Values That Stick: Crafting a Brand Voice That Connects
Consumers today buy with values front and centre. A great product or a tempting discount is no longer enough. People want brands that stand for something meaningful, something they can connect with beyond a one-off sale. When your brand voice reflects what your audience genuinely cares about, you build trust that lasts.
Smaller businesses might feel intimidated competing with larger brands that have dedicated messaging teams, but aligning your voice does not require a big budget. It is about being intentional, listening, and acting on insights. Here’s how:
Listen before You Speak
One of the easiest mistakes brands make is assuming they already know what their audience cares about right from the get-go. The reality? Your customers are already dropping hints in reviews, comments, and even complaints. Tune into this feedback to avoid out-of-touch messaging and make your audience feel heard. Before you set your brand’s tone, spend time listening; it’ll save you from guessing and help you see your customer’s biggest priorities with a clear eye.
Spot the Overlap Between Your Values and Theirs
Chasing every trending cause isn’t the same as alignment. It’s opportunism, and people tend to notice. What works far better is identifying where your brand’s DNA naturally intersects with the values of your customers. Is sustainabil
ity a core part of how you operate? Then highlight that overlap rather than bolting it on because it’s fashionable. The sweet spot lies in showcasing the values you genuinely embody and that your audience already prioritises.
Research Competitors as Closely as Customers
Your voice doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s competing with the voices of every other brand in your space. Keep an eye on competitors and you’ll soon discover which values they emphasise, and where they may be falling short. That gap is often your opportunity. The better you understand both your customers and your competitors, the better you can position your voice in a way that feels authentic while also standing apart.
Match Their Language
Even when you’ve identified the right values, how you talk about them matters. The wrong vocabulary can make you sound like you’re giving a corporate presentation rather than starting a conversation. Notice the words your customers use when they talk about what’s important to them, and echo that tone in your brand voice.
Demonstrate, Don't Just Declare
It’s one thing to talk about values, but it’s another to show them in practice. Audiences are quick to notice when there’s a gap between words and actions. If you claim to care about inclusivity but your ads only show one type of customer, or you talk up sustainability while over-packaging every product in plastic, people won’t buy it. Tangible proof, be it ethical sourcing, transparent reporting, or community initiatives, gives your brand voice credibility that can’t be faked.
Test for Resonance, Not Just reach
Your efforts to get your message in front of thousands of people won’t mean much if it doesn’t land. The better measure is resonance: do your audience members see themselves in what you’re saying? Do they respond, share, or comment in ways that suggest the message struck a chord? Tools like surveys, A/B testing, and even simple polls can help you gauge this. Aim for more than just being heard here. You want to be understood in a way that feels personal.
Give Your Team a Playbook
Even the best-defined brand voice needs to be clear across your whole organisation to really work its magic. Every touchpoint, from customer service emails to social captions, shapes how people perceive you. Clear guidelines make it easier for your whole team to stay on the same page. Be sure to cover tone, vocabulary, and what to avoid. Think of it as giving everyone a shared playbook so your brand doesn’t end up sounding like seven different people fighting over the mic.
Adapt as Values Evolve
What your audience cares about today might not hold the same weight tomorrow. Values shift as new social, cultural, and environmental issues take centre stage. That doesn’t mean you need to reinvent your voice every year, but it does mean paying attention and adjusting when necessary. Adaptability shows you’re listening and that you care enough to keep the conversation going.
When your brand voice reflects what people truly care about, it stops feeling like marketing and starts sounding like a relationship. In the long run, the businesses that thrive are the ones that stay honest, consistent, and curious about their audience’s evolving values. And if you’d like some digital marketing strategy to help find that sweet spot, we at Author are in your corner. Reach out today and let us make your brand voice matter.
A note
Henry Blackwell
Henry Blackwell is a marketing professional. He has spent the last 10 years working in-house and within agencies, growing profitable businesses through brand and customer-centric digital marketing in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
“My approach to marketing is a combination of heart and head. My heart brings an empathetic and intuitive approach to deeply understanding the qualitative requirements of marketing that many simply do not care to do. My head brings an analytical mindset that leverages data-driven insights to deliver profitable performance for the businesses I work with.
This skill set allows me to deliver systematic customer acquisition, conversion, and retention.”
– Director