Creating content with the right tone is not just about what you say, but how you say it. From website copy and email marketing to social media posts, advertisements and posters, a tone of voice should be displayed consistently across all forms of communication.
What is tone of voice?
A tone of voice describes how your brand communicates with the audience and influences how your message is perceived. It reflects your brands personality, goals, values, areas of expertise and helps you connect with your audience. A brand’s tone of voice should be distinctive, recognisable, and unique to make sure that your message cuts through the digital noise and makes a lasting impression on potential customers.
Benefits of having a brand tone of voice
Here are a few reasons why you should be investing more time developing a recognisable tone of voice:
- Builds connections: Customers are emotionally connected to a brand that uses a positive tone of voice, as it makes them feel like the company cares about them. In fact, 65% of customers say they are emotionally connected to a brand that positively uses tone of voice when communicating.
- Makes you human: People like to connect with people and therefore will look for brands that have a personality that they recognise and can relate to. Having a tone of voice helps to increase the trust and credibility factor with your audience.
- Helps you stand out: Those businesses that have a distinctive tone of voice have a better chance of remaining competitive and standing out in the crowded marketplace. A consumer survey revealed that the reasons why some brands stand out more than others is because of memorable content, a distinctive personality and compelling storytelling. In all three of these aspects tone of voice plays a significant role.
- Increases revenue: Your business can increase its revenue if it has a strong tone of voice. A study by Lucidpress found that presenting your brand consistently is valuable to customers and can spark a 33% uptick in revenue.
How to create a tone of voice for your company
Now that we have established what a tone of voice is and the benefits it can have for your brand, we need to investigate how to create a tone of voice. There are four core elements that can help you develop a consistent tone of voice.
- Understand your audience: The starting place for creating a tone of voice, and for any form of communication is understanding who your audience is and choosing the right language to reach them. The attention span of all audience members is short and there are a multitude of marketing messages competing. Due to this your tone of voice needs to be succinct, direct and to the point.
- Brand values: A customer does not value a logo or a stock price, they attach themselves to something relevant and meaningful, a brand with depth and dimension. Consumers need an embodiment of who your business is and what it stands for. This is where your company’s values are important and should be considered when developing a tone of voice.
- Message: It is important to have a clear picture of what language you would use and the one thing that you want your audience to remember about your brand. Think about whether your brand is casual and fun, aspirational and impressive, or down to earth and practical? These qualities should come across in your tone of voice to help support your brand. If your messaging appears to change frequently, it’s harder for audiences to identify you and know exactly what you’re all about.
- Documentation: It is important to have a style guide in place that defines your brand voice. This will be the foundation for building your voice across all forms of communication. When creating a style guide, include adjectives that describe your brand. For example, if ‘fun’ is one of your attributes you would want to keep your messaging engaging and funny, while trying to avoid being boring.
Developing a tone of voice for your brand can have a significant impact on your business performance. Remember that every time you talk, write, design, post, respond, launch, thank and connect with others, you should be exercising your brand voice.
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