{"id":5372,"date":"2019-11-24T09:45:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T14:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=5372"},"modified":"2019-11-24T09:46:16","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T14:46:16","slug":"find-your-voice-brand-voice-guidelines-for-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/find-your-voice-brand-voice-guidelines-for-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Find Your Voice: Brand Voice Guidelines for Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It can be exceedingly difficult to stand out amongst your competitors. After all, there are nearly 30 million<\/a> other entrepreneurs in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, it’s not quite as difficult as it may initially seem. With a proper voice for your brand, you’ll easily establish your business as something unique that provides plenty of value to your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we\u2019ve got you covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about brand voice guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Before We Begin: Voice Vs. Tone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s a discrepancy between a brand’s voice and its tone that many people aren’t aware of. Some entrepreneurs even use the terms ‘voice’ and ‘tone’ interchangeably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you’ll need to know the characteristics of both in order to fully develop a voice for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term voice<\/strong> refers to your company’s ‘personality.’ In essence, it’s who your company would be if it were a person. For example, fashion brands often have a sophisticated or sassy brand voice. Medical companies are typically more formal and protective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, tone<\/strong> refers to the overall emotion that’s applied to your brand’s voice during a specific message. So, an advertisement for a brand that has a laid-back, quirky voice often has a casual tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the same brand could also have a serious tone when their campaign involves raising awareness of victims of domestic abuse. A brand’s tone is supposed to fluctuate depending on the message, so there are no issues with switching things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that covered, let’s move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a Step Back and Look at Your Company’s Mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you can make any progress developing your brand’s voice, you may need to refresh yourself on what your company’s goal is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, let’s assume that you own an athletic apparel company that sells specially-designed shoes for people who are trying to lose weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since you’re not targeting marathon runners or professional athletes, you likely won’t have a ‘guns blazing’ voice for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, since your audience is actively working to make progress, you can’t be too relaxed, either. So, you’ll fall somewhere in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your company’s mission is to help<\/strong> people<\/strong> lose weight<\/strong>. So, your voice will need to reflect that. In this case, your voice would likely be motivational without being either too aggressive or coddling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask The Audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not quite sure how your audience perceives your brand? The best way to learn is to ask them their opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, send out a survey to everyone on your email list and post it on your social media. Solid questions to include are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n