Brand Voice Enforcement

Brand Voice Enforcement

Apply existing brand guidelines to all sales and marketing content generation. Load the user's brand guidelines, apply voice constants and tone flexes to the content request, validate output, and explain brand choices.

Loading Brand Guidelines

Find the user's brand guidelines using this sequence. Stop as soon as you find them:

1. Session context — Check if brand guidelines were generated earlier in this session (via /brand-voice:generate-guidelines). If so, they are already in the conversation. Use them directly. Session-generated guidelines are the freshest and reflect the user's most recent intent.

2. Local guidelines file — Check for .claude/brand-voice-guidelines.md inside the user's working folder. Do NOT use a relative path from the agent's current working directory — in Cowork, the agent runs from a plugin cache directory, not the user's project. Resolve the path relative to the user's working folder. If no working folder is set, skip this step.

3. Ask the user — If none of the above found guidelines, tell the user: "I couldn't find your brand guidelines. You can:

• Run /brand-voice:discover-brand to find brand materials across your platforms
• Run /brand-voice:generate-guidelines to create guidelines from documents or transcripts
• Paste guidelines directly into this chat or point me to a file"

Wait for the user to provide guidelines before proceeding.

Also read .claude/brand-voice.local.md for enforcement settings (even if guidelines came from another source):

• strictness: strict | balanced | flexible
• always-explain: whether to always explain brand choices

Enforcement Workflow

1. Analyze the Content Request

Before writing, identify:

• Content type: email, presentation, proposal, social post, message, etc.
• Target audience: role, seniority, industry, company stage
• Key messages needed: which message pillars apply
• Specific requirements: length, format, tone overrides

2. Apply Voice Constants

Voice is the brand's personality — it stays constant across all content:

• Apply "We Are / We Are Not" attributes from guidelines
• Use brand personality consistently
• Incorporate approved terminology; reject prohibited terms
• Follow messaging framework and value propositions

Refer to references/voice-constant-tone-flexes.md for the "voice constant, tone flexes" model.

3. Flex Tone for Context

Tone adapts by content type and audience. Use the tone-by-context matrix from guidelines to set:

• Formality: How formal or casual should this be?
• Energy: How much urgency or enthusiasm?
• Technical depth: How detailed or accessible?

4. Generate Content

Create content that:

• Matches brand voice attributes throughout
• Follows tone guidelines for this specific content type
• Incorporates key messages naturally (not forced)
• Uses preferred terminology
• Mirrors the quality and style of guideline examples

For complex or long-form content, delegate to the content-generation agent (defined in agents/content-generation.md). For high-stakes content, delegate to the quality-assurance agent (defined in agents/quality-assurance.md) for validation.

5. Validate and Explain

After generating content:

• Briefly highlight which brand guidelines were applied
• Explain key voice and tone decisions
• Note any areas where guidelines were adapted for context
• Offer to refine based on feedback

When always-explain is true in settings, include brand application notes with every response.

Handling Conflicts

When the user's request conflicts with brand guidelines: 1. Explain the conflict clearly 2. Provide a recommendation 3. Offer options: follow guidelines strictly, adapt for context, or override

Default to adapting guidelines with an explanation of the tradeoff.

Open Questions Awareness

Open questions are unresolved brand positioning decisions flagged during guideline generation, stored in the guidelines under an "Open Questions" section. When generating content, check if the brand guidelines contain open questions:

• If content touches an unresolved open question, note it
• Apply the agent's recommendation from the open question unless the user specifies otherwise
• Suggest resolving the question if it significantly impacts the content

Reference Files

• `references/voice-constant-tone-flexes.md` — The "voice constant, tone flexes" mental model, "We Are / We Are Not" table structure, and tone-by-context matrix explanation
• `references/before-after-examples.md` — Before/after content examples per content type showing enforcement in practice

Before/After Content Examples

Concrete examples showing how brand voice enforcement transforms generic content into on-brand output. Each example shows the generic version, the enforced version, and annotations explaining what changed and why.

These examples use a fictional B2B SaaS company for illustration. During enforcement, replace all specifics (data points, product names, metrics) with data from the user's actual brand guidelines and context.

Cold Outreach Email

Before (Generic)

Subject: Quick question about your sales process

Hi [Name],

I wanted to reach out because I think our product could be a great fit
for your team. We offer an AI-powered platform that helps sales teams
be more productive.

Would you be open to a quick 15-minute call to learn more?

Best,
[Sender]

After (Brand Voice Enforced)

Subject: [Company] is leaving pipeline on the table

Hi [Name],

Your team closed $12M last quarter — impressive. But our data shows
mid-market SaaS teams like yours typically lose 23% of qualified pipeline
to slow follow-ups.

[Product] fixes that. We help sales teams respond to buying signals in
real time, not hours later. [Customer X] saw their win rate jump 18%
in the first quarter.

Worth 15 minutes to see if the numbers apply to [Company]?

[Sender]

What Changed

• Voice: Confident — leads with a bold claim and specific data (not "I think our product could be")
• Voice: Data-driven — concrete numbers (23%, 18%, $12M) replace vague "more productive"
• Voice: Direct — gets to the point immediately, no "I wanted to reach out"
• Tone: Energy HIGH — active language, short sentences, urgency
• Tone: Formality MEDIUM — professional but conversational
• Tone: Technical depth LOW — outcomes and impact, not feature descriptions
• Terminology: "buying signals" and "pipeline" (industry-specific but accessible to VP Sales)

Follow-Up Email

Before (Generic)

Hi [Name],

Just following up on my previous email. I'd love to schedule a call
to discuss how we can help your team.

Let me know if you're available this week.

Thanks,
[Sender]

After (Brand Voice Enforced)

Hi [Name],

Quick update: we just published our Q4 benchmark report on enterprise
sales velocity. Three insights jumped out that are relevant to [Company]:

1. Teams using real-time signals close 31% faster than the industry average
2. The #1 pipeline killer isn't competition — it's response time
3. Mid-market wins are trending 15% larger when reps personalize within 2 hours

Happy to walk through how these benchmarks compare to your team's numbers.
The report is attached if you'd rather dig in yourself first.

[Sender]

What Changed

• Voice: Data-driven — new value in every touch (benchmark data), not just "following up"
• Voice: Approachable — offers two paths (call or self-serve) without pressure
• Voice: Confident — shares proprietary insights, positions as expert
• Tone: Energy MEDIUM — informative, not pushy
• Tone: Formality MEDIUM — professional but not stiff
• Key principle applied: "Add new value each touch" — no empty follow-ups

Enterprise Proposal Executive Summary

Before (Generic)

We are pleased to submit this proposal for your consideration. Our
company offers a comprehensive AI solution that can help improve your
sales team's performance. We believe our platform is the best choice
for organizations looking to modernize their sales operations.

After (Brand Voice Enforced)

[Company] processes 2,400 leads per quarter with a 12-person sales team.
Current pipeline-to-close conversion sits at 18% — below the 24% benchmark
for enterprise SaaS at your ARR stage.

This proposal outlines how [Product] closes that gap. Our platform
analyzes buying signals across your existing tech stack and surfaces
the 3-5 daily actions most likely to advance each deal. Typical results:
+31% win rate, -40% time to close, 2.1x pipeline per rep.

Implementation takes 3 weeks. ROI breaks even at week 6.

What Changed

• Voice: Data-driven — opens with the client's own metrics, not "we are pleased"
• Voice: Direct — no filler language, every sentence carries information
• Voice: Confident — specific outcomes with numbers, clear implementation timeline
• Tone: Formality HIGH — structured, precise language
• Tone: Energy MEDIUM — measured confidence, not hype
• Tone: Technical depth HIGH — specific features (buying signals, tech stack analysis), ROI math

LinkedIn Post

Before (Generic)

Excited to announce our new feature! We've been working hard on this
and we think it's going to change the way sales teams work. Check out
the link below to learn more! #sales #AI #innovation

After (Brand Voice Enforced)

The average sales rep spends 4.2 hours/day on tasks that don't close deals.

We analyzed 50,000 sales activities across 200 teams and found the pattern:
top performers aren't working harder — they're responding faster.

Today we're launching Signal Score: real-time prioritization that tells
your reps exactly which deal to work next, and why.

Early results from beta: 23% fewer lost deals from delayed follow-up.

Link in comments.

What Changed

• Voice: Data-driven — opens with a statistic, not "excited to announce"
• Voice: Confident — specific research (50,000 activities, 200 teams)
• Voice: Innovative — describes what's new without hype
• Voice: NOT hype-driven — no "change the way sales teams work", replaced with measurable outcomes
• Tone: Formality LOW-MEDIUM — casual enough for LinkedIn, professional enough for B2B
• Tone: Energy HIGH — short sentences, bold opening stat
• Tone: Technical depth LOW — outcomes-focused, accessible to any reader
• Terminology: Avoided "revolutionary" and "game-changing" (prohibited terms)

Internal Slack Message

Before (Generic)

Hey team, just a reminder that we should all be using the approved
messaging when talking to prospects. Please refer to the brand
guidelines document for more information.

After (Brand Voice Enforced)

Heads up — we updated the competitive positioning section in the brand
guidelines. Two big changes:

1. Against [Competitor]: lead with implementation speed (3 weeks vs. their 3 months)
2. Against Status Quo: new stat — teams using manual processes lose 23% of pipeline to timing

Updated doc is pinned in #sales-enablement. Questions? Tag me.

What Changed

• Voice: Direct — specific changes, not vague "please refer to"
• Voice: Data-driven — concrete differentiators with numbers
• Voice: Approachable — casual, helpful tone appropriate for Slack
• Tone: Formality LOW — contractions, short sentences, "tag me"
• Tone: Energy MEDIUM — informative without being overly enthusiastic
• Key principle: Internal comms can be less polished, but voice attributes still apply

Using These Examples

When enforcing brand voice, reference the relevant content type example to calibrate: 1. Match the content type to the closest example above 2. Note which voice attributes are most active for that type 3. Apply the tone settings (formality, energy, technical depth) 4. Check "We Are Not" boundaries — make sure content doesn't cross them 5. Verify terminology compliance (preferred terms used, prohibited terms absent)

Voice Constant, Tone Flexes

The core mental model for brand voice enforcement: voice is constant, tone flexes by context.

The Distinction

Voice is WHO the brand is — personality, values, identity. It never changes regardless of channel, audience, or content type. Think of it as the brand's character.

Tone is HOW the brand speaks in a given moment — formality, energy, technical depth. It adapts to context the way a person adjusts their tone when speaking to a friend vs. a CEO vs. a large audience.

Voice Constants: "We Are / We Are Not"

The "We Are / We Are Not" table is the anchor of brand voice. It defines the brand's personality in paired attributes — what the brand IS and the boundary it should never cross.

Structure

The table below is an illustrative example. During enforcement, use the "We Are / We Are Not" table from the user's own brand guidelines.

How to Use During Enforcement

For every piece of content: 1. Check each "We Are" attribute — does the content reflect this? 2. Check each "We Are Not" boundary — does the content avoid crossing it? 3. If a boundary is crossed, revise the specific passage 4. If an attribute is missing, find a natural place to express it

Not every attribute needs to appear in every piece of content. Prioritize the 2-3 most relevant attributes for the content type and audience.

Tone Flexes: The Three Dimensions

Tone adjusts along three independent dimensions:

1. Formality

How formal or casual the language is.

2. Energy

How much enthusiasm, urgency, or dynamism the content conveys.

3. Technical Depth

How much domain expertise or technical detail is included.

Tone-by-Context Matrix

Combine the three dimensions for each content type:

Applying Voice + Tone Together

Example: Cold outreach email

Voice constants active:

• Confident — lead with a strong value claim
• Direct — get to the point in sentence one
• Approachable — don't sound like a robot

Tone settings:

• Formality: Medium (professional but not stiff)
• Energy: High (earn attention quickly)
• Technical Depth: Low (outcomes, not features)

Example: Enterprise proposal

Voice constants active:

• Data-driven — every claim has supporting evidence
• Confident — strong positioning without hedging
• Innovative — show forward-thinking approach

Tone settings:

• Formality: High (structured, complete sentences)
• Energy: Medium (measured, not breathless)
• Technical Depth: High (detailed implementation, specs)

Common Enforcement Mistakes

1. Applying all voice attributes at maximum intensity — Not every attribute needs to shine in every sentence. Let 2-3 lead for the content type. 2. Confusing voice with tone — If the user asks for "casual" content, adjust TONE (lower formality, higher energy). Don't change VOICE (the brand's personality stays the same). 3. Rigid enforcement over natural flow — Guidelines are principles, not a checklist. Content should feel natural, not mechanically assembled. 4. Ignoring the audience — The same voice can sound very different to a CTO vs. a VP of Sales. Tone flexes handle this.