In this episode of #ContentChat, host Erika Heald is joined by marketer Maureen Jann to explore how B2B brands can craft and maintain an authentic brand voice. They discuss why many companies overlook documenting brand voice in their guidelines—and why that’s a costly mistake. Erika shares how AI can support voice consistency, while Maureen brings real-world insights from the IT space, including how humor and empathy can make content resonate. Together, they offer actionable tips for building brand voice guides, aligning voice with compliance, and scaling consistency across teams.

Watch now to learn how to ensure your brand voice truly reflects your values—across every piece of content. https://www.youtube.com/live/iQSV2e5ZbM4

Conversation Highlights

Why Brand Voice is a Strategic Imperative
[0:00:00] Erika opens by underscoring how brand voice is often missing from content strategy conversations—despite being crucial for connection and differentiation.

Barriers to Documenting Brand Voice
[0:03:00] Erika explains why she declines to create content until a brand voice guide exists—because clarity upfront leads to quality outcomes.

Emotional Intelligence as a Content Superpower
[0:07:45] Maureen discusses how emotional intelligence fuels authentic storytelling, especially in industries that often default to jargon or formality.

Building Brand Voice Guidelines That Scale
[0:11:35] Erika and Maureen walk through what to include in a useful voice guide: tone descriptors, voice charts, do’s and don’ts, and examples of voice in action.

AI as a Brand Voice Ally
[0:20:09] Maureen shares how she uses AI tools and creates shared prompts to reinforce brand voice across writers and platforms.

Navigating Brand Voice in Regulated Industries
[0:46:53] Erika shares her approach to maintaining personality while staying compliant, using “friendly disclaimers” and conversational language.

Context is Key: Know Your Brand, Know Your Buyer
[0:52:39] Maureen emphasizes the need to deeply understand both the company and the customer to create a compelling and authentic voice.