How to Develop Your Brand Voice Like a Pro

If you want your audience to recognize you as an expert and authority, you need to learn how to develop your brand voice and use it consistently in order to stand out in your industry.

New to the concept of brand voice? Think of it as the distinct personality a brand takes on specifically in its communications. Through the distinct personality you assign to your brand, your audience can get to know you and better understand the value of what makes your brand unique.

To Illustrate How Different Brand Voices Can Sound…

…imagine you are at a dinner party and you’re chatting with all the guests. In your mind, each person will be distinct from the others because of how they talk to you. There may be similarities, but no two people will use the exact same communication style. 

The same should be true for how your brand communicates to your target audience. This is why we are going to walk you through How to Develop Your Brand Voice Like a Pro so that you can stand out in the minds of your target audience and increase the odds of converting them into clients. 

Plus, we’ve thrown in some tips that we typically reserve for our paid clients. We love you, and you’re welcome.

Let’s dive in! 

How to Develop Your Brand Voice Step 1 – Locate Yourself On The Following Continuums

To establish the foundation of your brand voice, you need to think about how your brand will sound compared to other brands.

 Here is a pro tip we give our paid clients!

Brand voice continuums are a great tool for seeing which end of the spectrum you lean towards. We use these brand voice continuums with our paid clients, and they always help to illuminate the “pillars” of your brand voice, which we will expand upon in the next step.

• Friendly____________________Formal
  • Place an “X” on the spectrum where your brand voice will fall
• Professional________________Casual
  • Place an “X” on the spectrum where your brand voice will fall
• Unapologetic_________________Conservative 
  • Place an “X” on the spectrum where your brand voice will fall
• Dry________________________Humorous
  • Place an “X” on the spectrum where your brand voice will fall

Where you fall on these continuums will also signal to your audience what they can expect about the culture of your brand, which is essential for building community. Read 5 Things I’ve Learned About How to Build Brand Culture to learn more!

How to Develop Your Brand Voice Step 2 – List 8-10 Personality Attributes that Best Describe Your Brand

Brand personality is a set of human characteristics that consumers attribute to a brand. A strong personality makes the brand more relatable in the eye of the consumer, while also contributing to how your brand will sound through its voice.

When you take the time to establish a consistent set of personality traits that define your brand voice, you will be able to create brand communication that is memorable, distinct, and magnetic to your target audience. 

 Here is a pro tip we give our paid clients!

Below you will see a chart that we use as an exercise with our clients to help them describe how their brand personality traits will sound through their brand voice. To use this chart in your own brand, list out 8-10 personality traits that will represent your brand voice.

Need help coming up with descriptive words for your personality traits? Check out the helpful resource below!

• HELPFUL RESOURCE: Word List Describing People and Personal Qualities

How to Develop Your Brand Voice Step 3 – Create a “Brand Word Bank”

When your brand becomes associated with certain words, your brand messaging is more memorable, recognizable, and impactful. 

Are there words, phrases, and adjectives that you use to describe your product/service? What phrases and words do you use to describe the results you deliver? How will you use these words and phrases consistently?

Two words: WORD BANK.

A word bank is a list of words and phrases that you are already using in your brand consistently, OR are words and phrases that you want to be used consistently. This tool not only allows you to be consistent with your brand voice but can also direct your team members to communicate for the brand on your behalf.

To create your own word bank, use a journal or word document that includes at least 15 phrases that you want to associate with your brand. 

Want to take the word bank to exercise a step further? 

Here’s a pro tip we give our paid clients:

…do some brainstorming to extend your word bank to include terms that are regularly used in business. 

For example, what would your brand call a:

• Group of people? 
• Class?
• Newsletter? 
• Testimonial? 
• Services page? 
• Blog? 
• Information packet? 
• Kick-off meeting?

 How to Develop Your Brand Voice Step 4 – Create a “Word Style Guide”

Your brand voice is not only influenced by your brand personality and the specific words you use, but also by the way you style your words through punctuation, emphasis, abbreviations, etc. To see this in action, consider the following examples:

• “We are experts in the world of branding and marketing.”

VS

• “We are experts in the world of branding and marketing!”

See the difference? Even though these are the exact same statements, they feel and sound completely different. To apply word styling to your brand voice, consider which of the following punctuations markets you will use:

• . 
• , 
• ; 
• … 
• ! 
• – 
• () 
• >> 
• !!!

Want to take the brand styling process even further?

 Here are some pro tips we give our paid clients!

How will you style words that you want to draw emphasis to? Check the formats that you will use to draw emphasis.

• option 1 – REALLY IMPORTANT 
• option 2 – really important 
• option 3 – really important 
• option 4 – really important

Will you use acronyms in your writing? Examples:

•  AM/PM vs am/pm
• Minnesota vs MN
• United States vs USA
• Federal Aviation Administration vs FAA

How will you write dates?

• Oct 9
• October 9
• 10/09/2022
• October 9, 2022
• October ninth, 2022
• Sunday, October 9, 2022
• 9 Oct
• 9th October
• 9 October 2022
• 09/10/22

Will you use contractions? 

• Yes
• No
• Examples:
  • can not vs. can’t
  • do not vs. don’t 

How will you write URLs? 

• http://www.adress.com
• www.address.com
• address.com 

What pronouns will you use? Keep in mind that the pronouns you use will inform your audience if you are a solo entrepreneur or if you work with a team. 

Here is a pro tip we give our paid clients!

If you intend to scale your business to include forward-facing team members, then consider using pronouns that make it clear you are an organization, not just a single-member business entity. 

What point of view will you write from? 

• First-person (I, me, my, we, our)
• Second person (you, your)
• Third-person (your name, they, them, their, he/she/they/it, his/hers/theirs)

How to Develop Your Brand Voice Step 5 – Consider the Follow Situations

How you respond to common situations in your business is perhaps one of the most important places where you need to be intentional about your brand voice. Consider the following questions and think about how you want your brand to maintain its personality while still being appropriate for the context. 

1. Someone just ordered/invested in your product/service. How will you thank them? Pay attention to your word choice and personality in the message.
2. You want to invite someone to join your email list. How will you entice them to join? 
3. Someone writes to you with a product/service complaint or help request. How will you acknowledge their frustration? 
4. How are you going to greet your clients/customers when you speak to them or write an email? 
5. Will you give examples in your writing (certain metaphors? stories? stats?)

Keep in mind that how you respond to the above situations will also influence not only their perception of your brand but also their experience as a customer. 

Check out the following articles to improve both of these areas:

• 5 Fundamentals to Know About How to Influence Brand Perception
• Insider Expert Info on What Makes the Best Customer Experience

By taking the time to develop your brand voice…

…you give your audience the opportunity to experience your unique personality, which helps establish the trust you need to build meaningful relationships with your community. 

If you’re looking for support on how to develop your brand voice like a pro, we’re here to help! The Wild Womn Haus team specializes in all facets of branding and marketing, including your brand communication and marketing messages. 

Ready to take the next step in developing your brand voice? Book a Complimentary 30-minute Call with our founder and lead brand strategist, Tristan Thibodeau, who can walk you through the steps you need to take to establish a strong brand communication strategy for your brand!

Ready to book a Complimentary 30-minute Call? Click here to schedule!

About the Author

Tristan Thibodeau is the founder of Wild Womn Haus and is the brand strategist for entrepreneurs in the wellness, beauty, and lifestyle brand industries. 

She specializes in helping companies create and maintain their image. She works with market research, industry analysis, and consumer trends to offer strategic insights for brands so that they can enhance their marketing efforts and grow their bottom line. 

Tristan also hosts The Wild Womn Hotline, which is a podcast that features expert-level conversations for growing your brand in bold and strategic ways. Follow her on Instagram @tristan.wildwomnhaus and TikTok @tristan.wildwomnhaus. You can also follow the agency on Instagram @wildwomnhaus.