Establishing Your Brand’s Voice

Professional project images are unquestionably essential for any brand. It's crucial to understand, though, that your brand is more than just its aesthetics. You’ll want a strong brand identity that include defining the voice, tone, and point of view in your messaging, in addition to consistently stunning photography.

Creating a unique voice affects not only how you engage with your clients on a daily basis but also your marketing platforms (think website copy, blog articles, newsletters, and Instagram captions). In case you're having trouble expressing yourself, we're going to provide some best practices for discovering your voice and creating a writing style that consistently feels genuine to your business.

Typically, effective branding strategies begin with the goal in mind.

Prior to putting pen to paper, review your basic principles and what sets your company apart from the competition. Your communication will be influenced by the characteristic style of your design work, so keep that in mind. If your design aesthetic appears varied, informal, and carefree, a highly structured and refined brand voice could appear inconsistent with your visuals. Always check to see if the content and images are collaborating to portray a unified brand story, as opposed to conveying conflicting signals.

Mitchell Black

Remember that your brand voice will vary greatly based on things like the region and life stage of your prospective clientele, the typical project budget, and the services you offer for design. For example, the tone and messaging of an interior designer booking only e-design jobs will probably differ from that of a designer aiming to book high-end full-service clients. A voice cannot ever be right or wrong. It all comes down to adjusting your tone to the kind of customers you want to draw in.

PRO TIP: Consider researching brands that share your values outside of the design sector. Consider the usual places where your clients travel, dine, or shop. Make a list of the precise terms, expressions, or concepts that those companies use to communicate with their target consumers on their websites and social media pages.

Establishing a strong brand voice doesn't require you to be a flawless writer, but it does require you to have a strategy in place to make sure your messaging is understood by your target market and customers. All of this is related to developing a rapport with the followers you intend to work with in the future.

Mii Amo

Setting up time to draft a Brand Voice Guide that you can use for all of your communication platforms is advised. Recall that you don't have to just say what other people are already saying. This is your brand, so it's critical to infuse your brand voice with personality and a distinct viewpoint.

A brief overview of what should be in your Brand Voice Guide is provided below:

• Communication Goals 

• What are you hoping to achieve with your messaging?

• Brand Tone 3-4 adjectives that describe your communication style. Here are a few examples:

Sophisticated

Down-to-Earth

Witty

Refined

Friendly

Warm

Positive

Authentic

Casual

Polished

Inspired

• Key Words, Ideas + Phrases
  

Develop a “word bank” guide to words/phrases you love, along with ones never to use.

Ashley Gilbreath / Emily Followill

In addition to helping you avoid writer's block when you create a blog post or an Instagram caption, having a well-established Brand Voice Guide guarantees that everyone in your team is on the same page.

Now that you've identified your brand voice, it's time to implement that messaging through all available channels of communication. Ensure that the tone and, most importantly, the storyline of all your brand touch points—including your newsletters, blog posts, Instagram bio, and website copy—are consistent. You'll be well on your way to developing a rapport with your online audience with each and every post if you regularly consult your Brand Voice Guide.