The Voice

Have you ever noticed that predictability is strangely comforting? We sit in the same place on the bus, have our own seat in the sitting room and drive the same route to work, parking in the same place…and if someone has got there before us it rocks our world ever so slightly…

It’s much the same with branding. Why do you buy that particular newspaper, or make of jeans, or shop at M and S? It’s because you know and trust the brand, it’s predictable.

So what’s that got to do with Voice? Let’s go back to basics for a moment. If your brand represents who you are as a business, then your voice represents the way you articulate your brand story. If you are doing whatever you can to promote your brand so that not just your customers but everyone else out there loves you, then the way you tell your story is vitally important. If someone you respect and admire suddenly loses their temper and hurls abuse at you, how will you feel about them going forward?

What does this mean for you as a brand?

First, choose your language; as an artist chooses from a palette of colours so the words you choose to use when representing your brand should be reflect your image. Your language will go a long way towards dictating your tone of voice.

How do you want to be perceived? Or put another way, how do your customers like to be talked to? Be aware that you should always talk across to your audience, never talk up to them, never talk down. Your voice needs to be appropriate for your audience.

Do you want to be perceived as being fresh, exciting, challenging, innovative, wise, erudite, sophisticated, childish…each has its own vocabulary and style, and each will create a different perception and attitude towards you in your audience.

Lastly, remember your purpose. What are you trying to achieve in all of this? It should be to reach out to your audience in a way that leads to the formation of the sort of relationship you want to create. So people think of you as being what you want to be seen as. And, once established, your voice has be that thing that we all look for. Predictable, reliable, stable, trustworthy…