Category: Brand voice

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Aligning your Voice and Visuals: The Secret to a Consistent Brand

The image shows white text on a purple background. The text reads "Guest blog, Julie Grant - Julie Grant Photography"

Have you ever visited a site where the words felt warm, friendly, and full of personality – but the images looked stiff, generic, or completely mismatched? It creates confusion, even if the reader cannot pinpoint why, something just feels off. That’s because your brand isn’t just what you say – it’s what people see and feel too.

A strong brand is built on consistency.  When your copy and imagery work together, your message feels cohesive, authentic and trustworthy.  Every element – from your tone of voice to your visual style – should tell the same story.

Matching your voice to your visuals

As I photographer, I see this all the time. Someone will invest in incredible copy that captures who they are perfectly, but then rely on old headshots or stock photos that don’t reflect the same energy. The result? A disconnect that weakens the message.

Other businesses have beautiful photos but outdated or unclear messaging.  This conflict weakens the overall impact – your audience can’t connect with a mixed message.

Consistency matters

Why does consistency matter? Consistency builds trust and recognition.  

Your clients may need to have experienced numerous interactions with you before they feel ready to buy from you. It’s important, therefore, that each and every touch point needs to make them feel as though they are getting to know you.  

They may visit your website on numerous occasions prior to making a decision so it’s important that your message feels aligned, cohesive and credible.

When you do align the two? Your business feels instantly more professional and trustworthy.  Your images will reinforce your words and not conflict with them and most importantly your personality will shine through without feeling forced.

Your marketing will actually become easier because you will have a clear message where every element feels connected.

How to get started

That probably all makes perfect sense, but where on earth do you start? 

Start with your brand personality. How do you want to make people feel when they work with you? If your tone of voice is calm and confident, think soft colours and natural lighting.  If it’s bold and empowering, move more towards strong colours and striking backgrounds.

Invite your photographer and copywriter to work collaboratively with you, by involving your experts from the outset you can build something truly cohesive.

If you follow Kirsty on social media, you might have already seen how beautifully Kirsty demonstrates all of this in her own marketing. The images I created for her sit perfectly alongside her copy – each post feels polished yet genuine, with the images reinforcing her warmth and brilliant sense of humour! It’s a great example of how photography and copy can work hand in hand to tell one cohesive story and build real connection with an audience.

Using photography to bring your words to life creates a consistent, memorable brand.  Why not revisit your own website to see how well your images reinforce your copy? If your images don’t yet reflect the story your words are saying (or vice versa!), maybe it’s time to update them.

About Julie

Julie Grant is a brand and headshot photographer who helps creative business owners feel confident showing up online. She specialises in capturing the personality, quality, and care behind each brand — creating imagery that tells your story and connects with your audience.

www.juliegrantphoto.com

Posted on by — Leave a comment

How can a copywriter sound like you?

Image shows two women talking over notebooks and drinks. If you're wondering how a copywriter can sound like you, they usually do it by listening.

If you’re a one-person business and all your marketing is in your voice because you write it yourself, you might think you can’t hire a writer. I mean, you can’t outsource your writing when it has to sound like you, can you?

The good news is, you can. Here’s how I work with my clients to get to know and replicate their voice in their marketing

I’ll listen to you talk

I have regular catch-ups with my clients where we discuss the topic I’m going to write about and gather information. These conversations also let me hear the way they talk. In fact, I often work best with people who are good at talking to their clients in person, but freeze or slow down when writing.

I have a few clients where this doesn’t apply, as they’re smaller businesses with brand voice guidelines I can follow. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a catch-up in person, but it’s less vital to getting the work done.

We have to get on

I listen to you talk about your work before I write anything, which means you need to feel comfortable speaking to me. I also need to be able to ask questions or clarify something you’ve said without feeling awkward.

The upshot is that we need to get on well. If we can’t communicate freely, I can’t write in a way that sounds like you, and you won’t get the results you want.

I use your phrases

When you read something I’ve written for you, you’ll probably notice I’ve included a lot of the phrases you used when we spoke. That’s because you’ll probably naturally use those words when you talk with clients. Including them in your marketing means that when clients speak to you later, they feel as if you’ve already met.

When you speak to new people, you’ll probably have developed concise phrases to explain things, which will also come across well in your content. You might also use words that reflect your background or where you come from, which can help create a connection with your readers.

I’ll look at what you’ve done before

If you started off writing your marketing content yourself, you might want a more polished version when you start working with a writer. That’s what I offer, but consistency is still important. When I write for you, I’ll look at what you’ve written before to keep the overall tone the same. If you’ve shared videos, those give me another opportunity to hear you speak. They can be very helpful if I need to get your voice in my head before I start work!

I’ll ask about your audience

As well as listening to you, I try to put myself in your customers’ shoes. It helps me ask the right questions and consider what they need from your content. I’m always mindful that our speech patterns and the language we use vary depending on who we’re talking to. The version of yourself that speaks to me might be slightly different from the one you want to share with your future customers. Understanding the difference helps me write in a way that lets your audience get to know, like and trust you.

Ready for a chat?

If you’d like some help finding your marketing voice, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business, and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What does your marketing voice sound like?

Image shows a women with dark curly hair and blue eyes hiding the rest of her face behind books. She's thinking about her marketing voice.

What does your marketing voice sound like? It might be a bit like your mum’s phone voice when you were a kid. You knew she was talking to someone important if her voice edged towards Lady Bracknell. The way you speak probably changes for different audiences, but how does it work when you’re writing for potential customers? If you’re a one-person business, sharing your personality helps you build a connection with your audience that makes it more likely they’ll buy or work with you long term.

Of course, there are a lot of factors that influence the voice you use in your marketing. In no particular order, here are my tips to help you think about what you want your marketing voice to sound like.

You are your business

When you’re a one-person business, you set the tone in terms of how you work and treat people. As customers, we make buying decisions based on our values and whether we see them reflected in the businesses we choose. Your marketing should show people what you stand for and how you work, which can also help you attract the right people. For example, I talk about structuring my working hours around family life, which means I often attract business owners with children because they know we work in the same way.

If your work involves meeting or talking to clients, ensuring your marketing voice matches the way you speak in person gives them a seamless experience. Equally, if someone meets you at a networking event and then looks you up online, they’ll feel as if they’re talking to the same person.

How professional do you need to sound?

Your profession might create expectations about the way you come across in your marketing. If you’re a financial adviser or lawyer, your clients will expect you to take their work seriously. However, they might also worry that you’ll use technical language they won’t understand, and want reassurance that you’ll communicate clearly. Your marketing voice can find the balance between the two, demonstrating your knowledge while also being approachable and friendly. Using informal language in some contexts doesn’t mean you’re unprofessional.

What experience do you offer?

Your marketing voice and writing style need to evoke the kind of experience your customers can expect when they come to you. You could write in a reassuring way, especially if you help with something that could be causing your customer stress. Think about the experience you offer. Is it calming, exciting or entertaining? How do you want your customers to feel when they work with you? The way you write can evoke those emotions and help people understand what to expect before they decide to buy from you.

Who are you talking to?

Getting to know your audience helps you understand what they need, which is one of the foundations of good marketing. It also helps you write by allowing you to imagine having a conversation with a potential customer.

When you write, think about who the post is for and what you want to achieve, then tailor your marketing voice to the person you’re speaking to. It’s a lot better than trying to talk to everyone, as you end up speaking to no one.

What’s already working?

If you’ve already been writing content for a while but haven’t looked at your analytics, start now. Reviewing what’s working helps you understand the type of posts your readers enjoy and which ones help you get results. Review your social media and blog posts to see what gets good engagement or prompts people to buy a product or book a call.

Taking this approach can help you plan what posts to create, but it can also help you work out what language people prefer. Think about whether your more successful posts use a particular marketing voice so you can replicate it in future content.

Ready for a chat?

If you’d like some help finding your marketing voice, let’s have a chat. When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business, and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!

Please email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.