There are a variety of reasons that make one brand stand out from the next. The Sprout Social Index found that 40% of consumers claim memorable content kept a particular brand top of mind, 33% said it was a distinct personality, and 32% attributed the recollection to compelling storytelling.
What is “brand voice” and why does it matter?
You can think of brand voice as the personality of your brand. It is a consistent way of communicating across channels so those consuming the content immediately recognize it as belonging to your brand. This includes social media, email communications, and blog posts - the voice sounds the same even if different teams create content for those channels.
A strong brand voice is similar to having a friend with a strong personality - it enables people to perceive them as reliable, trustworthy, and understandable.
And, just like your quirky friend, a good brand voice makes you stand out from the rest. It also increases the ease of product and brand recognition and influences brand loyalty. In fact, according to Grammarly, 86% of customers say an authentic voice significantly influences their decision to support one brand versus another and a transparent and consistent voice can increase trust by up to 33% and loyalty by up to 19%.
Brands with big personalities
Skittles: wacky and humorous
Skittles is a great example of a strong brand voice with a sense of humor. Their communication is clever, fun, and a little wacky. Exactly what you might expect from a colorful, juicy candy brand. With its fresh and exciting content, this voice engages consumers and keeps them coming back for more.
Skittles often posts funny content to social media that strips away promotional, phony language so you're left with something much more genuine.
Source: @skittles
Slack: clear and relatable
It's only fitting that an app for communication has a clear and relatable brand voice. Slack adopts an easy-to-understand and friendly tone that makes users feel included and understood.
Source: UXDesign.cc
Since the tool itself is so chatty, they use the same voice on social media and other channels to cement a sense of familiarity and brand loyalty with users.
Nike: confident and inspiring
Nothing says confident and inspiring like Nike’s famous slogan, “Just do it”. You can’t not get your workout done, or check something off your to-do list after hearing that! And this messaging doesn’t stop with their slogan, it radiates throughout all forms of communication - establishing a strong brand voice that has resonated with consumers for decades.
The communication and messaging from Nike is simple, effective, and to the point. Nike uses its direct, no-nonsense brand voice to encourage audiences to go for their goals and never give up.
Source: Business Insider
Feeling inspired to create or refine your brand voice?
The first step to establishing a brand voice is to clarify your company’s mission and vision and define your unique value propositions and differentiation. Sounds simple enough, but getting these ideas distilled down into a concise message can be tricky. Wheels Up’s Messaging and Positioning Framework template is a great tool to help you get started.
If you’d like to tackle building a brand voice for your company and need a hand, we’d love to help. Drop us a line.
