What's up brand builders Stephen Houraghan here at BrandMasterAcademy.com and in this
video you're going to learn what a brand voice is and how to create a unique tone so you can create
a nuanced style of communication for your branding and marketing
that'll make your brand sound and feel like a real live person
now if you're new to the channel and you want to build brands that go beyond the visuals using
strategy psychology and creative thinking then you're in the right place hit that subscribe
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now there are concepts in business that you absolutely need to have any chance of survival
a market with a want or a need a unique position and an offer that they want now
although a unique brand voice doesn't sit on the top rung of brand must haves
its absence or its presence can make the difference between your brand being remembered
or forgotten at the end of the day branding is about being remembered visually or verbally and
your tone of voice is the unique topping on your brand message and your presence
that leaves a memorable flavor worth tasting and in this video you'll learn what a brand voice is
why it's important and how to create a unique tone for your brand so what exactly is a brand voice
well a brand voice is the way your brand speaks to your audience and it's shaped by your brand's
communication style and its personality your brand voice also known as your brand's tonal voice
is crafted based on who your target audience is and it's designed to make the brand feel familiar
and coupled with the brand's unique message the brand voice brings a sense of tangibility and
humanity to what can otherwise feel like corporate messaging so why is a brand voice important well
business and branding is a dog-eat-dog world and only the most unique the most consistent and the
most relevant brands survive and there are many boxes that need ticking before a business owner
or a brand professional can begin to even think of the tonal voice of the brand and these boxes
that need to be ticked they include the likes of a specified target market a competitive awareness a
unique position in the market a compelling offer a message framework and a tangible personality
to name a few now without these fundamentals in place an appealing brand voice simply won't have
the environment that it needs to make any kind of impact but if it does a well-crafted brand
voice can make the brand's message stick to your audience's mind and it does create this sense of
familiarity for your brand now the reason this is important is that most of our buying decisions are
made in our subconscious by our reptilian cortex which is the oldest and least evolved part of the
brain that's kept the human species alive for millions of years now there's an old expression
that you might have heard before that we buy with emotion and we justify with logic now
although there is truth in that saying it's not all about the emotion our subconscious decision
making follows its own logic and includes many factors from emotion to experience familiarity and
we're drawn into familiarity because it represents safety if you've ever been in a social situation
before and you don't know anyone there and you suddenly hear this familiar voice or a familiar
accent you'll know exactly what i'm talking about now creating your brand's tone of voice is not
about cherry picking attributes that represent who the founder is it's not about the founder there's
method to the madness and i'm going to show you the processes that lay down this madness now just
before we jump into the processes if you have any questions at all drop a comment below and of
course if you like this video give it a thumbs up hit that like and subscribe and the notification
bell will let you know when i release new videos just like this step one define your target market
now defining your target market is one of the most fundamental steps in building a brand
because quite simply every branding decision that is made is made with the aim of appealing to who
that audience is if you want to make a success of your brand then understanding as much as you can
about your audience and what appeals to them is absolutely critical now the more specified you get
with this the more detail you have to shape your brand's tone of voice so don't just stop with the
overall market slice it and dice it and define the segments that you want to target most step
number two uncover their personality now as i've mentioned already every person is different than
across any brand and their offerings you'll find all different types of people who have different
passions different hobbies different values and personalities as well audience research is about
identifying commonalities which then become the tools for you to first resonate and then influence
your audience now when you define the personality characteristics that cross over your target market
you begin to see the hooks that your brand can use to connect with who they are step number three
identify attributes they seek now although your target market might like to unwind with a drink
on the weekend or have fun with their family and friends that doesn't mean that you can use
that commonality to resonate with them when you connect a brand with a group of people context
is absolutely critical insights are great but if your brand offers legal advice then a fun loving
tone of voice is not going to help your cause the space you're playing in and the desired outcome
of your audience are critical considerations when determining the brand voice that's going to appeal
to them so step into the shoes of your audience feel their frustrations or feel their desires and
find the right tone that they seek from a helping hand step number four create a brand persona now
at the most basic level branding is the discipline of making a business the most appealing choice to
a group of people now although there are many that associate branding with visuals
there are far many more ways to connect a business than just visually to become an effective brand
strategist you need to approach the development of your brand as if it were a living breathing person
to drive this point home if you met a person on the street who is dressed in a way or a style that
aligned with the style that you appreciate or that you're attracted to then you're far more likely to
be drawn in to that person than other people right but just because they look like you it doesn't
mean that you're going to get along with them it's not until you actually have a conversation
and spend a bit of time with them do you actually get a feel for whether or not they're your type
of person a brand persona helps to bring your brand to life beyond just the visuals and brands
that are built with this human consideration they feel more tangible and they have more points of
interest for their audience to actually resonate with and step number five craft your tone of voice
now once you know exactly who you're targeting what they're looking for and how your brand will
show up to the market you have everything you need to develop your brand's tone of voice the
attributes that you define in the personality of your brand persona give you that direction for the
tone of voice that'll help you to communicate that personality will your tone of voice be playful or
serious will it be progressive or traditional will it be aggressive or laid back the personality of
your brand wraps your message up in a way that invites your audience in while the tone of voice
is the mood that you set to deliver your message so reflect on who your audience is the traits they
share the characteristics they seek and how you want to show up to them and then define a tone
that will set the mood for how your message is delivered now as i mentioned in the opening the
importance of the brand voice only really comes into light once you have some important boxes
ticked as both a business and a brand but don't let that undermine the importance of the brand
voice businesses and brands that overlook the fundamentals simply aren't in the game to begin
with for businesses that do end up at the table competing for customers then often it's the slight
nuances in how messages are delivered that makes the difference between one buying decision and
another your brand voice is one of those slight nuances use it strategically and it can make the
difference between a brand of choice or a brand forgotten now if you want to see some of the
best examples from some of the most unique brands who are killing it with their brand voice then my
next video will help you out until next time brand like a master and i'll see you in the next video