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Use Your Brand Voice to Hit Higher Notes in B2B Marketing

Some writers, you just know them when you read them. Dr. Seuss. ee cummings. Shakespeare. William Faulkner. They have an unmistakable voice that you can recognize anywhere.

 

Your brand has a voice as well, and it should be unmistakable. Even if you’re a B2B company. Even if you’re in a boring industry — ESPECIALLY if you’re in a boring industry! (More on that below.)

 

Some brands use a playful, witty voice in their marketing content. Others sound authoritative and formal. Still others are friendly but professional.

 

Your brand voice speaks volumes about the kind of company you are. It’s as important as your website design or your logo. It tells your buyers what they should expect from you, your services, and your products, and it plays a bigger role in a customer’s buying decision than you might expect.

What is “Brand Voice”?

Your brand voice is the personality that comes through in your marketing content. It’s the way you communicate — the words you choose, the style you write in, the emotions you convey (or don’t convey). It’s the way your brand expresses itself. Your brand voice is one of the most important ways to connect with your audience.

 

Your brand voice should be:

 

  • Unmistakable. Your audience should intuitively recognize the difference between your voice and your competitors’ voices.
  • Appropriate. Your brand voice should fit the rest of your branding — otherwise, you’ll appear schizophrenic to your customers.
  • Consistent. All of your content should have the same voice across time, no matter what media it is or what platform it’s on.
  • Purposeful. Be thoughtful about your brand voice. Make smart, informed choices when deciding how your content will sound. More on this below.

 

Here’s a fun exercise: Can you find any B2B company with strong marketing content that doesn’t have a consistent and identifiable brand voice? I don’t think you’ll find a single one. But you might discover some great examples of companies that really nail it!

 

Mailchimp is friendly, helpful, and lighthearted.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv9xAfKdBk4

 

ADP conveys a reliable, calm, and business-like expertise.

 

 

CAT has a workhorse personality that’s not only down to earth, but full of heart.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH2sKWOrI0C/

 

(As a bonus, you’ve GOT to check out this video of CAT equipment playing a life-size game of PAC MAN.)

 

Without a brand voice, your company blends into the background. Your content becomes featureless and eminently ignorable. Your content is bland and your company is flavorless. Nothing stands out, and your content remains ineffective.

 

If your company doesn’t have a brand voice of its own, you’re in trouble.

Do You Really Need a Brand Voice?

Short answer, yes.

 

Longer answer, definitely.

 

Let me take a minute to speak specifically to small businesses that are in “boring” industries. Of all the companies out there that need a brand voice, yours is at the top of the list. You may be in a boring industry, but your customers are feeling real pains that keep them up at night. That’s not boring. And if you have a solution that lets them sleep well again, that’s not boring either.

 

Your industry is boring. You should never be.

 

If you put your buyers to sleep with boring marketing content, you aren’t doing them (or you!) any favors. Bland brand personalities get ignored, because they don’t stand for anything and they don’t separate themselves from the crowd.

 

I have several clients in boring industries: compliance, chemical tank manufacturing, payroll. But these companies have distinct voices that connect with their audiences, and they stand out as a result.

 

Does that mean your brand should be ostentatious or flashy? Not at all. Be a calm voice, if that’s who you are. Be unassuming or nurturing. But find your voice and go all-in on it.

Why Brand Voice Matters

Finding and using your brand voice is critical in B2B marketing. Here’s why.

 

It forms a connection. When you build connections with your audience, you’re building trust. In B2B marketing, trust is huge. Your buyers are more cautious than in the B2C realm, and they need to know they can trust you to deliver on your promises. Plus, connections create a sense of belonging, or loyalty. The more connected to you they are, the more they feel like they know you.

 

A brand voice solidifies your brand identity. Brands with a solid identity are highly recognizable. They’re known for something — whether it’s a certain perspective, a mission, or a market space. Being highly recognizable is like staking your flag on a territory: you become THE company for X or Y.

 

It helps you stand apart. Your voice helps customers to easily differentiate you from your competitors. Your content is attractive, because it has your particular voice that no one else has. Your audience looks forward to more of your content, simply because it comes from you.

 

It taps the emotions. Contrary to popular opinion, emotion plays a huge role in B2B buying decisions. Your customers may be businesses, but they’re also people. They don’t set aside their humanity when they make purchases for their organization. Use your voice to tap the emotions.

How to Find Your Brand Voice

Okay, you get it: you need a brand voice. But how do you go out and get one for your B2B company?

 

Finding your voice isn’t about creating something new, but discovering what’s already there. Your company has a culture, it has a personality and a set of core values. Your authentic brand voice comes from who you really are, and owning it. So discovering your brand voice is really about discovering who you are as a company. Here’s a few sources to guide you.

Company core values

More than anything, a company’s personality comes from its core values. This is where your deepest commitments, motivating principles, and top priorities come from. Your core values aren’t a set of ideals you want to strive towards — they’re already there. It’s just a matter of taking an honest look at your business and saying, “What do we already value most?”

Company culture

Company culture flows out of your core values, and it’s highly integrated with your brand. It’s how your core values are expressed in the daily life of your business in tangible ways. Do you have a casual small business? Do you take time to be goofy? Do you emphasize precision among your teams? Let your content be a reflection of that.

Brand assets

Take a look at the visual assets you’re already using to communicate your brand personality. Your content should fit your logo, your web design, and other branding choices you’ve made. Just as your style of dress fits your personal communication style, your brand voice should match your brand assets.

Archetype quiz

There’s a thing called a brand archetype, which is a fancy way of talking about your personality. There are 12 basic archetypes, based on Carl Jung’s typology of archetypes. Think of it as a classic type of character in a story: you’ve got a villain, a hero, a joker, a lover, a ruler.

 

These types each have certain characteristics that we all relate to as a hero or a lover. For example, Darth Vader fits the classic archetype of a villain, while Pepe Le Pew exemplifies the archetypal lover.

 

Your brand voice fits within one of 12 archetypes. Don’t know what that might be? Check out this online brand archetype quiz!

Customer input

Your existing customers have already formed opinions about your brand personality and voice. Ask them what they think. It’s sure to be an enlightening exercise!

Make It Official!

Once you know what your brand voice is, formalize it. Create a voice and tone guide that will ensure your voice stays consistent every time, no matter what the content or where it’s posted. Mailchimp has an outstanding voice and tone guide that has been a model for many B2B companies, but you don’t need to get nearly as elaborate as that. You can also find other examples by doing a quick Google search.

Does Your Brand Have Laryngitis?

Does your company have a strong brand voice, or is it suffering from laryngitis? Make it a priority this month to get it figured out. Once you know your voice and really own it across all your content, you will start creating stronger marketing content that will grow an audience over time. Don’t expect overnight results, but I guarantee that your content will start improving immediately!

 

Need help figuring out your brand voice? Let’s talk! (No pun intended.)