How to Build a Brand Voice That Matters {In 6 Steps}

1) MAKE AN IDEAL CUSTOMER AVATAR

To attract clients you actually want to work with, it’s important to know how to speak to those specific people. And we don’t mean simply talking at them; we mean making them feel like you’re speaking directly to their souls, two-peas-in-a-pod style. So, what’s the best way to know HOW to talk to the clients you want to attract? Knowing exactly WHO you want to attract. When we try to appeal to every person who could possibly use our service or product, we end up creating a diluted message that attracts just about no one {not what you want}. Instead, build your messaging around what most attracts your perfect client {singular}. To help you get some specificity on what your ideal customer avatar may look like, here are some simple questions to ask yourself:

• How old is my ideal customer?

• What type of social scene is my ideal customer in?

• Is my ideal customer gender specific?

• What does my ideal customer do for work?

• What does my ideal customer care about?

• What are three words that describe my ideal customer’s personality?

• How does my ideal customer view money?

• What does my ideal customer value in a service (or product)?

Once you have ONE PERFECT PERSON to focus on, it becomes easy to test all your marketing efforts against your avatar and ask yourself “Would this speak to my ideal customer?”. Be careful not to get bogged down in thoughts like: “Well, aren’t I alienating all these other potential customer types by doing that?”. No. No, you’re not. Just because “Annie Avatar” is your ideal customer doesn’t mean "Ronnie Random” can’t take advantage of what you offer. It’s not about alienating people, it’s about confidently pursuing your best possibilities and allowing yourself the room to say “yes” or “no” to the lesser ones because you have the advantage of a clear vision to build your brand voice around. We’re in the business of helping you get the six scoop ice cream sundae, but we’re not going to deny you the fudge, the sprinkles and the cherry on top if that’s your thing.

2) HARNESS THE FEELS

You may not be the touchy-feely-“let’s talk about the whispers of our hearts”-type {and that’s okay}, but in order to create effective marketing, you do have to understand that motivation stems from emotion {including the motivation to buy}. Our decisions about whether or not we like a brand are directly correlated to how that brand makes us feel, and even more deeply, how well that brand speaks to how we want to feel about ourselves. {You came for a psychology lesson today, right?}. Understanding who people want to be when they interact with your company is a key component in creating influence. Here are some handy questions to help you get IN THE FEELS of your brand voice:

• How do I want people to feel when they interact with my brand?

• I want my brand voice to make people ___________. {i.e. “think”, “laugh”, “relax”, “act”, etc}

• I want my brand voice to be ____________, _____________ and _____________. {i.e. “likable”, “down to earth”, “humorous”, “quirky”, “sophisticated”, etc}

• What first impression do I want my brand to leave?

• I want my brand to offer ___________, ____________ and ____________ to people. {i.e. “inspiration”, “education”, “value”, “reliability”, etc}

• I don’t want my brand to feel ____________, ____________ or _____________. {i.e. “salesy”, “desperate”, “pushy”, “inconsistent”, “stuffy”, “impersonal”, etc}

• I don’t like when brands make me feel: ____________________________. {i.e. “bombarded”, “stereotyped”, “unrepresented”, “non-conforming”, etc}

• Pro-tip: To help you with this one, try to think of times when you avoided a storefront or unsubscribed from a list and pinpoint the emotions you were feeling when you made that choice.

• My best communications skills are: ________________________________. {i.e. “good listener”, “insightfulness”, “analysis”, “honesty”, “humor”, “empathy”, etc}

3) STUDY YOUR HEROES

Put together a list of brands you love and get to work defining exactly what it is that makes each brand so likable to you. Ask yourself how the brand makes you feel, what approaches they use that appeal to you and how their brand voice comes across. For example, if you’re OBSESSED with Nike’s brand, you’re probably a bit of a DOER {someone who likes to get out and get sh*t done} and enjoy straightforward marketing that gets right to point {after all, you can’t get much more to the point than “JUST DO IT”}. The brand probably makes you feel inspired, motivated and like you’re part of a larger community of DOERs who thrive on the hustle. You can see how in a very short amount of time, a personality starts to come together based on something as simple as a brand preference. Once you have your favorite brands picked out and you’ve done the work to define what you enjoy about them, take a step back and identify the commonalities from each and how you mig