How to Create a Consistent Brand Voice across Social Media (& TIPS)

But to make a lasting impact, it’s crucial to maintain a consistent brand voice across various social media platforms.

A unified brand voice on social media helps build trust, recognition, and loyalty among your followers.

Helpful Tips to get You Started

1. Define Your Brand’s Personality: The first step is to define your brand’s personality. Is it formal, friendly, humorous, or professional? Understanding your brand’s persona is the foundation of a consistent voice.

For example, look at the brand below. What personality can you deduce from the image below.

Social media has become an indispensable tool for businesses to connect with their target audience.

you can deduce from the above image, the following persoanlity:

1. They are sustainable clothing brand.
2. They are a brand who are serious about providing good quality clothing but care about the environment.
3. They may or may not be associated with ‘Green initiatives’.

How did we deduce all this from a picture?

The colour, tone and the theme of the picture led us to have these perceptions about this brand. However, brand tone is not just defined by the images used, it is also by the language you choose to use in your communications. We will talk about it in a bit.

2. Know Your Audience: To speak to your audience effectively, you need to know them well. What are their interests, preferences, and pain points? Tailor your brand voice to resonate with your target demographic.

We understand this can be daunting task, and that is why we have created an easy way to identify who your audience is through Buyer Personas. You can find it here.

3. Craft a Brand Voice Guideline: Create a comprehensive brand voice guideline that outlines your brand’s tone, style, and messaging. This guideline should be followed consistently by all team members managing your social media.

Below are some tips to create your Brand Voice Guideline:

Tip #1. Identify Key Brand Values: List the core values that your brand stands for. These values will shape the tone and messaging of your brand voice. For example, at BigBootMedia our core values are Honesty, Integrity and Excellence.

Think about your brand and list the core values.

Tip #2. Describe Your Brand Voice: Use adjectives to describe your brand voice. For example, if your brand is friendly and casual, you might use adjectives like “approachable,” “conversational,” and “relatable.”

Tip #3. Provide Examples: Offer concrete examples of how your brand voice should sound in different situations. Include sample social media posts, email responses, and customer interactions.

Tip #4. Set Content Guidelines: Specify content-related guidelines such as sentence length, word choice, and preferred language. Do you use technical jargon or simple language? Clarify these aspects.

Tip #5. Define Voice Dos and Don’ts: Create a list of voice dos and don’ts. This can include things like avoiding offensive language, maintaining positivity, and steering clear of controversial topics.

Tip #6. Include Messaging Framework: Develop a messaging framework that outlines how to communicate about your products, services, and values. Ensure consistency in product descriptions, slogans, and mission statements.

Tip #7. Set Editorial Guidelines: Specify rules for grammar, punctuation, and style. This ensures consistency in written content.

Tip #8. Visual Branding: If your brand has a visual component, describe how it complements your brand voice. This can include guidelines for design, color schemes, and imagery.

Refer to the image of the sustainable clothing brand above to help you get an idea of how to use visual branding to complement your brand’s voice.

4. Maintain a Uniform Tone: Whether it’s a tweet, Facebook post, or Instagram caption, ensure that the tone remains consistent across all platforms. This consistency helps in brand recognition.

5. Use a Consistent Vocabulary: Certain words or phrases can be unique to your brand. Consistently using these terms can make your content more memorable.

Example: Consider a brand, “EcoGlow,” which promotes sustainable living and eco-friendly products. Below are some of the terms they generally use in their vocabulary.

1. “Sustainability Served Daily”: EcoGlow consistently uses this unique phrase to emphasize its commitment to everyday sustainable living. This tagline appears in their marketing materials, social media posts, and product descriptions.
2. “EcoWarriors”: EcoGlow refers to its customers as “EcoWarriors” to convey the idea that they are actively making eco-friendly choices. This term is used in email newsletters, encouraging customers to join the community of EcoWarriors.
3. “Greenovation”: EcoGlow uses “Greenovation” to describe its innovative and eco-friendly product development. This word appears in product launches and descriptions to highlight their commitment to green innovation.

Since they have pre-defined certain jargons, it helps them to use the same in the text across all content (including social media).

6. Share Your Brand’s Story: Share your brand’s journey, milestones, and values on social media. This not only humanizes your brand but also strengthens its voice.

7. Monitor Competitors: Keep an eye on how your competitors maintain their brand voice on social media. This can provide insights into what works in your industry.

8. Engage with Your Audience: Interaction with your followers is key to maintaining a consistent brand voice. Respond to comments, questions, and messages in a manner that aligns with your brand’s personality.

9. Train Your Team: If multiple team members manage your social media, ensure they are well-versed in your brand voice guidelines. Consistent training is essential.

10. Conduct Regular Audits: Periodically review your social media content and ensure it aligns with your brand voice. Make necessary adjustments to maintain consistency.

Here are some necessary audits you can do to ensure consistency in your brand voice.

Audit #1. Tone and Language:

• Verify that the tone used in social media posts aligns with your established brand voice. For instance, if your brand voice is informal and friendly, ensure that posts maintain this tone.

Audit #2. Messaging and Values:

• Review your content to confirm that it consistently conveys your brand’s core values and messaging. Ensure that posts reflect your brand’s mission, vision, and key messages.

Audit #3. Visual Identity:

• Examine images, graphics, and videos used in your posts. Ensure they follow your brand’s visual identity guidelines, such as color schemes, fonts, and logo usage.

Audit #4. Content Type and Style:

• Check the types of content you share (e.g., educational, promotional, informative). Make sure they align with your brand’s content style. If your brand is known for using humor, ensure that posts reflect this.
• If you get stuck on ideas to create various content types, check out this resource to help you.

Audit #5. Consistent Vocabulary:

• Confirm that specific words or phrases unique to your brand are used consistently. For example, if your brand uses “eco-friendly” instead of “sustainable,” ensure this consistency across posts.

Audit #6. Engaging with Followers:

• Review interactions with your audience on social media. Ensure that responses and engagements are in line with your brand’s approach, like responding warmly to comments if your brand voice is friendly.

Audit #7. Feedback and Adjustments:

• Document feedback and areas where improvements are needed in maintaining brand voice consistency. Make necessary adjustments to your social media strategy and content plan based on these findings.

Regular audits help your brand maintain a consistent voice across social media platforms, ensuring that your messaging and identity remain aligned with your brand’s values and mission.

11. Test and Adapt: Social media trends and audience preferences change. Don’t be afraid to test new approaches while still staying true to your brand’s core voice. Adapt as needed.

12. Solicit Feedback: Ask your audience for feedback on your brand voice. Their insights can help you understand if you’re hitting the mark or need to make adjustments.

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