The Key to Honing in On Your Brand Voice & Mood

First things first — what does brand voice and mood mean?

Your brand voice and mood are the elements of your brand that bring it to life. There are a ton of aspects to your brand voice and mood, from the feeling that people get when interacting with your marketing all the way to the copy you write to the colors you choose on your website. In fact, that’s what makes your brand voice and mood so fun — it’s multilayered and can determine a lot about how your business is perceived by both you and your customers.

And, while your brand voice and mood determines a lot of your marketing, it really goes even deeper than that. The brand voice and mood you choose to cultivate as an entrepreneur is how you uncover individuality and how you can stand apart to reach your target audience as a whole. For some people, this means honing in on a professional, yet still quippy approach to their brand voice and mood (think: Apple and Southwest Airlines), while others may gravitate more towards a cheeky, bright, and colorful one (think: Barkbox and Slack). It’s your choice — which is what makes it so dang interesting to dive into.

4 Ways to Hone in On Your Brand Voice & Mood

Honing in on your brand voice and mood is a really important part of your overall brand strategy as a whole, and it can also continually evolve and change (just like you do)! In fact, I’d really recommend taking a deep look at the voice and mood of your brand at least once a year or so — you’d be surprised at how impactful it can be to your overall direction and messaging. 

Here are some of my very favorite ways to do it:

1. First up: what do you WANT your brand voice and mood to highlight?

I’m a huge believer that — even though your audience’s opinion is obviously important — a lot of entrepreneurs tend to embrace a voice and mood they think they should, instead of what they want to embrace. And, I think that is an antiquated way of looking at things… and a boring one, too!

See, your target audience can always pick up on a brand that feels forced to its leader — I’m sure of this. So, I want you to ask yourself: what do you want to highlight with your brand voice and mood? Do you want to inspire your audience through color and kindness? Do you want to reach people with data and professionalism? Now, what are you currently highlighting with your brand voice and mood? Does it align? Then, go from there. 

2. Make a mood board.

Guys, I LOOOOVE  mood boards (and I have since the days of cutting up magazines and digging into the Mod Podge jar). And, guess what? They can help you genuinely discover your brand voice and mood unlike anything else really can — which is why graphic designers and photographers make them for their own clients, projects, and shoots.

So, here’s your assignment — take a page from your 7th grade self, and get to digging. You can go old-school with magazines or use a platform like Pinterest to start. The key? To cut out or save anything that inspires you or embodies what you want your brand to be. It’s a great way to see all of the things you want to hone in on in one fun touchpoint, and it’s also such a fun thing to come back to, time and time again.

3. Do some customer research.

One of the most consistently impactful things that I’ve done in my own business over the years comes back to talking to the people who interact with my brand as consumers and clients — because they’re almost always super willing to provide feedback and give you honest answers. Here are some customer research Q’s I’d recommend asking about your brand voice and mood:

• How would you describe the mood you feel on my website and seeing my marketing/social media posts?
• What are a few things that have given you insight into my brand’s personality?
• Do you think that the brand personality you get from my website/marketing aligns with the experience you had with me?
• What kind of brand personality/mood do you tend to gravitate towards when looking for a brand or business like mine?

4. Refresh your copy and branding.

The way your brand voice and mood appears the most comes down to the way your brand speaks to people, right? Right — and that means the words people read and hear from your brand as well as the visuals and the marketing they see from you, too. Challenge yourself to rake through your copy (from your existing email sequences to your website copy) and refresh it with words and sentences that embody the voice and mood you want to portray. Then, continue to embrace those same words and phrases in things like your social media captions.

Once you’ve addressed the language part of your strategy, turn to your outwardly facing visuals (think: logo, colors, font, website design, and photos). Some of this can totally be done yourself — helloooo, Canva Pro! — and some of it can definitely be leveled up with the help of a professional! 

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Psst… my favorite recommendation for doing something super impactful and fun to embody your brand voice is allll in your personal branding photos, which can showcase your personality and voice unlike anything else. And, you know who I’d recommend, too! Wink, wink. Let’s chat.