brand voice guidelines

Does your brand have a unique voice, one that demands attention, that tells a story? Does it appeal to your target audience and draw them in? Does it help build relationships with them? Does your brand voice make your audience want to read more of your content? Does it make them more likely to follow you on social media? Does it build trust with consistency and personality? If it doesn’t, you need to rethink your strategy (or create one A.S.A.P.). Because building and maintaining a solid brand voice should do ALL of those things. Despite the advantages of having a specific brand voice, it’s surprising how many companies don’t take time to fully develop their own. 77% of brands have issues with off-brand content and struggle to maintain consistency in branding. They’re either skipping creating guidelines, or creating ineffective ones. Maybe the brand itself needs some work, or, marketers simply don’t know how to develop their brand’s voice. That’s why I’m here with today’s guide on how to create brand voice guidelines. I’ll expand on the benefits and share how some leading companies in unique industries have crafted individual brand voices customers recognize. This set of knowledge is a must for any marketer. Ready? Let’s get into it. 7 Steps to Creating Brand Voice Guidelines 1.    Understand WHY Brand Voice Guidelines are So Valuable for Your Organization 2.    Analyze Your Content & Audience for Inspiration 3.    Start with a Concise Description (Then Flesh It Out) 4.    Build Examples, Outlines, & Templates 5.    Ensure Your Brand Voice Guidelines Translate Well to Content 6.    Refine & Refocus in Small Increments 7.    Add the Supplementary Touches [bctt tweet=”77% of brands have issues with off-brand content and struggle to maintain consistency in branding. Are you on the right track? Read this 7-step guide on building brand voice guidelines ✅” username=”ExpWriters”] How to Create Brand Voice Guidelines in 7 Steps Creating brand voice guidelines helps guide and align your company voice with your goals, so it all meshes seamlessly. That way, every time your brand voice is used in content, on social media, on your website, and in emails and communications with your customers, it provides a great experience AND nudges you in the right direction, growth-wise. Let’s break down the seven steps to get going. 1. Understand Why Creating Brand Voice Guidelines Is So Beneficial You’re busy. You’ve got products to sell, subscribers to gain, and numerous other goals to meet. Why should you invest time in creating a brand voice? Because it can help you meet those goals. The bottom line is you want growth. Growth in subscribers, growth in exposure, growth in sales. According to a report from Lucidpress, brand consistency can improve revenue growth by 23% on average. Marketers were also asked about the percentage of growth attributable to brand consistency, with the results heavily skewed upwards. Source: Lucidpress Many of the qualities people want in their company can only come from a well-developed brand voice. If you want to really stand out, maintain a connection with your audience, and achieve reach across multiple channels, consistent brand voice guidelines are the answer. They can offer: Differentiation: Your content differentiation factor is what sets you apart from the competition. This is what will make your brand memorable. Remember, your brand voice is about how you say things, not just what you say. I’ll cover more about how to develop this in sections two and three. Recognizability: Being different isn’t the same as being recognizable, but the two go together. If customers find your brand memorable, they can recognize it quickly. They’ll know your catchphrase, your symbol, or even a single sentence that epitomizes your brand. However you get it across, your brand voice determines how you’re perceived and your memorability. Staying consistent with this presentation helps you stay fresh in the mind of your audience. Reach: Once you’ve got a consistent brand voice, creating content actually becomes easier. Whether you’re doing it in-house or hiring specialists, your brand voice gives you a head start. You’ll automatically have an idea of what format, style, and outline to use whether you’re creating content for a blog, mailing list, app, social profile, or eBook. Your brand will be able to reach viewers no matter where they are or how they prefer to digest information. Your brand voice guidelines help you build a better connection with your audience and serve as a way to streamline content creation. When your ideal audience member falls in love with your brand voice. “YES!” Instantly, your company becomes more efficient and your communication more impactful. [bctt tweet=”Why invest in creating your brand’s tone of voice? According to a report from Lucidpress, brand consistency can improve revenue growth by 23% on average.” username=”ExpWriters”] Now that you know why you should build a brand voice, the next step is understanding how. Before you can set out a detailed set of guidelines, you need a good starting point. 2. Gather Content Samples & Audience Insights for Inspiration To begin, gather samples of your content and see where you stand at the start. Does any of your content make you cringe? Or, do any of your pieces (or even individual parts of them) make you sit up straight and think “This is what I want the brand to be about”? Also known as a content audit or content inventory, going over your existing content can help you understand where you’re going astray with brand voice, where you’re hitting the mark, and what you can do to ensure it stays consistent in all content going forward. Audit your existing content with a checklist tailored to brand voice goals. Focus on the overarching message, headline, and supplementary media in each piece, especially. What picture are these facets painting about your brand? Is it the right picture? Source: Content Marketing Institute This checklist can be altered based on what data you have available. As you can see, a big part of getting insights about your brand and … Read more