Do you engage in any writing within your job? Most likely your answer was a resounding ‘Yes’. The majority of roles involve some form of writing nowadays.
Maybe you’re in charge of writing a whole blog and managing a Social Media platform for your company, or perhaps the only writing you do all day is sending the occasional email or Slack message to your colleagues.
No matter how often or how much content you push out, how it’s received can make or break a mood, and even a relationship, with a Customer.
That make or break can determine the overall connection and trust a Customer has with your brand, leading to every business’ dream - brand awareness and conversions.
If your tone is consistent, relates to your brand identity and clearly associates with your Customers, it will impact your business in a positive way.
Woo Your Audience
You may have multiple writers, or even just the one, at your business. It may be you reading this right now! No matter if you have hundreds of company writers or just you on your lonesome, the tone of your voice within your writing needs to remain consistent.
To keep that consistency, there are a few areas you’ll need to hash out to ensure you’re making the most of your understanding and connection to your audience.
And first up, speaking of audience, is that you’ll truly need to know your target audience. If you haven’t already, now would be a great time to create a client avatar, your ideal Customer.
Get deep into your research, including their basic demographics as well as considering the kind of pain points they’re going through. Consider the kinds of platforms/communication channels they’re utilising and how exactly they like to communicate and the tone that they express themselves in.
But it doesn’t stop there! It’s all well and good to understand your audience, but what about your own brand? To excel in finding your tone of voice, you need to understand yourself.
Think about why you started your business in the first place. What sort of values does your brand uphold? What goals does your business strive to achieve? What makes your product or service unique within your industry?
This understanding of your company internally extends to the type of content you’re already releasing or have released in the past. Going over your current content can give you an idea of the direction you’d like to go in for your tone. Is the tone similar to what you’re after? Does it need to be tweaked? How have your Customers reacted to your content in the past?
If your knowledge of your values and brand identity matches up with your target audience’s personality and emotional connection, you’re ready to hone in on the tone that would suit your brand and Customers.
Types of Tone
Depending on the content you’re producing and publishing, your tone may not always be the same. For example, content on your Website and your written blogs might all have your usual tone, which could be a more lighthearted feel. But if you’re sending an email out to clients about a change in terms and conditions, it might require a different tone of voice.
Below are the big four in tone that you can adapt and employ within your writing to convey a mood and brand identity.
If your brand has a focus on professionalism or luxury, you could be in the market for a more formal tone for your writing. Highlighted by proper grammar and longer sentence structure, it alludes to expertise and sophistication. You may also adopt a formal tone occasionally if your brand has to communicate a serious topic to your Customers.
For all those cheeky and casual businesses out there, we know the formal outlook won’t be floating your boat. But there is another way, and it’s by the way of humour.
If your brand falls into a more playful category, we recommend using humour to get across your message. Your audience will feel more comfortable and connected to your business.
The issue with humour is that it’s one of the hardest tones to successfully pull off. For you to nail your humorous side, you’ll need to know the kind of humour your target audience enjoys so you can directly associate with them. There’s nothing worse than a swing and a miss when it comes to humour!
There’s a reason you started your business, and somewhere you will have a deep passion for what you do. Being enthusiastic and excitable about your brand is another tone you can use to get your Customers just as excited as you are about what you provide.
If you’d prefer to keep your tone a bit more, well, respectful, then respectfulness is going to lift your brand up. By working in your brand values, emphasise the high regard you have for your Customers. It may seem a bit bland, but the respectful tone helps your Customers feel safe and secure when dealing with your brand.
Don’t forget, you can add in your own flavour and even mix together the tones that work for you! You’re the best person to consulate when it comes to recognising what works for your brand.
Your tone can greatly impact how your Customers connect and view your brand. Always adapt and keep track of how your competitors are displaying their tone, as well as always be open to any feedback from fellow team members and Customers.