How To Build A Brand Voice and Messaging Guide

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Put a finger down if…

• Your monthly email newsletters switch from long-winded stories to straight-to-the-point facts.

• ‘Bet’, ‘stan’, and ‘cap’ slip into your vocab but you aren’t sure if you’re using them correctly, wrong, or ironically.

• Every Instagram caption sounds like someone new wrote it.

• Someone new to your team DID write your Instagram captions.

• You know you’re supportive and intelligent (with a superhero-level pun ability) but your website copy sounds more like Percy Weasley than…well, any of the other Weasleys. 

If you’re still developing your brand voice or you’ve handed your content creation off to someone else, then your messaging may not be consistently on-brand yet. 

“So what, Isobel? Is that really a big deal?”

Honestly? Yes. 

Research shows that consumers want to buy from brands that feel genuine and invest in relationships with their clients. In fact, 46% of consumers say they’re willing to pay more for brands they trust.

And what helps your audience trust you? Consistent messaging across all platforms.

Clients don’t want to find you on Instagram and fall in love with your empathetic and supportive advice only to see robotic, bland, or harsh messaging on your website.

That shock will make them question who they’re really working with and if they can trust you. 

From emails to your website to your LinkedIn profile, what’s the best way to maintain consistency in your brand voice and messaging? By creating a brand voice and messaging guide. 

A brand voice and messaging guide:

• summarizes your brand personality and tone of voice

• lays down rules about the language you use

• identifies phrases you’ve claimed

• crafts statements that speak to your audience

• tells your team if you’re thumbs up or thumbs down on emojis. 

This guide not only helps YOU stay consistent when writing new content but also keeps team members or contractors on the same page.

But what the heck goes in your brand voice and messaging guide?

Don’t worry, I’ve listed it all right here for you. 

Set Up Your Brand Voice Guidelines

After identifying your brand voice, you need to consider how your chosen personality traits come out in your communication style. This is what your brand voice guidelines do. 

To determine your brand voice guidelines, reflect on these questions:

Does your brand use slang, abbreviations, or colloquial language? 

Get specific here about common phrases, slang, or abbreviations that your brand may use. That means if your brand voice is young and trendy, you better stay up to date on Gen Z trends to avoid any big yikes (chances are, I used big yikes wrong). 

If you use emojis, what ones? 

When it comes to emojis, start by setting a scale on how often you use them. Does it feel boring if you write an email or social caption without a single 🎉❤️ or ✨? Would you rather quit writing altogether than insert a 👍 into your content? 

Once you’ve decided where you fall on the emoji scale, include the actual emojis your brand uses. 😊🔥🚀

Who do you reference?

Taylor Swift, early 2000s shows, and a certain magical boy who lived at #4 Privet Drive are my go-to references to connect with my audience while staying true to my friendly and approachable vibe. 

Your references could range from nostalgic moments to inspirational people, as long as they are also rooted in your audience’s interests.

What does your sentence structure look like? 

This is a little more technical than the other pieces of your guide but it comes down to the way you communicate points 1-3. Are you long-winded or straight to the point? 

To help you out, know that short and fragmented sentences = authoritative, simple, and rebellious. while Long and flowing sentences = inspiring, quirky, and personal. 

Build Your Copy Bank

Building a brand’s copy bank is one of my favourite parts of creating a Brand Messaging Guide. Your copy bank is your easy, go-to reference to spice up any content you create. It should consist of: 

• Phrases you claim and say often – for me, it includes freaking amazing and what’s your vibe?

• On-brand words – instead of good, are you elegant, hunky-dory, rad, or badass?

• Off-brand words – it’s just as important to know what doesn’t fit your voice, after all, if you’re a Slytherin, you know that unbridled bravery doesn’t fit your brand.

How do you come up with these words and phrases for your copy bank?

First, think about the emotions behind your brand and what you hope your audience feels when they interact with you.

Then, scope out your past content, emails, texts, or any other messaging. Are there words or phrases that come up often in your own communication OR in your clients’ responses?

Next, get inspired by other brands with similar vibes to yours. Are there words that stand out in their content that make you excited or curious?

Finally, browse Wordhippo or Power Thesaurus to find words that range from luxurious and traditional to completely whacky.

Create Your Brand Voice and Messaging Guide

Creating your brand voice is a journey unto itself. Then comes the next stages.

Crafting a copy bank and communication guidelines. Writing one-liners and benefit statements. Discovering founder stories and client personas.

The whole she-bang of a custom Brand Messaging Guide.

• A Mission Statement to explain why your brand exists. 

• Values to highlight what drives you and the difference you make. 

• Client Avatars to describe who you serve and how you help them. 

• A Positioning Statement to summarize your distinct magic.

• Brand Stories to create meaning behind your business, services, and approach. 

• One-Liners to share what you do, who you are, what your audience struggles with, what they hope for, and how you help. 

• A Copy Bank to find inspiration and add personality to every piece of content.

Plus more brand voice bonuses, content creation support, and other goodies (I can’t give it all away right now, can I?).  

Build Your Brand Voice and Messaging Guide With A Little Help

Creating your brand voice is a journey unto itself.

Then comes: Crafting a copy bank and communication guidelines. Writing one-liners and benefit statements. Discovering founder stories and client personas.

Everything you need for the whole she-bang that is a Brand Messaging Guide.

Good thing you don’t need to do it alone.

With a custom Brand Messaging Guide, gone are the days of staring blankly at your website copy and wondering why you sound like movie-Ginny Weasley when you’re so clearly book-Ginny Weasley.

Instead, you’ll have your very own, personally annotated (not by the Half-Blood Prince) guide to help you create on-brand content.