With millions of brands in the ecosystem today, it may be difficult to distinguish one from the other. While every brand brings its unique perspective, there will be overlap. Similar offerings or near identical names and logo designs can create confusion in the market. One way to stand out is through your distinctive brand voice. 

Brand voice is how a brand presents itself to the world and communicates to consumers through various modalities. Every communication should be consistent, whether visitors find the brand on TikTok, check out their website, or receive an e-newsletter. Why? This is how consumers begin to recognize and understand your brand’s purpose. It helps establish trust and identity with consumers as they form their relationship with your brand. 

Now that you understand why voice consistency is vital, you might wonder how to ensure it’s happening with your brand. Whether you are a team of two or 200, there is a chance that inconsistencies happen without you realizing it. For instance, if you don’t utilize small business marketing automation software, your responses to customers could vary greatly. Your client services team may use a different voice than your social media lead when replying to direct messages (DMs). 

But don’t fret. You’re in the right place. Below are three ways to build a consistent brand voice across various digital channels. 

1. Establish Your Brand Voice and Brand Personality 

Consistency starts with defining your brand voice and brand personality. To establish your brand voice, you must put your audience first. Understand who they are and how they form a relationship with your brand if it were a real person. Would they be more attracted to someone with a quiet and calm demeanor or who is outgoing and outspoken? 

Next, think about how to communicate your mission through your messaging. How will a new potential consumer learn about what you stand for and what you have to offer? Keeping your mission front and center acts as a guiding light to all of your communications. This also helps to set you apart from other competitors. 

As you establish your brand voice, your brand’s personality will also emerge. Think of your brand’s personality as a framework for how you want to appear in the digital space. Brainstorm adjectives that resonate with you — such as confident and energetic like Nike or sincere and accepting similar to Dove. 

Don’t skip this step, even if you’re an established brand. It’s always good to return to the drawing board and ensure your intended brand voice rings loud and clear. 

2. Create a Style Guide

Once you define your brand voice and personality, create a style guide. This is the blueprint for all of your communication efforts. It’s one of the best ways to ensure consistency across all your platforms. Guidelines vary from brand to brand; however, most include real examples of how to use a brand’s voice and tone. Other helpful sections may incorporate correctly using the company logo, the color palette, and suggested imagery. 

Make the style guide digital because it needs to be a living breathing document. As the company grows and the digital landscape shifts, so will your style guide. Digital also allows various teams to access it easily. Share the style guide with all creators — from writers and designers to customer service representatives and social media leads. 

When the guide is ready, training may be necessary. Implement workshops and onboarding for current employees as well as new hires. Give everyone ample time to comb through it, then hold a company-wide meeting or office hours to discuss individual questions. During this process, you might receive useful feedback for areas of improvement. Collect this feedback and determine if it’s something you want to address now or revisit in the future. 

3. Express Your Voice Across Platforms

Keeping the brand voice and style guide in mind, it’s time to start communicating across your platforms. Before writing anything, take a moment to reflect on the purpose of the message. What are you trying to get across to your audience and why? Is it supposed to be educational and insightful or entertaining and amusing? Knowing the purpose will help you reflect on how to communicate your message in the best way. 

Avoid being too rigid. You want to convey your messaging in a way that resonates with users the most depending on the platform. This means your website copy, blog posts, email newsletters, and social posts will all differ slightly. The brand voice remains consistent, but how the message is conveyed may change. 

Since users visit various platforms to receive different types of information, your brand’s message should flow with each channel accordingly. A “how to” guide on your website might be written differently than a “how to” infographic on Instagram. Both can contain the same information but with slight tweaks to accommodate each platform. Your website guide should be thorough with helpful links, while the infographic needs to be concise and easy to read. 

Conclusion 

In addition to brand recognition and awareness, a consistent brand voice is critical for consumer trust and loyalty. Consumers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of brands attempting to grab their attention daily. The more consistently you appear, regardless of platform, the more likely you will distinguish yourself from the pack.