Does brand voice matter for outdoor brands?

On the scale of priorities, I get it that brand voice isn’t the top priority for outdoor brands (or for most brands to be honest). Surely you should be focusing on making awesome gear that performs, right?

What is brand voice?

Well, whether you’ve thought about it or not, your brand has a voice. Every time anyone writes any copy for your brand, they write in a certain way, they use a certain voice. There’s a degree of personality (or lack thereof) that comes across in the words we choose and the rhythm of our writing.

Your brand voice is how you talk to people in your marketing. It can be generic and robotic or it can be inspiring, engaging and relatable.

Does brand voice even matter?

If you’ve got an outdoor gear or clothing brand, surely that’s what matters most: the quality of the gear you make.

Sure, of course that’s important. But so is brand voice, as it complements and supports all the hard work that goes into your design and production. It’s what helps customers to perceive your brand as the best for what they need. When your customers feel a human connection with a brand (thanks to how you talk to them), they are more likely to want to invest in buying your products.

What makes a strong brand voice?

A strong brand voice is not a loud or wacky voice. A strong brand voice is one that makes your brand feel human. It makes people want to be around your brand, wear your brand, buy your brand. Because it resonates with them. They believe in what you do and want to be a part of your journey.

How do you define your brand voice?

What inspired you to get started? Why are you in this business? What was missing in the outdoor industry that drove you to fill that gap?

These are all things that define who your brand is. These human elements of motivation and inspiration that make your brand unique and not just some big money-swindling corporation. When you answer these questions, you get a clearer picture of your brand’s identity. And you can use that to define your brand voice and to speak to people in an authentic way.

[When I work on brand voice guideline projects, I ask you a lot of questions, including these ones, to get to the heart of your brand and make sure the brand voice we define is uniquely yours.]

How do you use your brand voice?

Just like you’ve probably got some super clear guidelines about how to use your brand colours and logo, with a clear brand voice guide you can get that same clarity for all the words your brand uses.

So whether you’re writing copy yourself, employing someone to help with your marketing, or outsourcing some of your copy and content writing, with clear brand voice guidelines, you won’t be left reading copy that feels off without knowing why.

Just like designers can create unique visuals that respect your visual guidelines, writers can still be creative and come up with unique ideas that are in line with your brand voice. In fact, it’s much easier. When you have some clear boundaries, you can be a lot more confident about exploring creative ideas.

A final note

The outdoor industry is a funny one. Everywhere you look there are outdoor brands doing very similar things. To most people, outdoor brands all look the same. A lot of consumers can’t really work out why your 2.5-layer waterproof jacket is better than your competitors. They will often choose one over another because there is something in your marketing that makes them think, “I like this brand. I want this jacket.” You can use images and instagram influencers. But the words you use (on your website, in your emails, in your product descriptions) are what weave all your other efforts together into something powerful.