Why nailing your ‘tone of voice’ is so important?
Step away from thinking about your business or your brand for a moment. Think about you, yourself, your personality. We each have our own very unique way of thinking, acting, speaking, and behaving.
It’s what makes us who we are and it’s why some people love us, some like us, some dislike us and some simply aren’t bothered either way.
Some of our character traits might be things we wouldn’t choose to be known for; I’ve faced up to the fact that I’m a little bit of a klutz! I trip over things that aren’t there, I spill drinks in the middle of important meetings, and I say stupid things at inappropriate moments because I sometimes get nervous when things get serious and I have an urge to make people laugh.
Obviously, I’d rather be perceived as graceful and sophisticated at all times, but it’s not going to happen in this lifetime! And, the truth is, it’s one of the reasons that my friends and family love me (or at least that’s what they tell me), and if people don’t like those things about me, we’re probably not destined to be friends anyway.
Anyway, exactly the same principle applies to your business and your brand. If your brand doesn’t remain true to itself and its core values, your copy will talk in a way which doesn’t reflect who you really are or what you’re about, and in doing this you’re more likely to disappoint your customers somewhere along the journey.
But perhaps most importantly, establishing your own tone of voice clearly and consistently means that you don’t just sound exactly like everyone else who’s out there in your field. Your voice becomes unique, helping you to stand out from the competition and become instantly recognisable when customers see your content. I follow so many brands on social media who offer the same service that they can sometimes blur into one, but it’s those brands that have a clear point of difference in the language that they use (as well as the images), that will ultimately resonate and keep me going back).
A few questions to ask when you’re starting to define your tone of voice
The simplest place to start (apologies in advance to the clients that see this as the fluffy stuff!), is to imagine your brand as a person and ask questions about that person such as the below…
Who are you? e.g. gender, age, personality type (liken to a real person if helps)
What are you? (list 6 adjectives to describe you) e.g. feminine, quirky, spirited, confident, reassuring, authentic
What are you not? e.g. girly, serious, rambling, corporate, boastful
Who are you talking to? e.g. mothers, 30+ sporty, socially active
What are you looking to achieve? e.g. build trust, increase loyalty, drive word of mouth
What does this mean for the language you use? e.g. do you use slang, humour, depth etc
There are plenty more questions and techniques to use in order define your tone of voice, but a good sense-check to go by in the meantime is - if it feels forced, then it’s probably not right.
If you’d like to discuss how any of this can be applied for your brand or business, then please feel free to get in touch at lisa@canihaveaword.co.uk