Watch Your Language: How to Craft Brand Messaging that Connects
Just like people, brands need to watch their language. And I’m not talking about the four-letter word variety. How your brand speaks can either draw people in or push them away. With brand language, the magic happens in the delivery. It’s not just what words you use. It’s how you speak and how you make people feel. Give them a reason to care and to remember you.
A classic example would be Dove (not the chocolates ;). Their products are not the most cutting edge, but their brand is deeply trusted and widely loved. People connect with their warm and accepting voice that comes through all of their commercials and advertising. Their messaging makes people feel embraced and beautiful in their own skin. Another great example would be Liquid Death, the irreverent water and beverage brand that shook up an entire industry. Their brand is built around the voice and vibe of their name. It sets the tone for every extension of the brand.
So how do you create language that connects like Dove or language that differentiates like Liquid Death? You start with a couple simple steps:
Just like households, brands should have a list of vocab that they do and don’t use.
Step One: Set Up Some Guidelines
Think of your brand voice the same way you think about brand visuals. You need boundaries to create within. Coke is a perfect example. Their color palette is extremely limited, but they always find new ways to innovate inside the world they have established. You want to do the same thing with language. Start with these simple exercises:
Write down one thing your brand would say.
Write down one thing your brand would never say.
Write down some go-to phrases.
Write down some examples of This, Not That.
Once you’ve worked through these exercises, you should have a solid list of brand language guidelines. Keep those handy. A lot of brands overcomplicate this and focus on intangible characteristics. Concrete and specific usages are so much more helpful for teams to apply.
Step Two: Speak to Humans. Not Audiences.
Imagine you are speaking to an audience of one. Your Aunt Janet perhaps. You wouldn’t use jargon. You would connect with her like you know her. That level of empathy and understanding is so important in brand language. You want to make a connection quickly that doesn’t feel like selling, it’s more of problem solving and communicating how you fill a need or desire. Real connection happens when people feel understood and served.
Step Three: See What Sticks
Once you have created loose guidelines and dialed in how to speak to your customers like humans rather than consumers, it is time to test your language in the real world. Something might sound great on paper, but the real proof is in how people respond to it.
I suggest starting small. Try your new language in a few social posts, an email, a product description, or even a customer reply. Pay attention to what happens. Do people respond. Do they comment. Do they click. Do they share. Do they understand you more clearly. Brand language grows stronger through real-world use. You learn what feels natural and what feels forced. You learn which phrases land and which ones fall flat.
Iteration is part of the process. Keep what works and adjust what does not.
The Last Word
When you watch your brand language, you shape how people experience your brand. Your words can make people fall in love with your brand or forget it even exists.