Brand Positioning, Story, & Voice: What Do I Need to Know?
So you want to create a standout beauty brand—fabulous. As you get started researching and planning how to create your brand presence, you’ll likely encounter three key terms: brand positioning, brand story, and brand voice. And while these concepts are unique, they’re deeply interconnected. In fact, they are the core elements of verbal brand identity.
In this post we’re going to cover the definition of verbal brand identity (or verbal branding)—I know this is likely a new and illusive concept for many—as well as its three main elements and how you can leverage them to create a strong, differentiated beauty brand.
Plus, don’t miss a special offer at the end of this post! 😎
First, What Is Verbal Brand Identity?
Verbal brand identity is the foundational platform that defines how you communicate your brand’s purpose and value to your audience. It’s made up of three key elements:
Brand Positioning — your point of differentiation from competitors and the unique space your brand occupies within the beauty industry
Brand Story — the core narrative that articulates your purpose, value, and point of differentiation, and guides all other messages, copy, and content
Brand Voice — tone and style you use to bring your brand story to life and communicate with your audience across all channels
While traditional definitions of verbal brand identity might focus solely on tone and style, it’s so much more. It’s not just how you say something but also what you say.
A well-defined verbal brand identity provides you with clarity and confidence on how to talk about your brand—whether in a pitch deck, a press release, or casual conversation. And it ensures your message is consistent, cohesive, and clear every time.
In fact, in my Verbal Brand Identity service, clients walk away with a complete suite of copy—including a positioning statement, tagline, brand phrases, and more—that gives them the language to tell a consistent brand story anywhere and everywhere without rethinking it each time.
An Example to Solidify the Definition of Verbal Brand Identity
Many people are familiar with the concept of visual brand identity—your logo, color palette, and typography all set the tone for how your brand looks and feels. Verbal brand identity is the messaging counterpart. Your positioning, story, and voice guide what your brand says and how it sounds. And a complete brand book should have both visual and verbal brand identity guidelines.
So, What Is Brand Positioning?
Brand positioning is the strategic space your brand occupies within the beauty industry and is defined by your purpose and point of differentiation from competitors. Identifying this space requires research, analysis, and a deep understanding of your brand and the competitive landscape. It can take time to define, but don’t overlook this step—it’s foundational to all of your branding efforts. To create a brand that stands out in today’s ultra-saturated beauty market, you need to know your unique angle.
Your brand positioning should answer:
What differentiates our brand from every other?
Why should clients choose our brand over another?
Eadem’s brand positioning is a great example. Addressing the long-standing burden women of color have faced when looking for beauty products, Eadem creates formulas that are specfically designed for this overlooked demographic. Their purpose and point of differentiation is to offer women of color better, safer options and bring attention to the disparity in the beauty industry, where many brands have failed to cater to diverse skin tones and concerns.
Brand positioning is the foundation for your brand story—so let’s dive into that next.
What Is the Definition of Brand Story?
Your brand story is the core narrative that articulates your purpose, value, and point of differentiation. It’s not just a history of your brand—it’s a powerful message that conveys why it exists and what it uniquely offers your key audience.
This core narrative acts as a compass that guides all brand messages, copy, and content, and gives you the words to tell your story with clarity and confidence across channels.
Your brand story should:
Articulate your point of differentiation.
Resonate with your key audience, welcoming and immersing them into your brand world.
Inform your content strategy and copy.
Building upon our earlier example, Eadem’s story eloquently conveys their purpose, value, and point of differentiation: to acknowledge the beauty burden women of color face, and create better, safer products for them. Here’s a snippet of their story as told on their website:
“We’re redefining beauty standards and challenging the industry to push beyond tokenism with Smart Melanin™ Beauty: a first-of-its-kind technology that keeps our skin needs and melanin in mind.
That's because melanin isn’t the enemy, even though that’s what the beauty industry believes. It simply functions differently, yet most beauty products aren’t tested on our skin and actively try to change our natural tone.”
This powerful brand story informs all of their messages—from explaining how their products work to their daily social media posts.
From a recent Instagram caption: “After being told by Korean family members to remove her mole, taunted by “a particularly ruthless eighth-grader who kind of resembled a cartoon chicken,” and fetishized by an early boyfriend for her signature spot, Kim learns to face — and embrace — her distinctive complexion.” Images above belong to Eadem.
What Is the Definition of Brand Voice?
Brand voice is the tone and style you use to bring your brand story to life and communicate with your audience across all channels. It's likely the part of verbal brand identity you're most familiar with, as it directly shapes how your brand sounds in everything from social media posts to product descriptions.
However, many people jump straight into defining their brand voice and end up struggling. Why? Because trying to create a brand voice without first understanding your positioning and story is like trying to sing a song without knowing the melody—you’ll make noise, but it won’t harmonize. A strong, effective voice needs the strategic framework of your positioning and story to guide it.
Let’s consider a brand voice example nearly everyone loves: Vacation. Their playful, nostalgic tone and immersive voice transports you straight back to family vacations to Florida in the 90s—and it didn’t appear out of nowhere. Vacation’s brand voice is deeply rooted in their positioning and story that centers around combining leisure and sun protection.
How Brand Positioning, Story, and Voice Work Together
When all of these elements come together, they create your strong and clearly-defined verbal brand identity which empowers you to create a cohesive brand experience and make your communication memorable.
Brand positioning provides a strategic foundation and clear understanding of your purpose and point of differentiation
Brand story articulates that purpose and point of differentiation
Brand voice brings your brand life to life
Together, they enable you to convey your brand’s purpose and value with clarity and confidence—and that’s exactly what your potential clients, retail partners, and investors are drawn to.
Let’s Build Your Verbal Brand Identity in 2025
As we look forward to the new year, I’m preparing to support a few beauty brand founders or marketing leaders with my Verbal Brand Identity service—and I’m opening up just 3 spots for aligned brands in January and February 2025. Those who book before December 10, 2024 will save 10%!
This service is designed to help you solidify your brand positioning, story, and voice in just 6 weeks. It’s been transformational for clients like Provence Beauty, SOSHE Beauty, SEEN Hair Care, and more.
Contact me to book a discovery call and secure your spot!