Every brand has a personality. And just like people, brands — which are, of course, built by people — can come off in ways they don’t intend. We all have blind spots. The good news is that, with a little thought and intention, you can create a brand voice that speaks to the customers you’re hoping to attract, in a way that makes them want to know you better. Here, we spoke with six founders on lessons they learned while finding the pitch-perfect voice for their brands.
1. Convey your mission
“Our mission is to create the world’s best healthcare for billions of people, for free. What kind of brand voice conveys such a crazy ambitious mission? First, one that’s bold. We say impolite things like, ‘Hey, health insurance is evil.’ Second, our voice is empowering, not paternalistic. ‘Doctor knows best’ is not our style. We call people we serve ‘members’ instead of ‘patients.’ Finally, we’re optimistic. We need a voice that can break through the learned helplessness that healthcare is somehow unfixable.” — Adrian Aoun, founder and CEO, Forward
