A personality, according to dictionary.com is:
(noun)
- the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character.
- a celebrity or famous person.
We’re NOT boring people. We have interests, dislikes, opinions, and ideas. Our thoughts vary and there are good/bad things that make us interesting and likeable, or dislikable (which is okay, too). I know I’m not the only one that’s taken countless personality tests, read into horoscopes and astrology, to learn more about my personality and who I am.
Side note – holla’ if you’re also a Pisces! (hello there, fellow #piscessibing!)
Our brands are no different. They have their own unique personality traits and characteristics. All of our brands and businesses have their own voice. Does your brand feel the same as everyone else’s? Are you unsure what makes your business stand out from the rest of them?
These are 5 ways to define your brand personality so your audience knows exactly what you’re all about!
Pick 3 adjectives to describe your brand.
Let’s start a Google Doc and go through this exercise together.
If I asked you to pick 3 adjectives to describe yourself, what would you say? This is no different than picking 3 adjectives for your brand.
What are the TOP three adjectives that perfectly encompass what you want your brand to stand for? There’s no right or wrong answer here – you know your brand better than anyone else! For example, the Quirky Pineapple Studio’s top 3 adjectives are:
- Quirky
- Warm
- Welcoming (or inviting – I couldn’t decide!)
Now that I’ve decided on the top 3, I know exactly HOW I want my brand to sound when I write content, interact with my audience, or bring people into my community. It also helps me define a certain type of aesthetic I want my brand to look and feel like. Would I pick dark colors if I want my brand to be quirky, warm, and welcoming? Mmm, probably not.
*PRO TIP: If you’re struggling with only picking three adjectives to define your brand personality, write down all the ones you think describe your brand. Then, go through and see if you can group them into three main groups.
Set the tone for how you WANT someone to feel after interacting with your brand. Check to see if your audience feels that way right now.
What’s the tone of voice your brand portrays? Is it fun, energetic, condescending, clap-back king/queen, feisty, etc. Does your audience feel leaving empowered, excited, inspired, motivated, informed, or something else?
Decide how you want your audience to feel after interacting with your brand. For me, I want my audience members to feel inspired, excited, and eager to come back after reading content from the Quirky Pineapple Studio. I want my clients to feel like I took care of them, providing them with the best customer service, and listened to what they wanted.
Overall, I want my clients and audience to know that I want to work collaboratively with them – which is why most of my content is written in a certain format, my copy explains my partnership processes, and I invite people to join the adventure with me.
If you’re unsure of how your audience feels after interacting with your brand, try creating a quick survey to understand more of your community. Or – share a post on social media and ask your community to comment with how they feel after seeing your posts!
TAKE THE QUIZ: What type of community builder are you? — Find your strength in community building and start using that to write copy or create content!
Define the message you want to share with the universe. If this is too “woo-woo” for you, what’s the message you want to share with your closest friend?
I believe we all have a message to share, whether we know it or not! A message can be as simple as a quick introduction to who we are, what our brand is, and who we help. Or, it could be elaborate and describe who we are, our ideal clients, how we help our ideal clients, and what we offer.
Do you know what your message is to the universe? If you’re not sure – take a moment and do some soul searching. What does our brand stand for, what do WE stand for? Think about those things to uncover our message to share with the universe or our closest friends.
By defining our messages, it helps keep things clear when you define your brand personality. I’m sure I’m not the only one that suffers from “shiny-object syndrome” and being pulled in all sorts of different directions with the amount of ideas I have! Having a CLEAR and thought out message to share with your audience or clients, helps them to understand exactly what they’re getting out of this and why you’re the person that they need.
Pick the people you want to help with the content you share, services you provide, etc. What do they need help with?
If you answered this question with:
- Everyone
- Women
- Travelers
- Service based business owners
- Men
- People
- Humans
- Any other form of generic-ness and LAZY ASS ANSWERS
Let’s rewind a bit and start again. If you DID answer that way, don’t worry – I did the same when I first started with my blog turned business. I thought if I kept it REALLY general and broad, it’d be more interesting for people to read and I could attract more clients. Heh, wrong. I got confused with who I wanted to help, what I wanted to provide, and was spreading myself way too thin.
My strengths and passions tied together can help one specific group of people, and I like working with a specific group of people. So, how can I try and appeal to everyone if I really only like working with one type of group and my strengths can best help one type of group?
I’m sure you’ve done many ideal client avatars, but let’s do it one more time to really help define your brand personality. Who are the people you want to inspire/help with the content you share, services you provide, and community you can bring together? What do they look like to you? What does their average day look like? How do they feel? What do they need help with the most?
Put yourself in their shoes. What is it that your brand can do to connect with the community you want to build?
*PRO TIP: Most of the time, what you want to help your community do is something you struggled with at first! (ie: Quirky Pineapple Studio focuses on defining a clear voice [and words] for the tourism & hospitality industry, to create a strong community for higher visibility.)
Do you have a why?
Lastly, one of the most important things to consider when defining your brand’s personality – what’s the why behind it all? WHY did you start this, WHY did you want to build it, WHY you?
If you’re still working through this exercise through an open document, let’s sit down and clearly define our why.
Entrepreneurship is hard, creating a community with an engaged audience is hard, so why do you feel so called to it? What makes you want to keep going even though it is difficult, can cause stress, and give you anxiety. What is the why at the end of the tunnel.
For example, The Quirky Pineapple Studio’s why is because I love connection, taking care of people, and developing relationships. At the heart of my brand, if I can do any of those three things, I feel like I’ve succeeded. It oozes out of the posts I share on social media, the blog posts I write, and the way I interact with my clients. Of course I have bigger dreams as well, but at the heart of my dream, those three things are what I love.
Feel free to free-flow your thoughts on your why in an open document. I always think that having a conscious stream of thoughts while writing is the best way to find what we’re really looking for. After writing out what you think your why is, go back and highlight key parts that ring out to you. Then, summarize!
I’ve learned that each brand is unique in the way it presents itself, the type of audience it attracts, and how they interact with their community. There are A LOT of things that are similar, but the personality behind the actions is what I’ve found keeps people engaged and interested.
Want more branding help? We’ve got you covered with the Your Soulful Branding workbook! Designed by 2 branding professionals, a copywriter & visual brander, that walks you through exactly how to create your own soulful brand!
If you are creating a personal brand, most of the time, your personality traits can be found in your own brand (ie: bloggers, influencers, service based business owners). Larger brands (ie: large companies and businesses) – employees are brought in if they embody the brand’s overall characteristics. After all, you wouldn’t want to bring someone onto your team who didn’t share the same values as your brand, right?
Schedule a Clarity Call with us to talk about how we can help you make marketing less of a chore and something exciting to share your business and impact!
So, Pineapplers, how did you define your brand personality? What does your brand personality look and sound like? Share with us in the comments below!
Enjoyed this post? You might like these, too:
Writing Heartfelt Copy That Resonates
What’s the Best Way to Build a Community?
How to Harness Your Brand Voice (and dazzle!)
My Brand Relaunch: Introducing the Quirky Pineapple Studio
Want more content goodness? DOWNLOAD your very own Content Generating Machine to help you go from idea, to content, to community, and clients!
I came up with frank (straight-forward), humorous, and supportive!
YAY! That’s what I love to hear (: What did you end up with for the 3 personality traits of your brand?
If you need further help, don’t be afraid to schedule a call with me! (:
This was very helpful! I took myself through the branding exercise in my work journal and will definitely be saving it to remind myself of the key points mentioned in your article. Thank you!