brand-voice-guidelines
Develop brand voice, tone matrices, messaging frameworks, and brand book documentation. Use when the user asks about brand voice, tone of voice, brand guidelines, messaging framework, or brand consistency.
Brand Voice & Guidelines
Develop, document, and maintain consistent brand voice across all channels.
Install
git clone https://github.com/thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing.git && cp -r claude-marketing/skills/brand-voice-guidelines ~/.claude/skills/
Voice vs Tone
Voice = who you are (consistent). Tone = how you adapt to context (variable).
- Voice is your brand personality — it does not change
- Tone shifts based on situation: celebration vs crisis, social vs support, blog vs legal
Voice Development Process
Step 1: Audit Existing Content
Analyze 10-20 pieces of existing content across channels:
- What adjectives describe the writing?
- What is consistent? What is inconsistent?
- How does your audience describe you?
Step 2: Define Voice Attributes
Choose 3-5 attributes that define your brand voice. Each attribute sits on a spectrum:
| Attribute | We Are | We Are NOT |
|---|---|---|
| Confident | Bold, direct, opinionated | Arrogant, dismissive, preachy |
| Approachable | Warm, conversational, human | Unprofessional, sloppy, too casual |
| Expert | Knowledgeable, precise, credible | Jargon-heavy, condescending, academic |
| Playful | Witty, creative, surprising | Silly, forced, distracting |
Step 3: Brand Personality Archetypes
| Archetype | Voice | Brands |
|---|---|---|
| The Sage | Knowledgeable, thoughtful, guiding | Google, TED, McKinsey |
| The Creator | Innovative, expressive, visionary | Apple, Adobe, Figma |
| The Hero | Bold, confident, empowering | Nike, Patagonia, Slack |
| The Jester | Playful, irreverent, entertaining | Old Spice, Mailchimp, Duolingo |
| The Caregiver | Warm, supportive, trustworthy | Dove, TOMS, Headspace |
| The Rebel | Provocative, disruptive, direct | Harley-Davidson, Basecamp, Cards Against Humanity |
| The Explorer | Adventurous, curious, independent | Airbnb, North Face, REI |
| The Ruler | Authoritative, premium, exclusive | Rolex, Mercedes, Bloomberg |
| The Everyperson | Relatable, honest, grounded | IKEA, Target, Slack |
Step 4: Create Tone Matrix
Define how voice adapts across contexts:
| Context | Confidence Level | Formality | Humor | Empathy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing website | High | Low-medium | Light | Medium |
| Blog post | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| Social media | Medium-high | Low | High | Medium |
| Customer support | Medium | Medium | None | Very high |
| Error messages | Low (humble) | Low | Light if appropriate | High |
| Legal/compliance | Medium | High | None | Low |
| Crisis comms | High | High | None | Very high |
| Sales emails | High | Medium | Light | High |
Step 5: Messaging Framework
## Brand Promise
[One sentence: what you promise your customers]
## Value Propositions (3-5)
1. [VP 1]: [Proof point]
2. [VP 2]: [Proof point]
3. [VP 3]: [Proof point]
## Tagline Options
- [Tagline 1]
- [Tagline 2]
- [Tagline 3]
## Elevator Pitch (30 seconds)
[2-3 sentences that explain what you do, who you serve, and why it matters]
## Boilerplate (for press/about)
[Standard paragraph used in press releases, about pages, speaker bios]
Writing Style Guide
Grammar & Mechanics
| Decision | Our Standard | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford comma | Yes | Clarity |
| Contractions | Yes (we are → we're) | Conversational |
| Exclamation marks | Max 1 per page | Not shouty |
| Emoji | [Platform-specific rules] | Context-dependent |
| Capitalization | Sentence case for headings | Modern, approachable |
| Numbers | Spell out 1-9, numerals 10+ | Standard convention |
| Pronouns | We (company), you (customer) | Direct and personal |
Vocabulary
| Instead Of | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Utilize | Use | Simpler |
| Leverage | Use, apply | Less jargon |
| Synergy | Collaboration, combined | Real words |
| Best-in-class | Leading, top-performing | Less cliche |
| Disruptive | [describe what actually changed] | Show, do not label |
| Solution | [name the actual thing] | Be specific |
Voice Consistency Audit
Audit Checklist
- Sample 3 pages per channel (website, email, social, support)
- Score each on voice attributes (1-5 per attribute)
- Identify outliers (pages that do not sound like the brand)
- Check for forbidden vocabulary
- Verify tone matches context (support should not sound like marketing)
- Test with the "read it aloud" check — does it sound like one person?
Deliverable: Brand Voice Document
Document Structure
# [Brand] Voice Guide
## Who We Are (1 paragraph)
## Our Voice Attributes (3-5 with Do/Don't examples)
## Tone Matrix (context-specific adjustments)
## Messaging Framework (promise, VPs, tagline, elevator pitch)
## Writing Style Guide (grammar, vocabulary, formatting)
## Channel-Specific Guidelines (website, email, social, support)
## Examples (before/after rewrites for each voice attribute)
Integration with Other Skills
- content-creator — Brand voice analyzer script validates consistency
- seo-content-writer — Apply voice guidelines while optimizing for SEO
- copywriting-frameworks — Use frameworks within your established voice
- social-media-strategy — Platform-specific tone adaptations
- email-composer — Maintain voice in professional communications