Discover the Art of Defining a Memorable, Engaging, and Timeless Brand Voice...
Imagine this: Every day, you compete with about 10,000 other marketing messages for someone's attention. It's a battlefield out there, and the spoils go to the victor who can captivate, not just capture attention. Your weapon of choice? An irresistible brand voice that can make your business shine, no matter how big or small it is. That's why the time and effort you put into honing your brand voice before you even think about selling anything is a smart investment. Your message comes before your marketing. So, let's dive in and discover the 6 steps we use at CopyCat.London to help our clients craft an irresistible brand voice.
The Heart of Your Brand: Convictions
Let's start at the very foundation: "Why are you doing this?"
Your brand convictions are the soul of your business, reflecting your values and your team's values. They shape every part of your business, from your message and identity to your customer experience and policies.
And guess what? These convictions are often the secret sauce that draws people to your brand.
So, get those brainstorming hats on and pick at least four core values. Then, expand upon these by writing down a couple of sentences explaining what each value means to your brand. Good old-fashioned pen and paper will do the trick, or grab that electronic notebook you've been dying to show off!
Know Your Tribe: The Customer Profile
Now, let's tackle this question: "Who are you serving?"
While your brand voice is all about you, remember that everything you do should be for your customers. Align your values, message, and positioning to what your CUSTOMERS want.
If you haven't already, now is the time to create a detailed customer profile.
Leave no stone unturned! Understand their age, demographics, income, challenges they face, benefits they desire, their values, desires, and motivations. Find out what drives their actions and decisions. With these insights, you're ready to develop your messaging and brand voice.
Carving Your Niche: Positioning
Positioning is everything. Once you've nailed down your purpose and target audience, it's time to work on the 'how'.
This involves creating three key messaging assets: your mission statement, brand promise, and positioning strategy.
Your mission statement is like your brand's mantra, defining how you want to impact the world. It's your big picture, your grand vision.
Your brand promise, on the other hand, is all about your customers. It showcases how you help them overcome challenges and deliver on a significant commitment.
Your positioning strategy is where your mission and brand promise meet. It's the unique approach your brand takes to change the world and help customers achieve their desired benefits. This is where you stand out from the crowd.
Remember, there are plenty of similar brands out there offering similar products or services. So, why should customers choose you? What makes you better or different? With original and engaging messaging in a professional tone, you can capture your audience's attention and make a convincing case for why you are the best choice.
Your Brand's Soul: The Brand Story
Every great brand has a fascinating story to tell. It's what connects, captivates, and keeps customers loyal. It's the series of defining moments, challenging pivots, and late-night epiphanies that have brought you to where you are today—the Ah-ha moment, if you like.
While you might be tempted to keep your story under wraps, research shows that emotionally engaged customers are willing to spend up to two times or more on brands they are loyal to. In fact, 80% of customers are likelier to recommend brands they feel emotionally connected.
So, how do you forge this emotional bond?
Through a powerful and relatable brand story.
Storytelling is a crucial element in shaping your brand's voice and messaging. We bang on about it all the time at CopyCat.London. We love a bit of storytelling!
So, let's take a page out of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and incorporate these three pivotal turning points:
The Status Quo: This is your situation's old norm or origin that eventually led you to...
The Challenge: This is the problem, conflict, or adversity that disrupted the status quo and motivated you to find a solution.
The Discovery: This is the light bulb moment or resolution that led to a personal breakthrough - one your customers can emotionally connect with.
The Essence of Your Identity: Crafting Your Brand Personality
Every brand possesses a unique personality that's as real and relatable as a living, breathing human being. It's the spark that ignites your brand voice.
So, what's your brand's personality?
Is it bold and passionate? Or perhaps it's calm and soothing? Maybe it's even a little quirky? As you can probably tell, we're all about the quirky here!
To define your brand personality, envision your brand as a person. What would they be like? What would they sound like? How would they interact with others?
Now, using all these ideas, jot down adjectives that best describe your brand. Remember, your brand personality should reflect your values, mission, and customer profile. It's not just about being distinctive; it's about being authentic.
Harmonising Your Voice: Consistency is Key
Finally, we arrive at harmonising your brand voice. This is where you blend all the elements you've worked on - your convictions, customer profile, positioning, brand story, and personality - into a coherent, unified voice.
Your brand voice is the verbal part of your brand presentation:
The words you use.
The tone your content takes.
The language you choose.
The overall vibe you want to convey.Here's
A fun way to nail down your brand voice: imagine your brand is a guest at a party. What kind of impression do they leave? Are they thelife and soul of the party tearing up the dance floor, the wise old sage with several tales to tell, or the crowd-pleasing charmer?
Now, translate that into your messaging. Ensure it's consistent across all platforms - your website, social media, newsletters, and in-person interactions.
And voila! Hopefully, You've created an irresistible, engaging, and unique brand voice. One that doesn't just capture attention - it captivates. And most importantly, it's a voice that's authentically you.
Congratulations, brand warriors!
Looking for assistance crafting a powerful Brand Voice Guide? Get in touch with CopyCat.London today. We'll help you put together your Brand Voice Checklist so that you can improve your marketing campaigns, team building, and customer retention.