The Secret to Creating a Killer Brand Voice

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Do you approach creating a brand voice like you’d approach the creation of a fictional character for a book or a movie?

I do.

I have worked to create brands and social media strategies for companies from scratch many times over the years. When I start working for them, I have a questionnaire that I send out that asks in-depth questions about the brand’s personality.

Why do I do that?

Because creating a voice for a brand is almost the same as creating a fictional character for a novel.

1. They both need motives

You have to determine what the person/brand would say in a given situation and why.

2. They both need a personality

Are they funny? Sad? Annoying? Deciding the personality has a huge influence on actions and dialogue (aka, posts and comments).

3. They both need aspirations

Who do they want to be and how do they get there?

That’s why you have to understand a brand in the same way that you would know a character you were writing into a story.

And just as a character without a back story appears shallow to the readers, a brand without a back story will too.

Have fun with your branding questionnaire

When I work with new clients, I have two branding questionnaires that I send out. The first is the quick and dirty version. I tell them that it is crucial to answer all the questions there.

But I also send a longer one that I encourage them to consider as well. This one has questions about the personality of the brand as if it was a person.

Is it silly to ask new clients where their company would hang out if it was a person, and what brands it would want to go to the bar with?