Brand language refers to the unique voice, tone, and messaging style that a brand uses to communicate with its audience. It is an essential aspect of branding because it helps to define and distinguish a brand’s identity in the market. In simpler terms, language is what gives your brand a personality and shapes how your target audience perceives your brand.
What makes up brand language?
Brand language is made up from three components, all of which are equally important. These are the voice, tone, and messaging style.
Your brand voice refers to the personality and style you use to communicate with your audience. This includes everything from word choice, sentence structure, and even punctuation. Voice is a part of your brand language that gets developed over time. It needs to stay consistent, otherwise you risk confusing your audience (and your marketing team).
The second, but no less important component of brand language is the tone. Tone refers to the emotional quality or attitude conveyed through words. It’s what sets the mood for how a message is delivered and received. As opposed to voice, your tone will vary depending on the platform you’re using, the target audience, and the outcome you’re hoping for.
Last, but not least, there’s your messaging style. Messaging style includes not only what you say, but also how you say it. Whether it’s informative, persuasive, or emotional, your messaging style should align with your overall branding strategy and target audience preferences.
Choosing the right words for your brand
Besides communicating your message and values, brand language can set you apart from competitors. That’s why choosing the right words to represent your brand starts with defining your brand’s personality.
The easiest way to do this is to think of your brand as a human. If it were a person, which traits, characteristics, and qualities would it have? How would other people perceive its personality? Most importantly, how do you want your target audience to perceive it?
Do you want to sound professional or casual? Serious or humorous? The tone of voice should align with both your target audience and overall strategy.
Applying your brand language to your messaging
Now that you’ve got your brand language defined, it’s time for the hard part: using it in all communication with your audience. This includes everything from social media, marketing communications, and customer service, all the way down to internal communications.
If that sounds like a lot of consistency that needs to be nailed down, that’s because it is. To make sure your entire team is on the same page, you’ll need to set a standard everyone should aim for.
Start by introducing guidelines
Showing is always better than telling, so start by documenting your brand language guidelines. That list of adjectives your brand is and definitely is not? Include it. For good measure, describe what you mean in a sentence or two to eliminate potential confusion.
Taking the time to really think about your brand language pays off in the long run. It helps you establish boundaries on the type of content that’s (un)acceptable under your brand name.
Be picky
Grammar is like a tooth – you don’t notice it until it’s bad. And just as a neglected tooth can ruin your day, poor grammar can take attention away from your message and undermine your credibility.
Once you’ve set communication and language standards, documented them, and made everyone aware, you have to stick to them. Be a perfectionist, be picky, and insist on flawless execution of your brand language guidelines. There’s no excuse for typos, spelling mistakes, and poor grammar.
Adapt to different platforms
Maintaining consistency in brand language doesn’t mean you should throw all flexibility out the window. The trick is in adapting to each platform while still maintaining the integrity of your brand language.
Just as the language you use every day, brand language needs to be flexible and consistent at the same time. You have to take context, place, and time into account. Otherwise, you risk coming off either as too formal or not serious enough.
Brand language examples you’ll want to copy
Well, maybe not copy, but at least get inspired by. Since the best way of explaining language is seeing it in action, here are a few examples of brands that know how to make an impression.
1. Nike
Nike has been using their iconic tagline “Just Do It” since 1988, and it has become synonymous with their brand. This simple phrase encapsulates Nike’s brand message perfectly – pushing boundaries, overcoming obstacles, and achieving greatness. By using their slogan to speak to the customer directly, they’ve created a personal connection that inspires customers to take action towards their goals.
2. Apple
Apple’s famous slogan “Think Different” reflects the company’s values of innovation and creativity. With this simple two-word phrase, they’ve positioned themselves as an innovative and unconventional brand. By using positive connotations associated with the words they’ve used, Apple is appealing to customers’ desire for individuality. Paired with the clean and simple design of their website, they’ve successfully used language to convey their brand’s personality.
Last line
Your brand has a voice, it’s up to you to use it. Your brand is more than just a logo design or a product – it’s an entity with its own distinctive voice. This voice has the power to shape your brand identity and leave a lasting impression on your audience.
But it’s up to you to find the right tone, language, and messaging.
Words have the power to evoke emotions, create associations, and establish credibility. The way you communicate can make or break how people perceive your brand.
The language you use can set you apart from competitors or make you just another business out there. So, before you set goals of conquering the world with your amazing product or service, figure out the language part first.
