How do you transform abstract brand values into a consistent voice that cuts through the noise?
On this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, the Little Bird Marketing podcast, host and CEO Priscilla McKinney discusses the three pillars of developing an authentic brand tone of voice. She breaks down how personality, perspective, and language work together to create communications that sound distinctly like your brand across every touchpoint, from formal proposals to casual social media interactions.
McKinney explains that tone of voice begins with understanding your core values and how they translate into daily behavior. She walks through Little Bird Marketing's four core values (care deeply, finish strong, stay gold, and be true) and demonstrates how each value shapes not only what the company says but also how they show up in client relationships. The key is defining both what each value means and what it explicitly does not mean, creating clear guardrails for authentic communication. These values become the foundation for personality, the first pillar of tone of voice, which determines how you say things rather than just what you say. "Your tone should be flexible in different contexts," McKinney explains. "I can go into a formal meeting, and I can go to a fun, happy hour. I'm still Priscilla, right? But it shouldn't be so unrecognizable that there's no flow."
The second pillar, perspective, requires brands to take clear stands on industry issues and articulate their beliefs, even if it's unpopular. McKinney shares how Little Bird Marketing built their business around the conviction that every brand deserves a clear and effective marketing plan with tangible deliverables, a direct challenge to the industry norm of vague creative promises. The third pillar, language, involves making concrete decisions about vocabulary, sentence structure, and level of formality. McKinney provides a practical exercise that helps brands identify five non-negotiable tone descriptors. As with many elements of marketing, Priscilla emphasizes that the real challenge isn't creating the document, but implementing it consistently across every communication touchpoint.
Music written and performed by Leighton Cordell.
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