Creating a Brand Voice Guide: A Step-by-Step Framework for Small Businesses
So, your business cards are glossy, your logo's slick, and your website doesn't look like it was built during the dial-up era. Congrats! The thing is though, a beautiful brand that doesn't have a distinctive voice is like a gorgeously wrapped box with nothing inside.
Sound a bit dramatic? Well, it might be – but developing your brand voice truly isn't some nice-to-have marketing element. It's a powerful tool for connecting with customers who are yearning for authentic businesses they can relate to.
And yet, 77% of businesses release off-brand content at least once annually, according to recent studies. That's a surprising percentage of companies essentially speaking with an inconsistent voice to their customers. No wonder building lasting trust can be challenging!
Let's fix that together, shall we?
Why small businesses desperately need a brand voice guide (and why you've probably been putting it off)
I get it. As a small business owner, your to-do list is already longer than the terms and conditions nobody reads. Creating a brand voice guide probably ranks somewhere between "reorganise stationery cupboard" and "finally learn TikTok dances" on your priority list.
But the 2025 Sprout Social Index reveals the originality of brand content is one of the top factors that makes companies stand out in increasingly saturated markets. And in a world where AI-generated content is everywhere, having a distinctive human voice is becoming your most powerful differentiator.
And what happens without a clear brand voice? ⬇️
Your team creates wildly inconsistent content that confuses customers
You blend in with every other forgettable business in your niche
You waste time and money creating content that doesn't resonate with your audience
You struggle to build emotional connections that drive loyalty
Your brand voice isn't just about sounding clever in your Instagram captions. It's about:
Creating instant recognition (even before they see your logo)
Building trust through consistency (which can boost brand growth by 10-20% according to industry research)
Connecting emotionally with your audience
Standing out in a crowded marketplace
Converting browsers into buyers who actually care about your business
53% of people feel connected to a brand when its values align with their own. Your brand voice is how you communicate those values in every interaction. When your brand speaks in a distinctive, authentic voice that resonates with your ideal customers, magic happens. People don't just buy your products; they buy into your vision. They don't just remember your company name; they remember how you made them feel.
And they'll absolutely choose you over a competitor with a better price but a personality as bland as unseasoned chicken.
The ultimate 7-step framework for creating your brand voice
Ready to give your brand a voice that doesn't sound like everyone else's corporate-speak garbage? Let's break this down into manageable steps that won't make you want to hurl your laptop through a window.
Step 1: Uncover your brand's true personality
Before writing a single word of your guide, you need to understand what makes your brand tick. This isn't about manufacturing a personality that sounds impressive – it's about uncovering the authentic character already within your business.
Start with these expert-approved exercises:
Brand personality deep dive:
If your brand were a person at a dinner party, who would they be? (And please, don't say "the successful businessman" – be specific!)
What three to five adjectives truly capture your brand's character?
What adjectives would you absolutely NEVER want associated with your brand?
What's your origin story? Not the polished version, but the real, messy human reasons your business exists?
What makes you angry about your industry? What are you trying to fix?
Brand voice MadLibs:
Create fill-in-the-blank sentences related to your business and have team members complete them independently. For example:
"Our customers come to us when they feel ________."
"After using our product, customers typically say ________."
"We help our customers ________ so they can ________."
Look for patterns in the language used – these reveal your natural voice.
Do this: Gather your team (even if it's just you and your cat) and create a detailed "we are/we are not" list. For example: "We are straightforward, we are not condescending" or "We are playful, we are not unprofessional."
Step 2: Stalk your competitors
Nothing helps define your brand voice like seeing what everyone else is doing – and then running gloriously in the opposite direction.
Pull up your competitors' websites, social media accounts, and marketing materials. As you review them, ask:
What tone are they using? (Professional? Casual? Technical? Inspirational?)
What words and phrases appear repeatedly?
Do they sound like actual humans or like AI chatbots trying to impersonate humans?
Where are the gaps they're missing that your brand could fill?
Do this: Create a competitor voice matrix – a simple chart showing each competitor and notes about their voice characteristics. Circle the commonalities. These are your opportunities to differentiate.
For example, if every accounting firm in your area uses formal, technical language filled with jargon, perhaps your firm's voice could be refreshingly simple and jargon-free, making complex concepts accessible to non-accountants.
Step 3: Decode your audience's secret language
Your brand voice isn't just about you – it's about creating resonance with your specific audience. This step is where many small businesses go wrong by trying to appeal to everyone.
To nail this step:
Review customer testimonials, comments, and emails for the exact language they use
Analyse social media conversations where your ideal customers hang out
Interview 5-10 of your best clients about what drew them to your business -> learn how to do that in this guide
Create a "language bank" of terms, phrases, and references that light up your audience
Do this: Identify the communication patterns of your audience. Are they formal or casual? Do they use industry jargon or simpler terms? What cultural references resonate with them? What values do they express?
Step 4: Define your brand voice dimensions
Now comes the fun part. Based on everything you've learned, define 3-4 key dimensions of your brand voice. These aren't just random adjectives but specific characteristics that make your brand instantly recognisable.
Industry experts suggest that the most effective brand voices have overlapping dimensions that create depth and allow for range across different channels and content types. As described by one major AI company, their brand voice sits at the intersection of "Pioneering, Practical and Playful" – giving them flexibility while maintaining consistency.
Each dimension should include:
The characteristic name (e.g., "Boldly honest")
A brief description of what this means
Guidelines for how this sounds in practice
Examples of do's and don'ts
Leading brands understand that voice needs range. Just as you adjust your personal speaking style between a job interview and chatting with friends, your brand voice should flex slightly across different contexts and platforms without losing its essential character.
Do this: Create a comprehensive brand voice chart like this:
DIMENSION 1: BOLDLY HONEST
Description: We tell the truth even when it's uncomfortable
✓ DO: "Our starter plan works for most beginners, but if you need [specific feature], you'll need to upgrade."
✗ DON'T: "Our plans are designed to meet the diverse needs of our valued customer base with scalable solutions."
DIMENSION 2: WARMLY IRREVERENT
Description: We're professional but never stuffy
✓ DO: "Let's face it – bookkeeping isn't sexy. But financial peace of mind? That's hot."
✗ DON'T: "We provide humorous accounting services that don't take things too seriously."
DIMENSION 3: REFRESHINGLY SIMPLE
Description: We make the complex accessible
✓ DO: "This feature saves you time by automatically categorising your expenses."
✗ DON'T: "Our proprietary AI-driven methodology facilitates enhanced transaction categorisation efficiency."
Want to go even further? For each dimension, create a spectrum showing intensity levels. For example, "Boldly honest" might range from "Gently truthful" (for sensitive situations) to "Brutally candid" (for marketing claims). This helps team members understand when to dial certain characteristics up or down.
Channel adaptation guide: Create a quick reference showing how your dimensions adapt across channels:
Website: More informative, slightly more formal but still conversational
Social media: More casual, emphasizing warmth and personality
Customer service: Empathetic first, honest second
Email: Friendly but focused on clarity
These dimensions become the backbone of your brand voice guide. They give everyone in your company clear parameters while still allowing for creative expression. According to recent studies, this kind of structured flexibility leads to increased content creation efficiency and greater message consistency.
Step 5: Develop your practical grammar rules (yes, including which ones to break)
The most memorable brand voices don't just have a distinctive personality – they have linguistic patterns that make them immediately recognisable.
Consider which grammar and style choices align with your brand dimensions:
Sentence length (short and punchy? Longer and more descriptive?)
Punctuation style (Do you love em dashes – like this? Or are you more of a semicolon person; they do add sophistication.)
Contractions (Will you use them? Or will you not use them?)
First-person pronouns (We, our, us) vs. second-person (You, your)
Industry jargon (embrace it, translate it, or avoid it?)
Emoji and exclamation usage (None? Selective? Abundant!)
Do this: Create a section in your guide specifically for grammar and style choices that align with your brand dimensions. Include before/after examples showing generic writing transformed into your brand voice.
For example:
Generic: "Our product offers multiple features that help users improve their productivity."
With your brand voice: "You'll crush your to-do list with our time-saving magic. Finally – productivity tools that don't need a PhD to figure out!"
Step 6: Build your verbal identity toolkit
Now that you've defined your brand voice, it's time to create practical tools that make implementation a breeze for everyone on your team.
Your toolkit should include:
Key phrases and power words that embody your brand
Go-to expressions for common situations (greetings, thank yous, addressing problems)
Taboo words or phrases that don't align with your brand
Brand-specific glossary for how you describe your products, services, and industry
Templates for common content types (social posts, customer service responses, etc.)
Do this: Create a swipe file of real-world examples showing your brand voice in action across different contexts. Include everything from social media captions to email signatures, error messages to thank you notes.
Step 7: Implement, iterate, and evolve your brand voice
A brand voice guide that sits in a digital drawer is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. The final step is ensuring your voice becomes embedded in your company's DNA.
To successfully implement your brand voice:
Immediate implementation actions:
Host a launch workshop to introduce the guide to your team (research shows that brands with formal training see 84% higher voice consistency)
Create a simple checklist for reviewing content against your brand voice
Set up recurring content review sessions
Create templates for common communications (emails, social posts, customer service responses)
Add brand voice training to your onboarding for all new team members
Continuous improvement system:
Develop a brand voice scoring system (e.g., rate content 1-5 on each voice dimension)
Create a feedback loop where customers' responses to communications are analyzed
Monitor engagement metrics on different types of content
Schedule quarterly voice reviews to assess what's working
Plan to revisit your guide every 6-12 months as your brand evolves
Do this: Identify brand voice champions within your company who will help maintain consistency and train new team members. For each piece of important content, have someone ask: "If our brand didn't have a logo on this, would people still recognize it as us?"
Remember: Your brand voice will evolve as your business grows. The goal isn't rigid perfection but consistent authenticity that strengthens your connection with customers. The most successful brands maintain their core voice characteristics while strategically adapting to changing markets.
How to make your brand voice guide actually work
Having created dozens of brand voice guides for clients, I've noticed a pattern – the most successful ones share certain key characteristics. Here's what separates gathering-dust documents from transformative brand tools:
1. They're ridiculously practical
Effective brand voice guides aren't philosophical treatises on brand identity. They're practical tools designed for daily use, with clear examples and scenarios relevant to your specific business communications.
Brand communication experts recommend including tailored examples for:
How to write headlines and page titles (crucial for SEO)
How to craft social media captions for different platforms
How to respond to positive feedback (with templates)
How to handle customer complaints or negative reviews
How to describe your products/services in different contexts
How to answer frequently asked questions consistently
Try this: Create a "swipe file" of real-world examples showing your brand voice in action. Keep adding to it when you see particularly effective communication that embodies your voice.
2. They embrace strategic rule-breaking
Remember my "12 Grammar 'Mistakes' That Make Your Copy More Human" post? The best brand voices know exactly which grammar rules to break for effect. Be intentional about which conventions you'll ignore for the sake of personality.
I recommend carefully considering:
Starting sentences with "And" or "But" for conversational flow
Using strategic fragments. For impact.
Sprinkling in the occasional made-up word that perfectly captures your meaning
USING ALL CAPS SELECTIVELY FOR EMPHASIS
Breaking paragraphs into single sentences
Using punctuation creatively – like em dashes – for a distinctive rhythm
3. They account for different channels and contexts
Your brand voice should maintain its core characteristics across all platforms, but it will flex in different contexts – just like you speak differently in a job interview versus a pub, without losing your essential personality.
Create a channel adaptation guide showing how your voice adjusts for:
Website copy (often more informative)
Social media (typically more conversational)
Email newsletters (somewhat personal)
Customer service interactions (empathetic but efficient)
Legal and technical documentation (clearer, more precise)
Voice search optimization (more conversational, question-focused)
Try this: Create context-specific mini-templates for common communications. For example, have 3-4 versions of how you might acknowledge a customer complaint, each maintaining your brand voice but adjusting the tone for the situation's severity.
4. They include voice measurement systems
The most successful brand voice implementations include specific metrics to track effectiveness. Consider measuring:
Voice Consistency Score: Have team members rate content on a 1-5 scale for each voice dimension
Audience Perception: Use surveys to see if customers describe your brand the way you intend
Engagement Differentials: Compare performance of content that strongly embodies your voice versus more generic content
Message Retention: Test whether customers remember key messages when delivered in your brand voice
5. They're living documents
The most effective brand voice guides evolve alongside your business. Schedule regular reviews to incorporate new expressions, address communication challenges, and refine your approach based on customer feedback.
Try this: Create a shared document or Slack channel where team members can submit great examples of your brand voice in action, suggest new phrases that work well, or flag communications challenges that the guide doesn't address.
How to tell if your brand voice is actually working
You've created your guide. You've trained your team. But how do you know if your brand voice is actually making a difference? Look for these indicators:
Customers are using your language: When clients start adopting your expressions and terminology, you've hit verbal identity gold.
Content creation becomes faster: With clear guidelines, your team spends less time wondering "does this sound like us?" and more time creating effective communications.
You're getting brand voice compliments: When customers specifically mention loving your emails, social captions, or website copy, that's a win.
Your engagement metrics improve: Compare content performance before and after implementing your brand voice. Look for increases in engagement, sharing, and conversion rates.
Your team can pass the "blind test": Show team members unmarked content examples, some in your brand voice and some not. If they can consistently identify which is which, your voice is distinctive enough.
How to put your brand voice guide into action
Creating a brand voice guide is only the beginning. Here's how branding experts recommend embedding it into your business operations:
1. Get company-wide adoption
Host a proper launch: Don't just email the guide – host a workshop or presentation to excite people about it
Train your entire team, not just your marketing people – according to brand experts, customer service teams especially need voice training
Incorporate into onboarding: Make brand voice part of every new employee's introduction to your company
Create incentives: Recognize team members who use the brand voice effectively in their communications
2. Build systems for consistency
Create templates and snippets for commonly used communications (emails, social responses, product descriptions)
Use writing tools: Consider tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor with custom brand settings
Build a brand voice checklist that content creators can reference before publishing
Develop a brand voice review process for important content
3. Measure and optimize
Track sentiment analysis: Use tools that measure how people perceive your communications
Compare engagement metrics: See which voice aspects drive the most customer interaction
Conduct A/B testing: Test slight voice variations to see what resonates best
Monitor your Share of Voice (SOV): Track your brand's visibility compared to competitors
Collect customer feedback specifically about how your communications make them feel
4. Refine continuously
Schedule regular reviews: Set calendar reminders to evaluate and update your guide
Create a submission process for teams to suggest new voice elements
Track industry changes: Monitor how customer expectations and competitor voices evolve
Document success stories: Keep a record of when your brand voice clearly drove business results
Your brand voice is a powerful business asset that builds recognition, trust, and emotional connection with your audience. It deserves the same strategic attention you give to your visual identity and product development.
Final thoughts
In an era where AI-generated content is everywhere, having a distinct, unmistakably human voice is becoming your most powerful differentiator.
So go forth and find your voice – not just any voice, but one that's unapologetically yours. Then measure its impact. Track engagement metrics, monitor sentiment analysis, and analyze your share of voice compared to competitors.
Your future customers aren't just waiting to hear what you offer. They're waiting to hear who you are.
Need help crafting a brand voice that's uniquely yours? I meticulously craft the message, the wording, the flow and the spark for your brand's verbal identity. Book a call with me
Sources:
Content Marketing Institute, "Building Brand Voice: Guidelines for Consistency," 2024
Sprout Social Index™, "Brand Voice Impact on Consumer Trust," January 2025
Harvard Business Review, "The Business Impact of Brand Consistency," March 2025
Nielsen Norman Group, "How Users Read Web Content," February 2024
DigitalSilk, "Brand Voice Statistics and Trends," December 2024
