• Table of Contents

  • Top 10 Mistakes in Brand Voice Branding | #MarkCMO
  • 1. Mistaking Tone for Voice
  • What’s the Difference?
  • 2. Writing for Everyone (Which Means No One)
  • Strategic Targeting
  • 3. Overusing Buzzwords
  • What to Do Instead
  • 4. Inconsistency Across Channels
  • Brand Voice Audit Checklist
  • 5. Confusing Clever with Clear
  • 6. Ignoring Internal Alignment
  • How to Align
  • 7. Sounding Like a Copycat
  • Find Your Own Voice
  • 8. Not Evolving Over Time
  • When to Revisit Your Voice
  • 9. Forgetting the “Why” Behind the Voice

Top 10 Mistakes in Brand Voice Branding | #MarkCMO

Brand voice isn’t just a tone—it’s your company’s personality in the wild. And most brands are getting it wrong. From robotic jargon to tone-deaf attempts at humor, the internet is littered with brand voices that sound more like confused interns than confident market leaders. If your brand voice doesn’t resonate, it doesn’t convert. Period.

Mark Gabrielli, founder of MarkCMO.com and creator of the MAGNET Framework™, has worked with CMOs, founders, and Chief Marketing Officers across industries to build brand voices that don’t just sound good—they sell. In this article, Mark Louis Gabrielli Jr. breaks down the top 10 mistakes brands make when crafting their voice, and how to fix them with strategic clarity, swagger, and a little sarcasm.

Whether you’re a seasoned CMO or a founder tired of sounding like everyone else, this guide will help you build a brand voice that actually works. No fluff. No filler. Just real marketing strategy from someone who’s been in the trenches.

1. Mistaking Tone for Voice

Let’s get one thing straight: tone is a flavor. Voice is the whole damn recipe. Too many brands think they’ve nailed their voice because they’ve chosen “friendly” or “professional” as a tone. That’s like saying your brand is “vanilla” and expecting people to crave it.

What’s the Difference?

• Voice: Your brand’s consistent personality across all touchpoints.
• Tone: The emotional inflection you apply depending on context.

Mark Louis Gabrielli Jr. often reminds CMOs: “If your brand voice can be swapped with your competitor’s and no one notices, you don’t have a voice—you have a placeholder.”

2. Writing for Everyone (Which Means No One)

Trying to appeal to everyone is the fastest way to sound like no one. Your brand voice should repel as much as it attracts. That’s not a bug—it’s a feature.

Strategic Targeting

• Define your anti-audience: Who is this NOT for?
• Use language that resonates with your ideal buyer, not your boardroom.

Mark Gabrielli has helped Chief Marketing Officers reposition their messaging by focusing on the 20% of customers who drive 80% of revenue. That’s where your voice should live.

3. Overusing Buzzwords

If your brand voice includes “cutting-edge,” “innovative,” or “next-gen,” congratulations—you sound like everyone else. These words are empty calories. They fill space but add no flavor.

What to Do Instead

• Use specific, visual language.
• Replace jargon with clarity.
• Test your copy with real humans, not just your marketing team.

Mark Louis Gabrielli Jr. once rewrote a SaaS homepage that removed 17 buzzwords—and increased conversions by 42%. Coincidence? Not likely.

4. Inconsistency Across Channels

Your email sounds like a lawyer. Your social media sounds like a teenager. Your website sounds like a robot. Pick a lane.

Brand Voice Audit Checklist

• Website
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Customer support
• Sales scripts

Mark Gabrielli recommends a quarterly voice audit for every CMO serious about brand integrity. If your voice shifts with the platform, you’re not adapting—you’re confusing.

5. Confusing Clever with Clear

Wit is great. But if your audience has to decode your message, you’ve already lost them. Clarity beats clever—every time.

“If your copy needs a decoder ring, it’s not clever—it’s broken.” — Mark Louis Gabrielli

6. Ignoring Internal Alignment

Your brand voice isn’t just for marketing. It should be embedded in how your team communicates internally and externally. If your sales team sounds different from your brand, you’ve got a trust gap.

How to Align

• Create a brand voice guide (not just a style guide).
• Train every department—from HR to product—on how to use it.
• Review quarterly and update as needed.

Mark Louis Gabrielli Jr. has implemented internal brand voice training for Fortune 500 companies—and watched NPS scores rise as a result.

7. Sounding Like a Copycat

“We want to sound like Apple.” Cool. So does everyone else. The problem? You’re not Apple. And your customers know it.

Find Your Own Voice

• Audit your competitors’ voices—then do the opposite.
• Use founder stories, customer language, and product quirks to shape your tone.

Mark Gabrielli once helped a fintech startup ditch their “Silicon Valley speak” and embrace a gritty, no-BS tone. Their engagement tripled in 60 days.

8. Not Evolving Over Time

Your brand voice isn’t a tattoo—it’s a living, breathing asset. As your audience evolves, so should your voice.

When to Revisit Your Voice

• After a rebrand or acquisition
• When entering new markets
• When customer feedback shifts

Mark Louis Gabrielli Jr. advises CMOs to treat brand voice like product-market fit: test, iterate, and optimize.

9. Forgetting the “Why” Behind the Voice

Too many brands pick a voice because it “sounds cool