What Does Your Brand Stand for: Adding Personality & Intrigue to Your Brand
The companion to intentional design is a strong brand voice. This combo platter is served up on a number of mediums: your website, a brochure, even something as small as a business card. In this instance, small is not to be confused with important, because this 3.5 x 2 inch piece of 100# paper is what people will remember you by. To capture—and keep—all eyes on you, your marketing pieces should be wholly reflective of who you are and what you stand for.
Let your messaging speak to your target audience. That target audience isn’t everyone. And that’s a good thing.
Start by finding your voice:
How does your brand talk? Is it quippy and sassy or intelligent and nurturing? An authentic brand voice is often derived from the personality of the owner or founders. During the strategy phase of any project with us, we really dive in to unveiling how you want your brand to talk and what you want it to say (aka the tone and messaging). This informs a majority of website copy, marketing headlines, and even internal messaging within the brand.
Don’t be afraid to have an opinion:
Use your voice to stand up for what you believe in. Likely, you’ve built your business around your values, so now it’s time to share them! It can be your differentiator or “onliness” (from the book Zag) in the industry and can really help you stand out amongst competitors. For us, we really value human-centered design. This means we speak out about using generative AI for client work, and we believe the client-studio relationship should be built on fairness and value for both parties involved.
It’s time we say goodbye to the cookie cutter, white bread businesses who appeal to the masses. You know who we’re talking about. You’ve seen their websites. Your eyes glazed over. You looked away or hit the back button. They didn’t connect with you because they weren’t saying anything. So have a personality; whatever it is, that’s up to you.
Your voice won’t vibe with everyone:
Circling back to our example of being anti-AI and pro reciprocity: Does this alienate us from some of our colleagues or deter some prospects? Sure. But that’s not a bad thing. Not everyone is going to be a good fit for your business, and that is 100% okay. In fact, if you chose to work with someone who vastly contradicts what your business stands for (and they choose to work with you), that’s not going to be a positive partnership for either of you. So skip it. You’ll find your people. They’ll read your rallying cry. And you’ll have found your champions.
Whatever you do, speak about it with pride and passion. When your target audience reads your content, they’ll get it. They’ll connect with you on a personal level—whether you’re a company of one or a business of 1,000. They’ll remember your name, your product, and that you gave them something to believe in.
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