How to Discover Your Brands Personality (from a StoryBrand Certified Guide)

Let’s be real – nailing down your brand’s voice is tough. It’s so much easier to find a business that you love and just *copy* how they sound, especially online. But truth be told, that’s not helping you grow your business or stand out from the crowd. All people start to hear is the teacher from the Peanuts and searching for your brand is about as easy as looking for Waldo (aka, it isn’t).

When you sound just like everyone else, a few things happen:

• Your customers won’t remember you the next time they want to purchase.

• Your audience won’t engage with your content online.

• You’ll fade into the depths of the internet faster than you think you can swim.

But hey, you’re not destined for doom if you’ve got a generic brand voice. All it needs is a little ✨ spice ✨ of personality. How do you find that?

Keep reading for our top tips on how to discover your brand’s personality from a Storybrand Certified Guide.

Which one are YOU?

Before we can dive into *discovery mode*, we’ve first got to establish which kind of brand persona you are. When we can step back and evaluate what kind of business owner we’ve been in creating our brand’s voice, we get a clearer picture of how we need to grow.

So, which brand persona are you, when it comes to your business’s brand voice?

• Persona #1 - The Individualist. You write like yourself, but you don’t necessarily sound like your business’s target audience. So, there’s a disconnect. None of your marketing efforts are resonating with your audience. Engagement is low on your social media. And frankly, you’re out of ideas on how to connect.

• Persona #2 - The Copycat. You’ve clung on to the expert in your business’s industry that’s killing it. You make every effort to sound just like them in everything you do. But, just like the Individualist, nothing you’re doing is resonating. It seems like you’re just rolling with the trends, hoping one day you’ll figure it out.

• Persona #3 - The Synergizer. You just don’t know how to add authentic personality to your brand’s voice. So, you use buzzwords like “synergy,” even though you have no idea what it actually means. You hope that the words you’re choosing will stick like homemade pasta on a wall, but you’re just not clicking with your target audience. Nothing you say feels like your business, but you’re at a loss for new words.

• Persona #4 - The Inspiration. You’re resonating with your audience because you’ve got personality. Lightbulbs are going off for your customers, simply because they’re understanding what you offer by the way you’re saying it. Sales are increasing. Engagement is through the roof. You feel like you’re soaring because you’re finally showing up as YOU, and people love it.

Regardless of which “persona” you are, there’s no shame. We’ve been there. We’ve done that. And because we get it, we know that there’s hope in reviving your brand’s voice. As we said, all it needs is a little bit of ✨ spice ✨, and the best way to do that is by discovering your brand’s personality.

What is Brand Personality?

Like a person, your personality is made up of many different things to create a unique you: your experiences, your family, your friends, your traits, and so much more. It’s what makes you, you.

Brand personality is the exact same, only for your business. It’s all of the traits that make up your brand’s identity.

These traits can range from how you want people to feel when they think about your brand to your brand’s look, mission, core values, and core message. All of these things make up WHO your brand is (aka, its personality).

PRO TIP: Show your brand's personality through images!

3 Ways to Discover Your Brand’s Personality

Now that we know which persona you are and what brand personality is, it’s time to figure out how to add that personality into your brand without sounding like everyone else. 👏

1. Poll your audience.

Who are they? What do they like? What do they care about? What celebrities do they follow? What are they reading/watching? Which social media platforms are they using? Building a full picture of your target audience will help you clarify who you’re talking to so that you can build a brand personality based on the things that are important to THEM.

2. Identify your top 3-5 traits.

Out of the information you gathered from your audience, what traits of theirs ring true to you? Identify 3-5 similarities your business holds WITH your target audience and run like the wind with them. Write out an explanation about why this trait is important to you, your business, and your audience. Then, you’ll not only have a personality that’s true to your business, but you’ll also resonate deeper with your target audience (hello, more engagement!).

3. Filter the heck out of your content.

Once you’ve identified your brand’s personality in 3-5 traits, use it as a filter for everything. Does your website header represent the personality you just identified? Are you showing up as that “person” on social media? Is it clear who your brand is in your messaging? If not, adjust where you need and start showing up as the kickass business you are.

Don’t Fall into Pressure. Add that Personality!

At the end of the day, we know it’s so much easier to *copy* the business next to you that’s growing rapidly online. However, they’re not YOU or your business. They don’t offer what you and your business bring to the table. Only you do.

So, don’t fall into the pressure of sounding like everyone else. Add that personality into your business! It’s not only going to help you speak directly to your people, but it’s also going to help you solve your customer’s problem in a more meaningful way.

Need some help with finding your brand’s personality? Schedule a discovery call today with our Storybrand Certified Guide. ✨