Your brand language speaks volumes.
Brand language includes the words and phrases that your brand uses to describe its products and purpose. Your brand identity is made up of visual assets like you your logo, fonts, and colors, while your brand language includes assets like your business name, tagline, and product names and descriptions.
Your brand story and any information you publish about your company are part of your brand language. The tone and personality of your brand language plays a large factor in making your company relatable and memorable to consumers.
In order to make all aspects of your brand feel cohesive, you’ll need to pay attention to how your brand identity and brand language work together. Well developed wording can enhance your visual assets to deliver a clear message to your customers.
In general, brand language should be CONCISE and CLEAR. An overabundance of words or lack of structure can feel overwhelming and confusing to your customers. When thinking about product names and descriptions, it’s important to consider the connotations of words. A product name might sound good to you but make others think of something unpleasant. It can be helpful to run things by people you know and ask, “What does this make you think of?”
Business name
Let’s talk about naming your business.
Your business name can have as much impact as your logo. It is the first thing new customers encounter and will affect their initial impression. Be thoughtful when naming your business and base it on your brand values, target audience, and placement in the marketplace.
An Effective Business Name:
- Isn’t already trademarked
- Isn’t too similar to your competitors’ names
- Is creative, memorable, and short
- Sounds good when you say it out loud
- Is easy to pronounce
- Has no negative connotations in all major languages
Brand Spotlight
Let’s take a look at three different beauty brands – MAC cosmetics, bareMinerals, and Glossier – to see how they use language to convey the values and purpose of their brands.
MAC, which stands for Makeup Art Cosmetics, strives to create makeup that looks amazing when photographed, so using the word “art” in their name makes sense.
bareMinerals creates makeup for customers looking for natural and non-toxic options. As soon as you hear the name, you know you can expect all-natural, organic makeup.
Glossier aims to create products that enhance a woman’s natural beauty. Rather than covering or altering something, gloss adds shine, bringing attention to what is already there.
Taglines
Taglines are short, memorable phrases that encourage support and loyalty from your customers. Taglines have the power to stay on a customer’s mind and become part of their everyday conversations.
Qualities of an Effective Tagline:
- Expresses one of your brand values
- Is short and memorable
- Inspires curiosity
- Uses rhythm, rhyme, or ring – so it’s fun to say
MAC’s tagline, “All Ages, All Races, All Genders” highlights their values of inclusivity and individuality. Instead of referring to their products, their tagline is all about their customers. Their tagline is reinforced with photos of people of all ages, races, and genders on their website and in their social media posts.
bareMineral’s tagline, “The power of good,” expresses their desire to only include “good” ingredients in their products. The meaning can be expanded to include the value of helping others and sparks curiosity about their brand.
Glossier’s tagline, “A people-powered beauty ecosystem” communicates that Glossier cares about its customers. The word “ecosystem” makes you think of nature, diversity, and different components working together.
Product names
Product names will be repeated over and over, so make sure they fit your brand. You can have fun coming up with unique names by combining words or creating new ones, changing spellings, and telling stories.
Qualities of an Effective Product Name:
- Is descriptive, unique, and memorable
- Evokes an emotion or idea
- Fits your brand
- Inspires curiosity
MAC Cosmetics product names: Dazzleshadow, Fashion Fanatic Palette, Liptensity Lipstick
MAC is all about art and fashion and their product names reflect this. Names like “liptensity” match the intensity of their brand, which is also expressed through bold images and chunky typography.
bareMinerals product names: GenNude Eyeshadow, Love Every Lash MicroDefining Mascara, BarePro Longwear Lipstick
Names like GenNude and BarePro highlight the brand’s focus on natural, minimal makeup, while Love Every Lash expresses the value of self love.
Glossier product names: Boy Brow, Lidstar, Generation G (lipstick)
Like their brand, Glossier’s product names are quirky, trendy, and customer focused. They appeal to a young, trendsetting audience.
Brand language matters.
Your brand language represents your business and is the perfect tool for connecting with your customers. Be thoughtful in your approach to naming, describing, and storytelling.
Do you have a beauty product idea but aren’t sure where to start?
Learn How to Launch a Beauty Product covers every aspect of starting a beauty business, from creating a solid foundation and getting funding to manufacturing, branding, sales, and marketing. This guided approach keeps you on track and makes the process feel less overwhelming. To learn more about turning your product ideas into reality, sign up for our newsletters and read more about the course here.