Why Your Brand Voice Matters in the Sports Industry

As an influential branding agency in the sports industry, we understand the importance of a strong brand identity. Your brand is more than just a logo or a product; the personality and voice speak to your audience. In today’s competitive market, developing a distinct brand voice is essential to stand out and connect with your target audience. In this blog, we’ll explore the significance of brand voice, how it influences customer perception and purchasing behavior, and provide practical tips on developing and maintaining a consistent brand voice across all communication channels.

What Is a Brand Voice?

Simply put, brand voice is a unique personality and tone that a brand uses to communicate with its intended audience. Take these elements into consideration:

• Language
• Messaging
• Emotions

Done right, your brand voice may spark emotions in your customers’ minds through marketing efforts. Think of your brand as a person with its own distinct personality and values.

Rule of thumb: Your business brand is different than your personal brand. Many business owners get lost when it comes to this. They tend to see a business brand as their personal brand. Actually, it’s way different. So, be careful, and stick away from managing your business brand as your personal brand.

Yeah, it’s true your business is somehow an extension of your pipedreams, values, and foundation. And it’s fair to say you’ve invested a heck of hard work and money on it. But remember, whereas you’re an individual, your business is a complex organization. Whether big or small, your organization must be customer-centric. People are what matter.

Remember: You must tell them what they need before they listen to what you want to say.

If your brand voice —how your brand speaks to customers— meets your customers’ needs, they’ll listen to you whenever you speak.

Why is a brand voice important for business success?

Why does brand voice matter?

Your brand voice plays a crucial role in building a brand identity that resonates with your target audience. It creates an emotional connection between your brand and potential customers, making it more likely that they will choose your brand over competitors. Not to mention a strong brand voice also helps establish brand loyalty, as customers are more likely to return to a brand they feel connected with. Additionally, a consistent brand voice across all communication channels, from social media posts to marketing materials, helps build brand recognition and establish a lasting impression in the minds of consumers.

How Do You Define the Best Brand Voice?

First, think about what’s the most appropriate customer trait. In case your audience comprises a wide range of ages and psychological profiles, most like you’ll need to tailor your brand messaging accordingly. In other words, people will hardly relate to your message and stories if your brand strategy is not well-thought-out. Try to get tricky and technical when bringing solutions; people will ignore you, though you may have a great solution.

Instead, always keep it simple and smooth.

A brand’s voice should reflect your brand’s personality and brand values while also speaking directly to your intended audience. Thus, to define the best brand’s voice, identify your target audience and understand their wants, needs, and preferences. This will help you create messaging that speaks directly to them and establish a solid understanding between you and them.

Another helpful tool is creating a brand voice template or chart outlining the specific tone of voice and personality traits your brand should embody. This can help to ensure consistency across all communication channels and make it easier to create compelling brand messaging.

Meet Three Unique Brand Voices on the Leading Edge of the Sports Industry

You may wonder, Is there a brand role model in the Sports industry? Let me put it this way: I spoke nothing but great things about activewear brands, such as Nike, Asics, Gymshark, and YoungLa, but I believe in uniqueness. I believe any brand out there with a long-lasting mission can succeed. It could be your brand.

The thing is, rather than saying who’s better or more successful, I’d like you to see the following brand voice examples to garner inspiration, get your creative juices flowing, and come up with a unique brand voice.

Try out!

So, let’s jump right in!

MuscleTech

MuscleTech is a worldwide sports nutrition company that has a brand voice that is both authoritative and scientific. How is it mingled? Well, their messaging emphasizes the science behind their products —cool, right?—. They are big on using technical terms and detailed explanations to establish credibility with their target audience of serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The brand’s tone is confident and professional, reflecting its products’ high quality and efficacy.

BPI Sports

There’s one epithet to describe BPI Sports’ brand voice—aggressive, just like gym dudes. This brand emphasizes, like any other, its products’ potency and power. Pay close attention to their direct and bold messaging, using powerful language and a sense of urgency to appeal to their target audience. On the other side, a crowd of serious athletes is looking for the most effective supplements on the market. Does it work? Just look at their marketing collaterals. The brand’s tone is intense and unapologetic, reflecting the no-nonsense attitude of its target audience.

Its reputation is now undeniable, and gym lovers take them seriously. They see BPI Sports like a close gym partner.

Gold’s Gym

Jeez, the mythic Gold’s Gym… We can only say great things about it. It’s a workout sanctuary for athletic-driven people, and you know it. People remember this iconic gym as Arnold’s favorite in Venice Beach, Cali. Just go to Youtube and watch Arnold getting unleashed muscle power at it. By the way, this is a great example of how a brand’s visual identity has stuck to people’s minds for decades thanks to an amazing and unique logo.

But let’s move forward and talk about its voice.

Gold’s Gym has a brand voice that is down to earth and motivational, speaking directly to its target audience of fitness enthusiasts of all levels. Their messaging makes sense more than ever because this brand decided to stay relevant by supporting current inclusivity and accessibility narratives. Gold’s Gym also takes a hand in positive language and inspiring messaging to encourage people to reach any fitness goals. Ultimately, the brand’s tone is friendly and approachable, reflecting the welcoming atmosphere of their gyms.

Let’s work together!

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of brand voice and provided some examples of companies with distinct brand voices, let’s explore some practical tips for developing and maintaining a strong brand voice.

Nine Practical Tips For Developing and Maintaining a Strong Brand Voice

Start with your company’s mission statement

Your brand’s mission statement should be your brand’s voice north star. It outlines the purpose and values of your company, which should be reflected in your brand messaging. Work smartly on setting out your mission statement and ensure that it aligns with your brand personality and target audience.

Exercise: Let’s say I’m a 45-years old person who knows all the ins and outs of a gym routine. I’m looking for a new gym near me. What tone would you use to sell me a gym membership?

A) Personable, Serious, Little to no gym slang

B) Personable, Humorous, Rich to gym slang

Think about it based on your audience.

Identify Your Target Audience

Your brand voice should speak directly to your intended audience. Identify your target audience, their needs and preferences, and what language and tone will resonate with them. This will help you create messaging that speaks directly to your audience and makes a connection with them.

Create a Style Guide

A style guide is a document that outlines the specific tone of voice and personality traits that your brand should embody. It includes guidelines for language, word choice, and messaging, as well as examples of how to use your brand voice across different communication channels. A style guide helps to ensure consistency across all communication channels and makes it easier to create compelling brand messaging.

Review Your Existing Content

Review your existing content, from social media posts to marketing materials, to ensure that it aligns with your brand voice. Make any necessary adjustments to ensure that all messaging is consistent with your brand personality and tone of voice.

Use Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is a powerful tool for creating an emotional connection with your audience. Use storytelling techniques, such as anecdotes or personal experiences, to create a narrative that resonates with your audience and makes your brand more relatable.

Be Authentic

I know you’re tired of hearing about Authenticity in every blog you jump on, but the truth is that it’s a powerful tool when establishing a strong brand voice. Avoid using buzzwords or generic messaging and focus on creating genuine messaging that reflects your brand’s values and personality.

Consider Different Social Media Platforms

It’s a no-brainer for people to realize different social media platforms have different audiences and communication styles. For example, TikTok is for Gen Z, whereas LinkedIn is for every professional who wants to succeed, from boomers to millennials. LinkedIn contains multitudes of high-quality talent trained to be the best of the best. That said, consider how your brand voice will resonate in each platform and make any necessary adjustments to ensure that your messaging is consistent and relevant to each platform’s audience.

Experiment with Different Tones

Your last marketing campaign was a complete fail? Ask yourself: What Market Sector am I trying to delve into? How are people in there? Your tone didn’t work at all? Well, meet your marketer and examine what went wrong. If you feel stuck, maybe it’s time to go back to marketing fundamentals.

What I mean by that is that you need to experiment with different tones of voice to find what works best for your brand. Consider using offbeat humor or a more informal tone to create a unique voice that sets your brand apart from a sea of competitors.

Stay True to Your Brand Personality

Your brand voice should reflect your brand personality and values. Stay true to your brand personality and ensure that your messaging is consistent with your company’s communications and marketing strategy.

FAQs

What Is the Brand Voice of Nike?

Nike’s brand voice is inspirational and motivational, speaking to the inner athlete in all of us. Their messaging emphasizes the power of sports to transform lives and inspire greatness.

What Are the 3 Characteristics of Our Brand Voice?

This is a question you need to ask in your weekly executive meetings. If you strive to answer it, it’s time to contact us and run into our brand discovery process, where we work together to define your own brand voice.

Exercise: Think about three characteristics of your brand voice that should reflect your brand personality and values. Examples of a brand’s voice tone are friendly tone, innovative, emphatic, and humorous.

What Is Brand Voice vs. Product Voice?

Brand voice refers to the overall personality and tone that a brand uses to communicate with its audience, while product voice is more focused on the specific messaging around a particular product or service.

In conclusion, a strong brand voice is essential for building a brand identity that resonates with your target audience. By defining your brand’s voice, staying true to your brand personality, and maintaining consistency across all communication channels, you can create a compelling brand voice that establishes brand loyalty and makes a lasting impression in the minds of potential customers. With the practical tips provided in this guide, you can develop a powerful brand voice that sets your brand apart and drives business success in the competitive sports industry.