What is tone of voice? Well, if your brand is your identity, then consider tone of voice as your business’s personality. The tone of voice you create for your business should be clear in everything you do, whether that’s through the content you write, or in the words you speak. Ultimately, it’s how those words make your audience feel, the impression you give as a business and crucially, how customers perceive your brand.
Tone of voice is a major part of your brand and should be reflected in the language and style of the words you use. Once you’ve decided on a tone of voice, it should be mirrored in every customer touchpoint, including email marketing, your website, social media, brochures, outgoing phone calls and brochures, to name but a few. Additionally, if your business is in a building, your tone of voice should even be echoed throughout your premises too. Above everything else, it’s vital that your tone of voice remains consistent at all times. Not only does a consistent tone of voice signify professionalism but it also encourages customers to trust your brand, which in turn, boosts your brand’s reputation.
When talking about tone of voice, it’s incredibly important for you to remember that there’s not one rule out there to follow. Simply put, just because one business – even if that business is a direct competitor of yours, in the same industry – has chosen a specific tone of voice, that doesn’t mean you should follow suit. Tone of voice is all about expressing your business’s identity, which means it should be unique to you.
But why is tone of voice really that important?
It’s what makes you, you
Don’t think of tone of voice as what your business does but instead, think of it as your business’s unique character, reflecting its mission and values. Your tone of voice should become familiar and unique to you. This might seem like a big ask but if you focus on keeping your tone of voice consistent, then your customers will soon start to recognise the way you’re speaking to them.
It allows you to connect and engage with your target audience
Take things back to basics and consider who your target audience is. Once this is established, you can use your business’s tone of voice to really connect and engage with them. It might seem overwhelming to do this, in which case, you might want to consider working with a professional like Ed Prichard, who can help establish who you want to talk to and support you in creating a tone of voice that suits them.
Remember that saying, ‘people don’t remember what you say, but they always remember how you made them feel’. With this in mind, consider tone of voice as a tool to help shape the way your target audience feels. Ultimately, your tone of voice should play a key role in reaching out to your intended customers.
It builds trust
Generating trust from customers is priceless and really cannot be underestimated. It should be something that every business desires and works hard to gain. A consistent tone of voice can play a huge role in successfully building trust with your customers. After all, there is a strong like between familiarity and trust, mainly because that recognition makes your audience feel instantly more comfortable and at ease.
