The voice of brands

My web doesn't tell us who we are. We need to communicate the brand better. Does any of these sound familiar? It's the initial symptom we detect in many of the cases that reach the team and which, rather than a new website or communication plan, require taking a step back to understand what the essence is and what the strengths are that will make those businesses endure. At Soluble, we approach each case in a personalized way, but the most common project is usually a rebranding.

When you read the word "rebranding" you've probably automatically thought of the logo, typography, colors, photographic style… And yes, the process involves rethinking and evolving the visual part. But what happens with the voice? In the strategic reflection of rebranding, the brand's verbal identity also has much to say.

In branding, as in life

In our social, romantic, and professional lives… we're very clear that it's not just what we say that matters, but also how we say it. At Soluble, we take this even a step further when we work on a brand's verbal identity: tell me who you are and I'll tell you how you speak. Because a brand that wants to connect to endure is a brand that needs to speak to its audiences. How that voice sounds is a strategic decision for its positioning that shouldn't be overlooked.

Verbal identity is, therefore, the tool that defines the brand's voice and that will guide us when using it effectively, coherently, and sustainably at all touchpoints. The impact of this work goes far beyond how copy reads in a specific advertising campaign; it means establishing an effective way of relating that impacts the experience we generate as a brand.

Tell better, connect more

Know it and love it. Verbal identity brings many joys to brand management thanks to its superpowers—or benefits—such as:

• Coherence. No matter who speaks or writes: they will do so with the brand's unique, authentic, and recognizable tone of voice.
• Consistency. Your team and all collaborators will have access to the same tool and the same codes to communicate.
• Agility. It allows us to create content faster and more securely thanks to guidelines, resources, and practical examples.
• Strategy. It facilitates conversation with the community and potential customers, ensuring that all messages are aligned with the strategy so we don't create confusion.
• Recognition. It makes it possible for us to be recognized at touchpoints where visuals don't reach: podcasts, voice messages…
• Synergy. But when it coexists with other elements of the identity, everything aligns, multiplying the brand experience.

Refining the voice

And how do we achieve this? First, we need to (re)define the brand's tone of voice. The answer lies, as always, in the essence of its strategy. We said before that a brand, like people, speaks as it is. So we'll adopt a unique tone of voice, according to the brand's and business's personality, purpose, and goals.

The next step is to ask ourselves: What are we looking for when we speak? Defining the main intention in our brand communications is key and will shape all verbal identity decisions. Do we speak to inspire? To make the difficult easy and the boring entertaining? To give visibility to the invisible? Staying true to the authenticity of each brand, there won't be two identical verbal identities.

With tone and intention setting the direction, we'll define guidelines to homogenize, in a simple and practical way, our brand's voice. Some of these verbal identity guidelines are straightforward, but necessary. For example, defining where we speak from: does the brand speak, or do we speak from a "we" perspective? Others, however, require deep strategic reflection tied to the very service or product we deliver to clients. Depending on the type of resources and language we choose for our verbal identity, we'll create a unique, authentic brand experience that stays true to its essence.

And, of course, we generate a battery of elements and resources that help us stand out and creatively drive our brand's personality and purpose.

We don't overlook Artificial Intelligence

Having a solid brand manual will help ensure consistency in your brand strategy and will be incredibly useful for the day-to-day work of the people managing your brand communication and engaging with the public and potential customers. Well, people… or an Artificial Intelligence. Because if we decide to use AI to help us generate content or want a chatbot as a virtual assistant, verbal identity becomes more important than ever to feed it and harness its potential without diluting the brand voice in the process.

In any case, regardless of which intelligence is behind it, once the rebranding is complete, the website won't just tell what we do—it will also show what we are in every word. And not just the website, but social media, presentations, emails…

Ultimately, a verbal identity is essential to guarantee coherent, recognizable communication that allows us to connect and build relationships with our audience so we can be remembered and endure. And all of this is possible by bringing extra strategy—and care—to our brand's words and voice.