It should be obvious that your brand needs to be heard. However, you may not understand that successful marketing is not so much about what you say but rather how you say it. In other words, your tone of voice.
What is the Tone of Voice?
The way someone speaks is one of the first things people notice about them. Dull, rude, polite, enthusiastic – we all make snap judgments about people based on how they speak. Words have power – they can easily influence and persuade an audience. For example, politicians tend to use simple, short sentences to make themselves seem honest and confident. Alternatively, financial companies frequently resort to jargon to show professionalism.
When it comes to your brand, your tone of voice is how your prospects remember you. Here are three reasons as to why your brand voice matters:
1. Tone of Voice Can Make Your Brand the Preferred Choice
Having a clear and recognizable tone of voice helps to set you apart from the competition. To many buyers, most products and services of the same type look very similar. Therefore, making a buying decision often comes down to price and emotional drive.
Since getting into a price war isn't a great strategy, you need to focus on that emotional connection. When you show your customers your brand's personality characteristics through your tone of voice, you encourage them to resonate with your company. Such a connection makes you memorable and helps to ensure that you'll be the preferred option.
2. Tone of Voice Encourages Brand Affinity
Brand loyalty is essential to modern companies because people want to buy from brands they feel emotionally connected to. There is no better way to breathe life into your marketing efforts than by giving your brand a voice. The more you can personalize your brand with a tone of voice and a rich communication strategy, the more you can begin to build profitable connections with your audience.
3. Tone of Voice Tells People Who You Are
Your tone of voice in communication shapes your customers' expectations of what kind of relationship they can look forward to and how your brand will interact with them in the future. A well-defined tone of voice definition allows you to advertise and market your brand in the best possible way. There are many different tones of voice, and it's your job to find one that truly reflects your brand's values.
Why is a Consistent Tone of Voice Important?
Maintaining your tone of voice in everything you do can be challenging. You probably don't have just one individual in your company who is responsible for all your external communications. That means tone of voice guidelines will be necessary to create consistency in every connection your company has with potential customers. Creating a style guide will help ensure that your employees understand exactly what they need to communicate when representing your brand.
Examples of Tone of Voice Done Right
Examples can be incredibly helpful in assisting you in defining your brand and putting together your tone of voice guidelines. Here are three examples of tone of voice done right.
1. Disney
Disney has one of the most appealing tones of voice in the world. It's creative, romantic, and exciting, just like the brand itself. Its slogan, Where dreams come true, is re-iterated in everything they do. For example, look at the excitement conveyed when purchasing Disney tickets.
Unforgettable
happens here is a phrase that resonates with the dreams come true proclamation. Using words like spectacular, amazing, and fun-filled helps to create an enthusiastic tone of voice for a brand that's larger than
life.
2. Nike
Nike became a great brand because of its distinct and easily recognizable brand voice. The company’s friendly, positive, and motivating voice resonates with its target audience – fitness and sports enthusiasts.
What’s more, Nike creates impactful messaging by pairing its positive, inspiring tone of voice with clarity and brevity. For example, its world-famous Just Do It tagline is motivating and inspiring without being elaborate or wordy. The slogan is simple, short, and to the point but still has meaning to Nike’s target audience.
- The origin of Just Do It is surprising and not what you would expect.
3. Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty is Rihanna's beauty company. On the About Us page you can read the following:
Before she was BadGalRiRi: music, fashion and beauty icon, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was a little girl in Barbados transfixed by her mother’s lipstick. The first time she experienced makeup for herself, she never looked back. Makeup became her weapon of choice for self-expression.
This snippet makes it clear that Fenty Beauty's tone of voice is direct, bold, and somewhat poetic. However, at the same time the tone is casual – it’s the way you would talk to a friend.
For some more examples of great tones of voice, click here.
Finding Your Tone of Voice Matters
You win in the game of tones, or… you end up with an underwhelming or confusing brand.
Understanding how to use the right tone of voice to communicate with your audience can make your business a success. Conversely, getting it wrong can break you regardless of how amazing your product or service is. Therefore, creating your brand voice should be an essential element of your branding strategy.
Your tone of voice is the best way to express your brand's unique personality and begin building meaningful relationships with your customers. It's the way you talk to customers over the phone, how you write in your blog posts, and how you communicate through social media. Your tone of voice is an integral element of your company identity.
Finding the right tone of voice is not necessarily easy. It can take a lot of time and reflection. Finding the right voice means choosing the key characteristics of your brand, then communicating in a way that emphasizes those traits.
Remember, in everyday life, the wrong tone of voice can start fights, end relationships, and destroy opportunities. Just imagine what harm it could do to your brand!
Americaneagle.com’s team of talented, creative content writers can help you determine a cohesive brand voice and tone. Our team creates carefully written copy that promotes your organization’s unique message to engage readers and stimulate an organic connection. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help ensure your brand’s voice matters.
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