So if music and sound have such a significant impact on how we feel, what does this mean for brands and businesses? It is well known that many businesses spend time and money on their visual brand, while sound has not been treated as a brand element that needs to be exploited. The emergence of new media and devices with built-in audio delivery, such as podcasts, live streaming, or smartphones, expands the opportunities for what is called audio branding. Next, we will tell you a little about this and about Woord, one of the best Free Tools For Audio Branding.
How To Do Audio Branding
1. Identify what your brand stands for and how you want to differentiate yourself
The main idea when doing audio branding is to create a sound or musical signature that consumers can easily associate with your brand. Therefore, before starting to mark your sound, it is important to be clear about who your brand is, what it represents, and the general style that defines it.
What does your brand represent? peace, nature, youth, emotion, luxury, creativity, reliability. These brand characteristics can inspire the melodies and tempos that best align with your identity. For this, you should also think about the values of your brand, your ideal client, the personality of your brand, the differentiating elements, the purpose, the tone of the brand, etc.
2. Choose your sounds
Better understand what sounds characterize your competitors and how they are differentiating themselves. This will help you create sounds that are completely different from what they are doing. When choosing your sounds you should have an idea of what you want before you listen to samples, so you can narrow down your musical style. You have to take into consideration how you want the sounds to be: treble, bass; fast, slow, etc.
Also, think about your potential customers:
- What would make them attracted to your brand?
- Is the sound of your brand the voice of a 25-year-old surfer?
- Is it the voice of a celebrity?
- Is it a song?
- Is it a beep?
3. Create audio scripts and jingles
When it comes to audio scripting, use the language your clients use. There is a difference between how a teenager speaks and communicates and what a man in his fifties does. Pay attention to differences in tone, expressions, and language.
Scripts do not have to be long and should always be to the point. Don’t overwhelm your audience, less is more. Words that have been carefully compiled will stick in our minds longer than long sales pitches.
Another option is to write a short song or jingle. A little bit catchy and that fits your brand, highlights its personality, and shares what makes it unique.
Any text you use should be authentic and reflect the tone and personality of your brand. For example, an informal product or service should be scripted with a light and fun tone.
4. Use voiceovers
Choosing the right voice is just as important as choosing the right music track. A young or mature voice can send a different message with just one difference in the vocal range. Don’t compromise on quality. Voiceovers play an important role in representing your brand, so use the services of a professional voiceover agency.
When deciding on voiceovers, consider the following character traits and how they fit in with the rest of your brand:
- Age: Young or old?
- Accent: Yes or no?
- Speed: Fast or slow?
- Gender: Male or female?
This task is quite complicated. We recommend that you do some research on Woord, a text reader that will make the task much easier. Woord is a free online TTS software with a variety of useful features. It contains more than 50 languages, including a variety of dialects; it also allows one to choose between masculine, feminine, or non-binary voices. All of these features are available for free, allowing you to test the service before purchasing the premium version. Premium voices, a Chrome plugin, an SSML editor, an MP3 download, and up to 20,000 characters each month are all included in the free edition. With this program, you may also adjust the voice’s speed and format.
However, we recommend that for commercial use you buy a paid subscription, as they are low cost and ready for commercial use. Also, with the premium versions of Woord, you 100% own intellectual property for all files.
If you want to learn more about this tool check How To Use Woord’s SSML Editor or 3 TTS Converters For Audiovisual Content Creators
5. Consider the emotion
Another important factor to consider is the emotion you want to induce through the audio. This can largely depend on the type of product you sell, your brand values, and your organizational goals. Some brands may do better with upbeat and hopeful tunes, while others may do better with sad-inducing tunes; everything will depend on what you sell.
Once you have decided to create the audio branding of your business, you must do the following:
Stay consistent if you really want people to be able to identify and remember your business through sound alone, you need to stay consistent with your audio brand. This doesn’t mean that everything should sound the same, but rather that you should develop your signature sounds based on iconic core sounds.
A good example is how Nokia regularly updates the ringtone. Despite several changes in the type of sound, the melody is still clearly recognizable. Therefore, it is fresh yet memorable for consumers.