How can your slow beauty brand stand out with a distinctive brand voice?
In the past, organic ingredients, cruelty-free formulations or plastic-free packaging may have been enough to convince conscious skinthusiasts to add your latest product to their basket.
But now slow beauty – clean beauty, ethical beauty or sustainable beauty – has reached the mainstream. Refillable, reusable and minimally packaged skincare and cosmetics made from sustainably sourced ingredients are popping up everywhere, and even big brands are getting on board. While this is great news for the planet, this means it’s harder than ever to stand out.
The sustainability problem
Not only are ‘eco-friendly’, ‘ecological’, and ‘biodegradable’ claims no longer unique selling propositions, slapping them all over your sales copy can get you in trouble. Since there is no hard-and-fast definition, they can mislead consumers. Governments have been quick to act on this, binging in a number of anti-greenwashing regulations, including the EU’s ban on the terms above.
So how can you get more eyes on your brand as you scale up your slow beauty start-up? One way is to develop a strong brand voice.
What is brand voice?
Brand voice is the verbalisation of your brand’s personality. And, whether intentional or not, your brand has one. It’s how you come across on your website, in socials and in your email newsletters.
Just like your own personality, brand voice defines you and should remain consistent. Is your brand a jester who entertains everyone? A maverick defying conventions? A medicine woman?
Brand voice can be dialled up and down depending on the occasion or channel. This is known as ‘tone of voice’.
Not only can an intentional, well-crafted brand voice help you stand out, but it can help you connect more deeply with your customer base, build trust through consistency, and get them coming back for more.
Tips for crafting your perfect brand voice
A brand voice can evolve organically over years. Or you can nail and refine it over a matter of weeks using some tried-and-tested techniques. Here are some tips to get you started.
1) Get crystal clear on your mission and audience
Your brand voice should reflect your brand’s mission and appeal to your target audience. Make sure you do this foundational work first to avoid mixed messages. You can develop your brand voice alongside your visual branding to ensure it all works together.
2) Study your target audience
It’s much easier to create a brand voice when you focus on one audience. Get a feel for how your audience speaks, what they value and the type of language that resonates with them. You can do this through social listening, by trawling your reviews or inviting them to your premises for a chat.
3) Audit your competitors
Who are your closest competitors? Explore how they communicate with their customers to avoid being a ‘me-too’ brand. Are there any gaps in the market? For example, if other brands speak like an expert formulator, could you adopt a playful or even cheeky voice?
4) Bring your brand voice to life
Once you’ve done all the groundwork, it’s time for some fun! Start playing around with words, language and sentences to work out how to communicate your brand’s personality. Here are some ways you could do this:
For a bold, edgy brand, try using short, snappy sentences, active voice, and energetic words.
For a sensual and luxurious feel, use flowing sentences, evocative descriptions, and sensory details to evoke touch, sight, and smell.
If your vibe is playful and fun, have a go at wordplay and creative product names.
5) Make it real with brand guidelines
It’s no good if your standout brand voice exists only in your (or your lead copywriter’s) head! To futureproof your brand voice, immortalise it in as much detail as possible in a set of guidelines. This will make it easier for everyone who writes for your brand to recreate it consistently across channels.
As a minimum, your guidelines should include:
- Examples of your brand voice in action across different channels (social media, website, packaging, emails, etc).
- Words and topics to avoid.
- A bank of signature phrases and terminology unique to your brand.
Your brand voice will evolve, so I’d recommend reviewing your guidelines every year.
Some beauty brands with strong brand voices
Take inspiration from other brands within your own sector and beyond. Some slow beauty brands that have successfully developed a distinctive verbal identity include:
- Saalt. This washable period pants brand has a fun, relatable voice that doesn’t take itself too seriously. They say, ‘we are on a mission to end panicked sprints to the bathroom, sweaters tied around waists, and sleeping on towels.’ Their Co-Founder, Cherie Hoeger says many of their loyal fans reference their unique brand voice as one of the reasons they love them so much.
- KraveBeauty. With its Great Barrier Relief cream, this slow skincare brand takes a fun approach to naming its products, which it specially formulates for when your ‘skintuition’ says it needs more care for its ‘skinsides’.
- Penhaligon’s. It’s a heritage-laden, luxurious brand voice at your service here, proclaiming, ‘a signature scent is part of one’s identity. Care to discover yours?’
- Fenty Beauty. Not slow beauty, but Rhianna’s makeup brand can teach us a lot about Gen Z language. Its website invites fans to ‘save major + leave with your pockets full of Fenty’ and offers ‘hot makeup picks in heavy rotation’.
Develop your signature brand voice
One way you can help your slow beauty brand rise above the noise, nurture loyal fans and boost trust is by getting intentional about your brand voice. These tips should help you begin to identify how to craft a standout brand voice that works for your brand – and customer base.
Fuschia Hutton is a brand voice copywriter and Italian-to-English transcreator. As well as crafting on-brand copy and content for slow beauty brands, she can also help you develop your ideal brand voice so nothing is left to chance.
