Your brand voice should be like a good conversation – natural, clear, and unmistakably yours. But when that voice shifts depending on the platform, the writer, or the day of the week, people stop listening. They scroll past, get confused, or simply move on.
At CBH Consultancy, we help small businesses and growing teams build brands that feel solid, human, and joined-up. One of the first things we look at? Voice. Because if your tone isn’t consistent, nothing else really sticks.
Here’s how to spot the cracks – and what to do about them.
1. You Sound Polished on Socials but Robotic in Emails
Maybe your Instagram captions are lively and friendly, but your email newsletters read like they were copied from a manual. This disconnect can be jarring, especially for returning customers who expect a certain tone from you.
Fix it: Audit your main touchpoints (social, email, website, proposals). Read them out loud. Do they sound like the same person is speaking? If not, choose your anchor tone (e.g. conversational expert) and adjust other formats to match. Keep formal copy clear, not stiff. Friendly doesn’t mean fluffy.
2. Your Team Writes Like 5 Different Brands
When multiple people write content without shared guidance, things get messy. One blog post might sound cheeky and casual, another full of corporate jargon, and a third too vague to land. That lack of consistency makes your brand forgettable.
Fix it: Create a brand voice guide that covers tone, vocabulary, sentence structure and examples. It doesn’t need to be 30 pages – just clear, simple and practical. Then train your team to use it, whether they’re writing social posts, client proposals or web pages.
(Hint: if you don’t have a voice guide yet, our Being on Brand toolkit is a good place to start.)
3. You Struggle to Brief Freelancers or Agencies
Ever hired a copywriter, agency or VA – and ended up rewriting everything because it “didn’t sound right”? That’s usually a sign your brand voice isn’t well-defined, or at least not well-communicated.
Fix it: If you’re outsourcing any comms, you need to give people more than a logo and a slogan. Share your voice guide, show a few examples of what’s on-brand and what’s not, and explain the personality behind your business. It’ll save time, money, and a lot of awkward back-and-forth.
4. Your Website Doesn’t Reflect How You Speak in Real Life
You’re great at explaining what you do in person. But online? You sound like every other company in your field. Generic headlines, vague jargon, buzzwords that don’t land. That gap between how you speak and how you write is where most trust gets lost.
Fix it: Rewrite your key pages (About, Services, Contact) in plain English. Use words you’d actually say to a potential client. Keep it simple, direct, and full of personality. Ask someone who knows you well to read your website – if they say “this doesn’t sound like you”, start again.
5. Your Marketing Feels “Off” but You Can’t Pinpoint Why
Sometimes, the problem isn’t obvious. You just feel like your content isn’t landing the way it should. People aren’t engaging, leads aren’t converting, or your brand just doesn’t feel “together”. That’s usually a sign your voice needs work.
Fix it: Step back and review your tone across all touchpoints. Are you saying too much? Trying too hard? Avoiding clear opinions? The strongest brand voices are simple, confident, and consistent. If yours feels scattered, go back to the basics: who are you speaking to, and how do you want to make them feel?
Keep It Human, Keep It Clear
You don’t need to invent a fancy tone of voice. The best brand voices are built on how you naturally speak when you’re confident, helpful, and fully yourself. At CBH, we believe in straight-talking strategy. We help you cut the fluff, write like a real person, and build a brand voice that holds together – wherever people find you.
Want to check how consistent your voice really is? Book a 30-minute voice audit call with our team and we’ll walk through your key platforms, no strings attached.
Or download our free Being on Brand guide to get started.
