conversations?
What values and perspectives do I want to share?
The answers were uncomfortable at first. They required me to strip back the layers of what I thought I should sound like and focus on how I actually sounded. Slowly, I began experimenting with different ways of writing - trying out honesty, vulnerability, and even humour. What I realised is that my brand voice is warm, conversational, and relatable - a voice that focuses on meeting people where they are and guiding them to where they want to be. Each attempt taught me something new about how my content could feel more genuine, and little by little, things started to shift.
Tips for Finding Your Brand Voice
Understand Your Audience
To truly connect with your audience, go beyond surface-level understanding. Use tools like Google Analytics to track user behaviour, SurveyMonkey to gather feedback, or one-on-one interviews to uncover their challenges, goals, and desires. For example, I discovered through client feedback that many small business owners feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of marketing advice available. By addressing this pain point in my content, I was able to build trust and engagement.
Align with Your Values
Your brand voice should reflect your core values. Authenticity comes from being true to what you stand for - both as a business and as an individual. For instance, my value of empathy drives me to use a conversational and supportive tone, which makes my audience feel understood and valued.
Experiment and Refine
Don’t be afraid to test different tones and styles. Write, share, and pay attention to what feels natural and what gets the best response. For example, I tested a more humorous tone in one campaign and found that it boosted engagement by 30%, teaching me to incorporate lightness where appropriate.
Stay Consistent
Once you’ve found your voice, use it consistently across all your platforms. This builds trust and makes your brand instantly recognisable. For example, I ensure my email campaigns and Instagram captions always carry the same warm, approachable tone.
The Secret to a Strong Brand Voice
Finding your brand voice isn’t a one-and-done task - it’s an evolving process. Your brand tone and messaging need to adapt as your audience and industry change to maintain relevance. As your audience grows or shifts, their preferences, needs, and expectations may change, requiring you to adapt your tone or style. Similarly, industry trends can influence how your voice is perceived. For example, a formal tone that worked five years ago might now feel outdated in a more casual, digital-first world. Staying attuned to these shifts ensures your voice remains relevant and effective. As your audience’s needs and the industry landscape change, so might aspects of your voice. However, the core of your voice - your authenticity - should remain constant. Now that you have practical steps to refine your voice, here’s a final checklist to guide you:
Does my content sound like a real person? For example, instead of saying, "We strive to provide excellent service," try, "We’re here to help you feel confident every step of the way."
Does it align with my brand values? For example, if your brand values include transparency, ask yourself whether your content is open and honest, avoiding overly promotional language.
Am I addressing my audience’s pain points effectively? Consider creating content that directly speaks to a specific challenge your audience faces, such as "Struggling to save time? Here's how our tool helps."
Is my tone consistent across platforms? For instance, ensure that the warm, conversational tone in your email campaigns mirrors your social media posts and website copy for a seamless brand experience.
For me, this meant leaning into my quirks, sharing my struggles, and being unapologetically human. It was a scary shift at first, but the results spoke for themselves. My content started to resonate. People began engaging, not just with what I was saying but with how I was saying it.
If there’s one takeaway from my journey, it’s this: your voice is your most powerful tool for connection and growth. For me, leaning into a voice that prioritises empathy and storytelling transformed how I connect with my audience. Don’t shy away from it. Embrace it, refine it, and let it guide everything you create.
To end, let this be your call to action: spend time understanding what makes your brand unique, experiment with how you communicate it, and always keep your audience at the centre. The journey may be challenging, but the rewards - deeper connections, stronger loyalty, and lasting growth - are worth it.
Ready to Find Your Brand Voice?
If you’re ready to take the next step in discovering your brand voice, let’s talk. At NSR Creative, we specialise in helping businesses find their authentic voice and craft strategies that resonate. Schedule a free consultation today to unlock your authentic brand voice and start refining your messaging right away. Together, we can make your brand unforgettable. For more insights, check out our guide on crafting a content strategy to align your brand messaging across platforms.
