I remember, in kindergarten, when I learned how to read. It felt like the whole world cracked open for me.

Suddenly, I was privy to all kinds of knowledge, insights, and ideas that had previously been hidden away — in plain sight. This world of insights was available to me (and to every other reader), but I didn’t yet have the ‘eyes’ to see it or the ‘ears’ to hear it.

Until I did.

That’s sort of how I think about branding, too. Learning to ‘read’ your own Right People (even before you’ve had one as a client!) — and learning to read your own natural voice for cues as to what those would-be eager buyers are looking for — is the key to cracking your whole gorgeous brand wiiiiiiide open.

This three-part post on the ABCs of Voice Values is a celebration of that eager-to-learn spirit which I know The Voice Bureau’s Right People have. When I shared the above photo of my soon-to-be-six-year-old niece, Lexi, on Twitter yesterday, Crystal Williams from Big Bright Bulb said, “So that’s what unquenchable glee looks like!” Oh, that Lexi’s got a high Enthusiasm value for sure.

So I’m presenting the ABCs of Voice Values, in a 3-post series. (This is Part 1, featuring items A-G.) 26 things your brand voice can teach you about connecting with your Right People readers and buyers, and ultimately making more sales.

When I designed the Voice Values paradigm for branding — the basis of all the creative work we do for clients here at The Voice Bureau — I knew that I was designing something that could take people further than “this is what I sound like when I write.” It was important to me to give people a stable foundation in building a brand conversation and a content strategy that was highly specific to their Right People, the people who’d be attracted to them for the solution they provide.

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Beyond just increasing your “know, like, and trust” factor, the Voice Values approach is really about observing your Right People’s lived realities (more on those in the next post) and meeting their core needs through a solution only you can develop for them.

In sharing the Voice Values paradigm with almost 1,700 e-letter subscribers over the past few months, I’ve noticed just how wide-reaching are the insights people glean from learning more about they communicate most naturally and powerfully.

Here’s a round-up of business and brand-building topics you’ll get insight on by learning more about your Voice Values:

‘A’ is for Acquisition

Specifically, customer acquisition. In other words, how do you get a new customer? What are the techniques you use? What’s the process? Where do you have to show up to do it? While a brand with a high Community value might lean heavily on “extreme social proof” (think Marie Forleo’s beautiful testimonial site for B-School, featuring video testimonials and written interviews with past grads) to help acquire new customers, a brand with a high Intimacy value may prefer to invite prospects into a narrow corridor of straight-to-their-Inbox missives (what’s sometimes called “closed door selling”).

‘B’ is for Business Model

Do you feel called to serve many different people in varied ways, and you like the flexibility of being able to change your mind quickly? If so, you may have a high Enthusiasm value. If that’s true, what could this tell you about a business model you would enjoy (that could also become profitable quickly)? If sheer numbers of clients don’t matter to you, but you like the sound of deliberate, carefully scripted engagements that provide a high quality result? You probably have a high Excellence value. So what kind of business model would this preference lend itself to?

‘C’ is for Content Strategy

Every online brand needs content. Content are the materials (written, drawn, audio, video, or something else) you create and/or share on a regular schedule to help people engage with your brand and your message. All content shared should serve a purpose. But what purpose is that? Depending on your Right People’s needs and your Voice Values, your best-bet content strategy is going to look a lot different from the next guy’s.

‘D’ is for Design

Likewise, visual brand identity — web design and other collateral — is a negotiation between reflecting back to your Right People one or two Voice Values they share with you, and letting the Voice Values they don’t share with you play counterpoint. (Your people are drawn to you, in part, because they sense they can grow or expand in some way when they interact with your brand.) A web design for a brand with high Love and Playfulness values is going to look completely different than a design for a brand with high Audacity and Depth values.

‘E’ is for Experience

As a brand creator, you have the opportunity to design an experience for your Right People. Brand experience happens multifactorily, on many levels. It’s created through your site design, your copy, your color palette, even the way you’re addressing the camera (or not) in your headshots. It’s in the way you show up on social media platforms (or don’t). It’s in the rhythm of your e-newsletter sends. It’s in the tone and style of your sales pages. Brand experience also happens off of your site — like when you’re networking at a live event. And, you guessed it: every Voice Value suggests an entire universe of experience for your Right People — the universe they’ll be drawn to.

‘F’ is for Follow-Up Touches

Your Right People want a certain frequency and style of interaction from you after they’ve opted in, purchased, or publicly tweeted you. As a brand creator, you get to decide what that frequency and style is. But if you lead with a high Power value, you’ll want to finesse these follow-up touches in a different way than you would had you a high Helpfulness value — because your Right People are wanting that from you.

‘G’ is for Genesis Story

“In the beginning, there was . . .”People love a good origin story, especially the origin story of their favorite brand. How did you, as the brand creator, get the great idea that sparked your business? How’d you earn your credibility? The way you frame your founder’s experience rests largely on the Voice Values you’re leading with. Did you get fired from your comfy day job with the Cadillac of benefits packages? Did you get a divorce and suddenly need quick income you could earn from home? If you’ve got a high Innovation value, you’ll tell your story in a different way than you would had you a high Transparency value.

In the next post, I’ll introduce ‘H’+.

In the comments, I’d love to hear:

What are you already noticing about your Right People and what works for them from getting more familiar with your Voice Values? Do you have an example to share from the A-G list above? Or what are you hoping to get a better sense of?