Want your brand to kill it on social media? One of the most important components is establishing a brand voice. This is the personality your brand will have, and the way it conveys that personality through words. While visuals are key to standing out on social media, it’s also imperative to have a clear, defined brand voice that aligns with your company culture and the audience you’re targeting.

To start defining your brand voice, take a look at the Brand Personality Framework, developed by Professor Jennifer L. Aaker. These are the five elements (sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness) that are used by marketing professionals across the world to define their brand personality. While many brands are a combination of two elements (one primary and one secondary), some brands choose to go all-in on just one. For example, a brand like Chanel is pure sophistication, while a brand like REI is focused on ruggedness. However, a company like Starbucks could be considered a mix of sincerity and competence. Choose the elements that most closely match with your company values, and use that as a starting point.

Once you decide on the key elements of your brand, you can break it down to a more granular level. Ask yourself, “If our brand was a person, who would they sound like?” If you’re targeting Gen Z, you’ll probably want your brand to sound trendy, modern, and relatable. This could be conveyed through Internet slang, funny jokes, and shorthand. However, those same methods wouldn’t exactly work if you’re trying to speak to seniors. As you identify your audience, pick out the traits, adjectives, and vocabulary that you want to repeatedly see throughout your content.

Additionally, keep in mind that language can (and should!) be tailored to specific platforms. A space like TikTok is a lot more casual than LinkedIn, so more down-to-earth language and emojis can be used in captions and text. Facebook audiences tend to be more mature than Instagram audiences, so you might want to be more concise and competent when posting there.

Remember, the core component of developing a brand voice is being authentic to your company’s values and goals, while also considering who you’re speaking to and why. By being consistent, you’re likely to attract a loyal audience who relates to your brand personality.

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How to Find Your Brand's Voice and Personality