zubair-trabzada/ai-marketing-claude/market-brand

Brand Voice Analysis and Guidelines Generation

Skill Purpose

Analyze a brand's voice, tone, and messaging across all available channels and generate a comprehensive brand voice guidelines document. This skill examines how a brand communicates, identifies patterns and inconsistencies, and produces actionable guidelines that any writer or marketer can follow to maintain brand consistency.

When to Use

• User wants to understand or document a brand's voice
• User needs brand voice guidelines for a team, freelancers, or agency
• User wants to ensure consistency across marketing channels
• User is rebranding or refining their brand identity
• User wants to compare their brand voice to competitors
• Triggered by /market brand <url> or /market brand

How to Execute

Step 1: Gather Source Material

To analyze a brand's voice, examine content from multiple sources. Prioritize in this order:

Primary Sources (must analyze):

1. Homepage -- The most curated representation of the brand
2. About page -- How the brand describes itself
3. Product/service pages -- How they present their offerings

Secondary Sources (analyze if available):

1. Blog posts (at least 3-5 recent posts)
2. Social media profiles (bio, recent posts, engagement style)
3. Email newsletters (welcome email, recent sends)
4. Customer-facing copy (error messages, onboarding flows, help docs)

Tertiary Sources:

1. Job postings -- Reveals internal culture and values
2. Press releases -- Formal communication style
3. Ad copy -- Paid messaging approach
4. Video scripts or podcast transcripts -- Spoken brand voice

Use browser tools or the analyze_page.py script to access web content. For social media, check the website for social links and analyze the linked profiles.

Step 2: Voice Dimension Analysis

Map the brand's voice along four primary dimensions. Each dimension is a spectrum, not a binary.

Dimension 1: Formal <-----> Casual

Where does the brand fall on the formality spectrum?

Score: 1 (extremely formal) to 10 (extremely casual)

Evidence required: Quote 3-5 specific examples from the source material that support your rating.

Dimension 2: Serious <-----> Playful

How much levity does the brand inject into its communication?

Score: 1 (extremely serious) to 10 (extremely playful)

Dimension 3: Technical <-----> Simple

How much domain expertise does the brand assume in its audience?

Score: 1 (extremely technical) to 10 (extremely simple)

Dimension 4: Reserved <-----> Bold

How much personality and confidence does the brand project?

Score: 1 (extremely reserved) to 10 (extremely bold)

Step 3: Tone Spectrum Mapping

Beyond the four dimensions, map how the brand's tone shifts across different contexts:

Step 4: Brand Personality Framework

Map the brand to one of five core personality archetypes (brands may blend 1-2):

The 5 Archetypes

1. The Authority

• Characteristics: Expert, trustworthy, data-driven, established
• Voice: Confident but not arrogant, educational, precise
• Industries: Finance, healthcare, B2B enterprise, legal, consulting
• Example brands: McKinsey, IBM, Mayo Clinic
• Key phrases: "Research shows...", "Our experts...", "Industry-leading..."

2. The Innovator

• Characteristics: Forward-thinking, disruptive, visionary, tech-savvy
• Voice: Exciting, future-focused, sometimes provocative
• Industries: Tech, SaaS, startups, renewable energy
• Example brands: Tesla, Stripe, Notion
• Key phrases: "Reimagine...", "The future of...", "We're building..."

3. The Friend

• Characteristics: Warm, approachable, helpful, relatable
• Voice: Conversational, empathetic, inclusive, encouraging
• Industries: Consumer products, education, community platforms
• Example brands: Mailchimp, Slack, Duolingo
• Key phrases: "We get it...", "You've got this...", "Here to help..."

4. The Rebel

• Characteristics: Bold, challenging conventions, irreverent, passionate
• Voice: Direct, opinionated, sometimes confrontational, memorable
• Industries: Lifestyle, fitness, creative industries, direct-to-consumer
• Example brands: Nike, Oatly, Cards Against Humanity
• Key phrases: "Stop settling for...", "The truth is...", "We're done with..."

5. The Guide

• Characteristics: Wise, patient, methodical, trustworthy
• Voice: Clear, instructional, supportive, knowledgeable
• Industries: Education, professional development, tools, platforms
• Example brands: HubSpot, Khan Academy, Ahrefs
• Key phrases: "Here's how to...", "Step by step...", "The complete guide to..."

Assessment:

• Primary archetype: [which one and why]
• Secondary archetype: [if applicable]
• Archetype fit: [Strong/Moderate/Weak -- how well does the brand embody this archetype?]

Step 5: Vocabulary Analysis

Identify patterns in the brand's word choices:

Words They Use Frequently

Analyze all source material and identify the 15-20 most characteristic words or phrases. Organize by category:

Action words: (verbs they favor)

• e.g., "build", "scale", "transform", "streamline"

Descriptive words: (adjectives they use)

• e.g., "powerful", "simple", "enterprise-grade", "effortless"

Value words: (words that reflect their values)

• e.g., "transparent", "sustainable", "inclusive", "innovative"

Industry-specific terms:

• e.g., "workflow", "pipeline", "conversion", "engagement"

Words They Avoid

Identify words that are notably absent or that would feel out of character:

• Words that are too casual for the brand (if formal)
• Words that are too technical for the brand (if simple)
• Competitor terminology they deliberately avoid
• Industry cliches they seem to sidestep

Signature Phrases

Does the brand have any recurring phrases, taglines, or linguistic patterns?

• Tagline: [if they have one]
• Recurring phrases: [patterns you notice]
• Linguistic patterns: [e.g., always starts sentences with verbs, uses dashes frequently, favors short paragraphs]

Step 6: Competitor Voice Comparison

Compare the brand's voice to 2-3 key competitors:

Voice Comparison Matrix:

Differentiation Assessment:

• How distinct is the brand's voice from competitors?
• Where do voices overlap? (potential differentiation opportunity)
• What voice territory is unoccupied in the competitive landscape?
• Specific recommendations for vocal differentiation

Step 7: Consistency Audit

Assess voice consistency across all analyzed channels:

Common Consistency Issues:

• Different writers creating noticeably different tones
• Social media voice drastically different from website
• Formal website copy but casual email newsletters
• Blog content written in a completely different voice than product pages
• Error messages or microcopy that feels off-brand
• Old pages that haven't been updated to match current brand voice

Overall Consistency Score: X/10

Step 8: Brand Messaging Hierarchy

Document the brand's messaging from most distilled to most expanded:

Level 1: Tagline (under 10 words)

The most compressed form of the brand message.

• Current: "[existing tagline or suggested one]"
• Assessment: Does it capture the core value proposition?

Level 2: Value Propositions (1 sentence each)

3-5 core value propositions that support the brand promise.

1. "[Value prop 1]"
2. "[Value prop 2]"
3. "[Value prop 3]"

Level 3: Elevator Pitch (30 seconds / 75 words)

A conversational explanation of what the brand does and why it matters. "[Draft elevator pitch based on analyzed content]"

Level 4: Boilerplate (100-150 words)

The standard "about us" paragraph used in press releases, email signatures, and speaker bios. "[Draft boilerplate based on analyzed content]"

Level 5: Full Brand Story (300-500 words)

The complete narrative of who the brand is, what they stand for, and why they exist.

• Current status: [Exists/Partial/Missing]
• Recommendations for improvement

Step 9: Generate Brand Voice Documentation

Create the comprehensive Do's and Don'ts guide:

Voice Chart

OUR VOICE IS:                    OUR VOICE IS NOT:
--------------------------------------------------
[Characteristic 1]              [Anti-characteristic 1]
e.g., "Confident"               e.g., "Arrogant"
 
[Characteristic 2]              [Anti-characteristic 2]
e.g., "Helpful"                 e.g., "Condescending"
 
[Characteristic 3]              [Anti-characteristic 3]
e.g., "Clear"                   e.g., "Dumbed down"
 
[Characteristic 4]              [Anti-characteristic 4]
e.g., "Bold"                    e.g., "Aggressive"

Writing Do's and Don'ts