I’m sure you’ve heard you need to figure out how to create a brand voice to speak to your ideal audience. But what makes up your brand voice, anyways? Is it getting vulnerable, sharing all the details of your business, or only speaking about business things ALL THE TIME?
Raise your hand if you hear “BE AUTHENTIC” when it comes to establishing your brand’s personality online.
Me, I’ve heard “BE AUTHENTIC” more than once. Actually, almost every time I read about building a brand and creating a brand voice, the word “authentic” shows up quite often. Finding and harnessing your brand voice takes practice and diligence. Then truly making it dazzle and stand out takes consistency and courage. So let’s get started with figuring out how to create a brand voice!
Do A Little Soul Searching
Before we establish WHAT our brand’s sound like, we’re going to need to do some soul searching beforehand. Take a few moments, grab a pen and paper, and write down all of the things that make up what you think your brand stands for or doesn’t stand for. What does it feel like, what does it look like? How do YOU make people feel and how do you want people to feel with your brand? Why this? Our little soul searching will help put our businesses in focus, which means now we know what we WANT and what we DON’T want!
Read about why I decided to rebrand to the Quirky Pineapple Studio!
Get Honest With Your Business Values
When we think of business values, I’m sure the first phrases that pop into our minds are: “work hard”, “do good work”, “provide great service”, etc. Those are great, but they’re generic and lackluster. We’re trying to DAZZLE your audience, here, so let’s scratch these from the beginning! While we worked through our soul searching exercise, I’m sure we uncovered things such as what our brand/business brings out in people and what we hope to do with our new endeavor. Well, tell me, what are some of your business values that guide you in your decision-making?
If you’re drawing a blank, these are a few business values for The Quirky Pineapple Studio:
- Kindness and having an open-mind
- Good soul food
- Creating open communities and deeper connections
- Chasing the adventure
Try listing out at least 6-8 business values that help you make decisions. What would make someone want to work with you? What are you looking for in your clients?
What are the first things you want your brand to be known for?
This is usually the part where people become cluttered because they’ll start listing out at least 10 attributes! I’m all about being f*cking awesome (which I know you are), but 10 adjectives that describe your business’s personality? That’s a lot! Name the first THREE adjectives you’d like your brand to be associated with. Sit still, listen to your gut, what are the first three words that pop into your mind?
Those three words are going to help guide you in sharing your content online – that’s your brand voice, lady!
Now, if you really can’t narrow down three adjectives, try to pick at least three main ones first. Then, go back and list out words that can fall under those main “umbrella” words. I’m sure you’ll start finding a connection between all of them!
What are 3 non-negotiables in your life/business?
These should be easy! What are three things that you would say “HECK NO” to. immediately? If you’re having trouble, these are my three non-negotiables when it comes to my life and the Quirky Pineapple Studio:
- Nothing takes away time from my sleep! Unless I’m celebrating or having a deep conversation.
- Punctuality is NECESSARY!
- Clear communication is a must.
These three aspects might not seem important to share with our audiences, but they do play a huge factor in being transparent and honest. Incorporating these into our message, whether it be through our website, social media, or even video, help build respect for our brands and for ourselves as business owners. Now clients, companies, collaborators, and fans know exactly what you’re NOT going to put up with!
Need help creating a brand that dazzles in personality AND aesthetics? We’ve got you covered! The Your Soulful Branding workbook was created by a copywriter & visual brander to help you design a brand that you feel proud of! 100+ pages of tips, tricks, strategies, and more!
Step out and dazzle! You’re a fierce diva!
We’ve done our soul-searching, established our values, decided what we want to be known for, and defined our non-negotiables! Next step is tying it all together and weaving in our personality to make our business *dazzle*! Using your own words and how you speak, start writing out these key pieces of your brand! The most important step is taking your voice (ie: personality), sharing it, and doing it with confidence.
My little tip for how to create a brand voice is even when I feel “stupid” or “extra” for talking the way I do, something about that will resonate with my ideal clients and my audience. We were already dazzling to begin with, but now we’ve harnessed our brand’s voice to make it more concise and stronger.
A brand isn’t only about the beautiful logos, websites, or colors. It’s the essence and feelings that it portrays. How does a client feel after interacting with your brand, what experience do they leave with, and what are their motives behind interacting with you? Those are what makes a business stand out and DAZZLE. These are simple ways to refine your message and your personality so you can confidently share it. But being consistent and vulnerable will help your client and audience recognize your content. THAT is strong branding!
If you’re still struggling with how to create a brand voice that dazzles or need a little more confidence to share your entire story, make sure to grab access to the Quirky Pineapple Studio Resource Library! I’ve got worksheets and workbooks that will help you define and refine, so that you can create a strong community that converts into visibility and higher profits!
What’s the one step you’re struggling with most, to harness your brand voice? Share with us in the comments below!
*Article published on Bloom Co.!
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What I’ve Learned Blogging as a Woman of Color with Casi Johnson
My Brand Relaunch: Introducing The Quirky Pineapple Studio
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