Before launching, a company is often still refining its identity and values, which makes building a strong brand voice right from the get-go somewhat of a conundrum. Without a deep understanding of the target audience, it is difficult to tailor a brand voice that resonates with them effectively. Moreover, for a company lacking a track record and customer feedback, gauging how the brand voice will be received and whether it aligns with market expectations presents another challenge.
Establishing a strong brand voice before a company launches sets the tone and personality of the brand from the outset to make consistent and memorable impressions on target audiences. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share effective ways for new companies to ensure that a clear and cohesive brand voice guides all marketing efforts and communications so that every interaction aligns with the brand’s intended image and messaging, which is crucial for a successful launch.
1. Personify Your Brand And Key Messages
Personify your brand along with the key messages. Pairing key messages with a persona is critical. Consider this: Your mom and best friend are going to sound different saying the same thing, right? It’s not just what you say; it’s also how you say it. Ensure everyone discussing your brand understands both your key messages and persona from the beginning, making it much easier to start strong. – Christine Wetzler, Pietryla PR & Marketing
2. Answer Three Key Questions
Begin by answering three key questions as succinctly as possible (aim for five words or less): 1. Why would someone be compelled to work with the company? 2. How is the company different from others? 3. What does the company and brand stand for? In essence, answering these questions ensures that the brand voice aligns with the company vision and values. The brand’s personality must build trust and credibility. – Dave Wendland, Hamacher Resource Group
3. Define Your Brand Personality
A company should define its brand personality, break down its target audience in detail and create key talking points that relate to its audience well ahead of launch. The brand should create consistent visual elements across all content silos (text, images, videos and so on) and conduct market research to align its voice with its customer needs. – Krishan Arora, The Arora Project
4. Identify Core Values And Principles
Identify core values and principles that resonate with your mission. Conduct targeted market research, articulate a clear brand persona and develop consistent visual and linguistic styles. Emphasize authenticity and align your voice with customer needs, employing feedback systems to ensure connection. Consistency across all channels is vital. – David Ramos, GFG Holdings
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5. Create A Strong Strategy
Begin by defining your messages, target audience and unique selling proposition. Craft your desired tone of voice and language, which should be synonymous with your brand. Embrace experimentation and feedback, and conduct pilots to gauge the audience’s response. To amplify your brand voice effectively, hire a public relations pro to help get you in front of the media and the public. – Nataliya Andreychuk, Viseven
6. Understand Your Target Audience
Understand your target audience and build your voice from there. Figure out what they are expecting and how you can go about exceeding those expectations. How are competitors missing the mark when they try to reach this audience, and how are you going to be different? Once you can answer these questions, a clear brand voice will emerge. – Justin Belmont, Prose
7. Know What You Stand For
The first question to ask yourself is, “What do we want to say?” If you do not have clear brand guidelines about your company and goals, then you will not have a strong brand. Start with what you stand for and your worldview, and then allow your design and content teams to create a strong message. Finally, revise as needed if it is not resonating with your clients. – Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
8. Be Transparent And Consistent
A company must be transparent and consistent with its brand identity. By defining your brand’s mission, values and personality up front and constantly relaying that message, you’ll understand what sets your brand apart from its competitors. – Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
9. Develop Brand Guidelines
To establish a robust brand voice early on, a company should define its core values, target audience and unique selling points. Create a consistent tone, language and messaging strategy. Conduct market research to align with audience preferences. Develop brand guidelines for employees and content creators. Finally, test and refine the voice through pilot campaigns. – Geoff Crain, Kingstar Media
10. Share Engaging, Authentic Stories
Establishing a strong brand voice starts with understanding the target audience. Next, define your brand identity and make sure it connects with your target audience. Ensure consistency across all platforms and use a distinctive tone and language that reflects your brand’s character. From there, share engaging, authentic stories to connect emotionally with your audience. Your voice is your brand’s identity. – Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions
11. Identify A Solid Messaging Platform
An authentic brand voice is rooted in a solid messaging platform. Never rush this process—establishing core messaging that reflects your company’s DNA and differentiates you from your competitors ensures an impactful launch. Exhaust your internal resources through stakeholder interviews, surveys and competitive press analyses to identify a brand platform that will resonate now and into the future. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications
12. Document Tone-Of-Voice Guidelines
To get a strong brand voice, new companies need to have a clear vision and document brand and tone-of-voice guidelines so everyone has a clear understanding. The only way to create a strong brand voice is to have something unique to say and then deliver it in a consistent way. – Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited
13. Assemble A Dream Team To Execute Your Strategy
Develop an impactful strategy and assemble a dream team that aligns with your brand messages. These elements are vital for maintaining consistency in your brand voice and communication. The strategy will provide a framework, while the team will effectively translate and convey this strategy to a broader audience in a consistent manner. – Michael Kuzminov, HypeFactory
14. Understand What Sets You Apart
Formulate the core mission, values and personality of your company. Understand the distinctive aspects that will set you apart from competitors and convey the desired perception you wish to create among your target audience. This fundamental groundwork will serve as the bedrock for shaping your brand voice. – Dmitrii Kustov, Regex SEO
15. Express The Heart Of Your Purpose And Mission
Identify your core values and principles that express the heart of your brand’s purpose and mission. Convey these ideals through every facet of your marketing, authentically and honestly. Ensure consistency in your brand voice across all communication channels by outlining key linguistic styles and tones representing your brand’s persona. – Stefan Pollack, The Pollack Group
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