Establishing A Brand Voice

Photo by Thomas Le on Unsplash

“This widdle piddy went to market…” Tweety bird says as he pulls off one of Catstello’s toes from the wire he’s hanging onto in ‘A Tale of Two Kitties’. (1942)

But how does a business create a unique voice? Let’s review a few key components…

#1. What is your mission?  Without a Mission Statement, a business can get trapped in daily tasks without vision to continue moving forward.  “A mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making.”  Knowing your mission will lay the groundwork for building your voice. And when a team member comes across a question, the mission statement is the first place they can look.

#2. Do you know your values?  Along with the mission statement, your values create a framework for how your company and its team members operate, how the business grows, how to work with customers, and more.  A business may decide to settle on 3-5 values, or they may establish many more.
As a case study, here are some examples of how values have been ingrained into a few companies through their voices and mascots:

Zappos               Coca Cola                Whole Foods                 Marriott Hotels

#3. Know your brand. Besides the colors and font treatments you’ve chosen to represent your business, you may have words you use during presentations, sales pitches or networking opportunities.  You may also have a logo and other identity pieces you’ve designed and use to build your recognition in the marketplace. Ensuring that each element remains consistent in every use is important in maintaining the integrity of your business brand.

#4. Establish borders, and keep learning. Now that you’ve reviewed your mission statement, values and brand pieces, you’re better equipped to speak as your brand. Each element discussed above helps create a border, or fence line.  We encourage you to let the brand voice learning process be fluid though. If one or more of your values encourage a playful workplace, be sure your brand voice carries that charge through on the platforms you have a presence on. And always monitor comments and feedback for ways of clarifying your brand for your audience.

 – Jamie

About Jamie Teasdale

Jamie Teasdale founded Propel Businessworks, a small business development company, in 2009. Since then, she has been lending insight and creativity to businesses all over the U.S., giving them the tools they need to plan, promote, and prosper.