Finding, perfecting, and maintaining a brand voice is something that comes easily to some. It’s easy to understand, apply, and evaluate, and that’s reflected in a strong community or hitting sales goals. However, the reality is that many (or even most) brands have some trouble with their brand voice in their beauty copywriting. There are plenty of reasons why this can be the case. It could be anything from confusion around what’s considered ‘on-brand’ to an internal lack of confidence around copywriting. Whatever the reason, uncertainty around your beauty brand’s voice can impact how well you communicate with consumers. So we’ve compiled some tips we’ve picked up from our editorial and journalism experience to help you build confidence around your brand voice.
Speak to your current customer
When you write anything, you need to think about who’s going to read it. This is different from who you want to be reading it. Think about that for a minute.
For example, you might have a makeup brand and your current customers are mid-income earners who have children and live in regional areas. They are your readers right now. You might aspire to become a prestige brand with popularity among high-income young urban professionals, however, writing in a way that appeals to your ‘dream’ market might alienate the customers you already have.
It’s not to say you can’t evolve your brand voice or write for people that aren’t your exact customer. You certainly can (and that’s often what re-brands are for). But it’s wise to speak to your current customers in a way that resonates with them. Be aware of who is reading what you’re writing.
Write for your audience, not yourself
Although your brand voice is somewhat a reflection of you and your brand, good copywriting requires you to take the ‘you’ out of it. That is, write for the person reading it instead of yourself.
A big lesson people have to learn when they start writing for public consumption (whether it’s editorial or commercial), is when and how to drop their own voice. Part of writing on behalf of a brand, business, or publication is using your writing skills to take on their voice. It’s something that comes with practice and patience. Doing so doesn’t make your writing less interesting or special – it makes your writing fit for the job.
When thinking about your brand’s beauty copywriting, is it written in a way that simply sounds good to you? Or is it serving a purpose for the person reading it? You need to feel proud of your copy, of course, but it’s important for your reader or customer to appreciate it, too.
Consistency is everything
Applying your brand voice consistently is easier said than done. So many brands make mistakes with spelling, capitalising, and formatting in their copy. Humans make mistakes and that’s not something we’d ever shame. However, when brands make these kinds of mistakes when referencing their own product or service names, that’s indicative of a bigger problem. You can’t expect consumers to recognise or refer to your offering correctly if you can’t communicate it consistently.
Anyone who is writing on behalf of your brand or business needs clarity around your brand voice. At the very least, everyone needs to know exactly how your most-used words or phrases are spelled, capitalised, and formatted.
Beauty copywriting recommendation
Beyond the basics like spelling, it’s tricky to articulate and distil how your brand should sound to other people. It’s subjective, open to interpretation, and generally a bit murky. There’s no set way to guarantee everyone in your team will get it, so you might need to try a mix of methods over time to see your brand’s copywriting become more consistent. This might include:
- Providing real-life examples of how to apply your brand voice
- Relating your brand vision and goals to your brand’s voice
- Explaining why something sounds ‘on-brand’ instead of plainly saying it does
- Offering feedback that is specific and actionable
- Asking your team members how they interpret your brand voice – they might offer new ideas you hadn’t thought about.
If you feel like your beauty brand or business’s voice is lacking clarity, cohesion, or creativity, working with a beauty copywriter such as Hadley Co. is a fantastic step. We’ll help you feel confident in using your brand voice and show you how to apply it to your brand’s copywriting and communications.