Research shows we like people who are like us better. Your brand voice should mimic this human desire. Specifically, you want to sound like the buyers you’re trying to reach.
Ideally, you’ve done the work building your detailed buyer persona already. If not, start by considering:
Who are you trying to reach?
Your goal is to find what clicks with them and deliver that experience consistently through your brand voice. peru telemarketing database Conduct basic audience research using tools like Google Analytics or a simple survey of your audience. It’ll help you home in on your audience’s desires and interests.
Ryan Shattuck, a digital media strategist who managed Dictionary.com’s social media for four years, also encourages you to go further: “Knowing your audience is obvious, but I would take it a step further. Respect your audience,” he said.
brand voice, ryan shattuck quote
Dictionary.com’s buyer persona evokes an image of somebody popping onto their phone at midnight to play the latest New York Times’ Connections word game.
“I think it’s safe to assume that the people who follow a dictionary account on Instagram are also people who read books and do crossword puzzles,” said Shattuck.
This understanding guides his content decisions and the way it’s communicated via his voice: “And so I can make a joke about the Oxford comma. I can use a meme to share the etymology of a word,” he said.
Finding audience resonance brings confidence to your voice — and backing for your content decisions and direction.
3. Scour your best-performing content for clues.
Even a few months’ worth of content can tell a strong brand voice story. Review your current published content and rank them by performance. Many people start with views and impressions, but I’d encourage you to dig past the top-line metrics.
Engagement — likes, comments, shares — shows you stirred something in a potential buyer. Even if those numbers are low overall, a signal still lives within.
Grab those most engaging posts and ask yourself: What was your brand voice in that content piece?
Did you feel assured and authoritative, leaning on deep topical knowledge and backed by original research?
Or were you playful and irreverent, dropping memes and pop-culture references to reach your people?