Find Your Voice & Speak Your Brand
If your profile pic didn’t appear with your content or the email you sent with your address, could your audience / receiver pick up that it is coming from you?
Would someone who comes across your content on LinkedIn and then check out your Instagram account be able to identify that it all comes from you?
This is exactly what a Brand Voice is all about – your recognisability and with that, your memorability.
The more consistent and clear you are about your voice and story, the easier it is to be confident and with that, attract the RIGHT opportunities.
It is also the foundation of you choosing and using metaphors in a way that is authentic to you and that connects people to you.
Metaphorically speaking is this month’s topic in the Future of Work Campus and our industry insider for this month, Joeri Schilders kicked off the discussion in last week’s episode.
If you’re interested in elevating your Brand Voice & Tone and be more effective with storytelling through metaphors and analogies, then make sure you join us in our content deep dive, happening on the 11th May if you’re reading this in real time.
These live and hands on masterclasses with experts are part of the Future of Work Campus membership, the only career growth membership that helps you not only develop your skills but also market your Brand especially on LinkedIn so you can get seen and heard by the right decision makers. If that sounds something right up your alley, hop over to futureofworkcampus.online for more details
Back to today’s topic though because the good news is that you can work on defining your Brand and Voice also yourself.
Even better news?
In todays blog post, I share with you 3 steps how you can find your voice and speak your Brand.
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Over the last few weeks we have been talking a lot about assertive communication: why it matters, how to deal with difficult conversations and people as well as how to turn a no into a yes and negotiate the right way.
This month’ focus is ‘Metaphorically Speaking’ as being able to get your point across in meetings and speeches in a way that people not only understand your message because it resonates with them but because they actually want to listen to you is a massive competent in you building your Brand.
In today’s episode we look at your Personal Brand Voice and Tone – because this is not only your competitive advantage but also the foundation of the metaphors and analogies you want to use because they are authentic to your message
So first things first:
What is Brand voice?
Brand voice is the personality a brand takes on in its communications. Imagine you went to a dinner party and you’re chatting with all the guests. One person stands out because they’re great at storytelling in a distinctive, unique way. The words just flow, you’re drawn to their story and their personality – you bet you’ll remember this person forever because they made you feel a certain way.
The little litmus test you can take to see how powerful their Brand Voice is, when you’re retelling that story and you immediately think of that person. This is exactly what we want to achieve- Brand recognition through voice.
So when you think of your own brand voice and want to crystallise it, work through questions like:
• What personality traits do you want to be associated with?
• Which traits would you actively want to avoid?
• What phrases and sayings are you using consistently?
All of the above combined create your brand voice.
I’m a big fan of sounding the same (or at least very similar) online aka in written or visual communication as you do offline, in one on one or group conversations.
So I use, even in my LinkedIn updates, words like: real talk or ‘boom’, or emojis because that’s part of your Brand voice.
This is also the key in building your Brand: to come across as succinct and congruent: you want to apply this voice everywhere – if you speak at an event, come up with a social media caption, write an email (the exception would be when you have to write very formal emails as part of your role but even then, I always advocate to add your spin, even if it’s just a certain saying or greeting you use that makes you unique).
What Exactly is the Difference Between Voice and Tone?
Yes- there is a difference – an important one:
Voice: This describes your personality. It’s consistent and doesn’t change.
Tone: Is when emotions are applied to your voice. It adjusts to the situation to make your message more relevant for that moment.
While your voice remains consistent, tone may change according to the context of your messaging. For example, a social media post about a funny story would have a more light-hearted tone than one breaking news about an industry crisis or being laid off.
Why does Brand voice matter?
If you wonder:
‘Why should you care about your brand voice? Why not just write whatever you want in whichever style you feel like that day?’
Well- glad you ask because it’s a good question!
Here’s the thing:
Especially the online space is crowded and noisy.
The only way to stand out without adding noise is through distinct words and storytelling which is also why our May topic in the Future of Work Campus focuses on that: storytelling and copywriting in more detail.
Let’s not jump the gun and get back to finding our voice first and the 3 steps to establish, create, and maintain a brand voice to drive consistency in your content creation efforts so you can make an impact.
1. Audit your current content
That includes everything from social media posts to emails to websites (if you have one). What is unique to you and your style? And what could have easily come from any other person in your field or profession? This is also what people often get wrong with social media captions- they write very (or only) ‘step-by-step’ and ‘appropriate’ posts but as we know- facts tell, stories sell.
So adding some spice and words that you use makes all the difference.
Side note here- I’m Austrian for those who don’t know yet so English is my 2nd language. Despite being in Australia for nearly 11 years, I still mix up phrases and sayings and I don’t think a week has passed since I arrived here that I haven’t come up with a new word.
For example: I always say: ‘I’ll be there with my whistles on’ or ‘in an eye blink’. As much as I know it’s wrong – it just comes out of my mouth too quickly. Sometimes I don’t even realise that it isn’t the correct way to say it.
Just a few weeks ago I introduced the word ‘kissel’ which is the combination of kisses and cuddles because my puppy dog is just so affectionate. But that’s another story. Point is- my captions aren’t always perfect and proper English, but I also want to keep it like that as this is what makes it unique and memorable.
So think of one of your example- what do you always say?
What would be aligned with your Brand positioning which also leads me into step 2:
2. Describe your brand voice in three words
This comes back to your values and traits you want to be known for.
So think about:
How would you like to be introduced to a person you’ve never met?
What are the 3 words that you’d be happy if someone would describe you as?
And how are you different to your peers?
If everyone’s seen as a geek or a front runner or the most reliable person ever… how would you like to be described? That has a massive impact on the words you use.
I also always use the Brand Archetype test with my clients as it helps us to connect it with their ideal positioning that often isn’t as clear to them. I love when the results give them an epiphany that all off a sudden change their words.
I also use those words and insights about the person for LinkedIn summaries because this is what makes them stand out and resonates with those who share the same beliefs (but also distracts the rest).
This brings us to point 3:
3. Connect your attributes to words
Let’s say you want to be seen as quirky, then your language can include some unexpected or contrarian words. Even some old-fashioned words that aren’t that common as it would be aligned with your brand.
It only gets weird when you use it sporadically and also use the complete opposite style of words but that’s the basics of brand consistency.
Maybe you want to be seen as passionate so you can use words that are enthusiastic, expressive and action-oriented.
If you need some inspiration, have a look at Pinterest or even type the words in to thesaurus to see what else is associated with it and make your voice and word choice easier.
In this step you also want to revisit step 1 and see what words, phrases or tones you want to get rid of because they don’t align with you anymore.
You see how it works? It always comes down to clarity and setting the foundation before you do the marketing of it.
There you have it – the 3 steps to find and own your Brand Voice are:
1. Audit your current content
2. Describe your brand voice in three words
3. Connect your attributes to words