7 Steps To Determining Your Brand Voice

Steps to brand voice success

Growing up we all went through our awkward phases, trying to find our identity, style, and how we wanted to be represented to the public. The same transformation can take place in your professional development. There is a lot to consider when finding the brand “personality” for each of your communication platforms, and determining your brand voice is easier said than done. But with these 7 simple steps, you’ll be on your way in no time (without the embarrassing school photo with braces):

Be personable

If you’re looking for your brand voice, make sure that it’s just that: YOUR voice. I can guarantee that more people will enjoy reading your material if they know that it’s coming from someone relatable who is genuinely interested in the topics that they’re talking about. Use your personality to your advantage! If you are more serious, talk in a way that’s compelling. If you are more whimsy, talk in a way that conveys your unique style and humor. Which leads me to the next step…

Determine your audience

Determining your audience plays a large roll in finding your brand voice. Knowing who your audience is can tell you not only what to say but how to say it. Try to establish a target demographic: what is the age of the viewers reading your blog? What is your audience looking to take away from reading your material? Knowing who your key audience is gives you the advantage of connecting with that group and how to reach them effectively.

Find your tone

Knowing the tone that you want to get across can be part of what drives your content. Some questions to ask yourself are: Are you trying to be educational? A resource? Do you want people to come to you for information? For advice? For support? Once you decide your overall tone, it is important to keep that tone throughout your writing. Don’t confuse your readers by being funny one day and extremely serious the next. Which explains the next step…

Be consistent

Consistency is key! You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, but now it’s time to apply it! Being wishy-washy or going back and forth on your tone or your stance on a topic will make you look like an unreliable source and you will automatically lose readership. Stick to your guns! Own that tone! Consistency and confidence will take you far.

Make sure your content is worth reading

Anyone can type in a question to Google and get a stream of resources, straightforward answers, or forums to sift through. You need to come up with your own ideas, your own insights and your own opinions and convey it a way that grasps the audience and makes them want to come back for more. Simply copying and pasting from other sources isn’t going to do that. Gain the trust of your readers by being honest and transparent, and discuss topics worth reading about.

Find your “thing”

Practice makes progress! You may not know what works best for you and your audience until you try it. Don’t be afraid to try new things! You won’t know how your readers will respond until you see the statistics to back it up, so why not experiment and have a little fun with it? Try different mediums and find what your audience likes best, such as videos, blog posts, Q&A, or your own unique ideas. Once you see what your readers react to most positively, maybe start to hone in that particular “thing” and start to own it and make it what you’re known for.

Focus on the big picture

Remember why you started; don’t get caught up on statistics of how many readers you have right off the bat. Know that you have the potential to grow and try to enjoy the learning process! The best thing that you can do is go into the process of finding your brand voice with an open mind. It’s not just about the destination; it’s also about the journey. You will have trials and triumphs, so don’t forget to take a step back every once in a while and celebrate the baby steps you make!

Over time your brand voice will grow and develop and you’ll find your most fitting online personality. Don’t forget to be patient, learn from others and from your own mistakes, try new things, learn what things to never try again, reach out and ask others if you have questions or concerns while also staying true to your beliefs and overall goals, and follow these 7 simple steps. Once you’ve established yourself and have determined your brand voice, write to me and tell me about it. I can’t wait to hear your success stories!