Finding the right voice…
One of the reasons I love running my own freelance writing business, is the fact that I can use my own voice when talking to my customers. I think finding and having a voice is so important to a business and yet, it’s so overlooked in the making up of a brand.
I’m always taken aback when I compare a letter I’ve got from a company to their website because the way they communicate via one medium is often so radically different to the other.
The way you talk to your customers is referred to as ‘tone of voice’. Simplistic as it sounds, it’s a core part of your brand and not many people get it right. Perhaps because not many people realise the difference it can make to the way your customers perceive you.
My son Ethan is very familiar with tone of voice. He knows from the way I call his name that I’m either really happy with him, really angry with him, or simply just asking for a hug. It goes like this …
Really happy = “Eeeeethhhaaaan!”
Really angry = “ETHAN!”
Just looking for a hug = “Eeeeth…”
Tone of voice works for both, the spoken and written word. Take a business email for example and the way it addresses the receiver….
‘Dear Mrs Jones’ conveys a different feeling to ‘Hello Mrs Jones’ or ‘Hi’. Similarly, ‘Regards’ is different to a simple ‘Thanks’.
Your tone not only defines your business and what it stands for, but it’s crucial to connecting with your audience. By starting a dialogue you can build trust and loyalty which in turn generates that all important word of mouth. One of my favourite brands for getting ‘tone of voice’ right is Innocent Drinks. Their tone is a core part of their brand and conveys the same fresh, light hearted attitude that their drinks do. Even the way they write the ingredients on the back of a carton is different and true to their identity as a business.
You can start to find a suitable tone of voice by looking deep into
1.The type of business you’re in.
2.How your customers want to be spoken to.
3.And most importantly, how you want to come across as a brand.
Whatever tone of voice you adopt, some tips for making it a success are:
Be in sync with your audience (What are they used to? If you’re taking a new approach, are they ready for it?).
Bring your personality out in the words you write rather than approaching it as another task to do.
Keep it consistent (Use your tone in whatever you do – from your business cards, to letters/emails, to your website, packaging and marketing communications).
Write clearly and confidently. That way, your customers will not only start to identify you from your communication, but also start to trust you implicitly.
Inspire and empower your audience. Give them something to chew on.
So if you don’t have a tone for your business yet, now’s the time to spend some time on finding your voice. After all, it’s not just what you say but how you say it that makes all the difference.
2 Responses to Finding the right voice…
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Tone of voice is critically important when you're writing for business, as you so rightly point out Bian. And often it's difficult to get this right, especially when your marketplace is made up of a wide cross-section of different types of people. That's when you need to think more about expressing the benefits of your product or service using the correct balance between how your audiences want to hear your message, and how you feel it's best expressed in terms of your brand's personality.
If your audience exists mainly within one niche, however, there's no problem in determining the correct tone of voice because you know how your audience thinks and speaks. However you can still build on that so your brand's personality comes through. It may be that this is largely in visual terms, or perhaps in creating some original, new jargon for that niche that from here on will be associated with you and your brand.
Interesting issue!
Twitter: SuzanStMaur
Your right Suz – that's why bigger brands tend to struggle the most with tone of voice. I agree on the issue of the wide cross section of people too but as you say that's where the overall brand comes into play to distinguish who you are. Thanks for sharing your advice… B