Tone of voice, simply put, is how your brand communicates with your audience. Sounds easy right? Noooope! There are lots of things to consider when crafting your tone of voice, from the audience and messaging to the product itself.
This all plays into a wider picture of your brand as a whole. An effective tone of voice builds connection and trust with your audience. It will make you more memorable and ultimately lead to an increase in revenue. And who doesn’t want that?!
Think of Innocent for example. Their quirky, informal, humorous tone is memorable and engaging, connecting with their branding and messaging. On the other end of the scale, Nike’s tone is powerful, impactful, strong and inspiring, which connects with their product and makes you feel like you want to be involved. In terms of content writing – they are iconic and instantly recognisable.
Sounding more important now? Don’t panic – we have some thinking points that will help you craft your brand’s tone of voice. So let’s get started…
Audience awareness – an alliterative pair you shouldn’t forget.
A good place to start, when exploring how to communicate effectively, is understanding who you are speaking to. So, it’s time to study your data. Check out things like your social media stats or Google Analytics to discover your target personas. Take into consideration age, profession, demographic and how to connect with that particular audience. Trust us and take a look, you’ll thank us for it later!
Pin down your messaging, believe us when we say it’s very important.
What is it that you are trying to say? Decide on the key messages that your brand is trying to convey. What do you believe in? What is your company trying to achieve? What are your overall goals? Your messaging represents your values, revealing a little more about the company behind the product itself. This is so important, especially to target demographics like Generation Z, as they look for the humanity behind the brand. So, what do you stand for?
We knew you wouldn’t forget… but just a reminder to think about what you are selling.
Sounds obvious but your product also informs the way you communicate with your target audience. When considering this, a good starting point is to think about your USPs (unique selling points). Is your product good for the environment, a bargain, healthy? Whatever it may be, try and connect that to how you communicate. Also, consider the audience that are interested in those USPs and what resonates with them. What’s that we hear? Yup – more sales heading your way!
Emotions are powerful, and so are words.
Emotive language is more than just soppy words. It can be strong, humorous, blunt, sarcastic, poetic. The key is to evoke a feeling (and we have a secret; feelings are what are going to get you sales). Managed that? You are already smashing it!
Let’s go
After reading from our fountain of knowledge, the power is in your hands… with one more helpful tip from us. Once you’ve finished reading this, go and make a tone of voice guide. We mean it, sit down and make your very own TOV bible. Include copy examples of what you love and hate, a word moodboard, define your message, slang or no slang, swearing or not, are you loving emojis? You get the idea. Be thorough and consistent so anyone who writes your copy has help along the way.
Still not wanting to sit down and write that TOV guide? We get it and we’ve got you covered. With an expert marketing team, ranging from copywriters to social media experts, we can craft you a distinctly brilliant brand and consistent tone of voice. Want to know more? Find out how we can help you here.
