Two people can use the same words. However, the way one says it differs from the other. This is due to the tone of voice. Therefore, tone of voice is the way you say things. The tone of voice is not only restricted to audio. It is also identifiable in writing. You often hear the phrase “watch your tone” too. However, how is this related to marketing? The tone of voice is a great way for anyone’s personality to come through. 

Similarly, it is a good way of knowing your company’s personality too. For instance, imagine two companies offering the same product. However, one company offers a very technical description. On the other hand, company 2 offers a very simple and humorous description. Doesn’t this convey two different characters?

Therefore, just like all of us have a tone of voice, companies do too. In fact, the tone of voice has a lot more impact than we can imagine. There are a lot of reasons why brands must be careful while conveying content. Your brand must sound different from the rest. Your brand’s personality must be able to connect with your audience.

What Is Tone of Voice? 

The tone of voice is the way your brand decides to communicate with its customers. Your words must reflect your brand’s ethos and values. However, They must also represent their personality. The way Hamleys will communicate will definitely be different from Starbucks. This has a big influence on how your customers look at your brand. This is not only about the words on your website. It is about the way you represent your content everywhere. Be it social media posts or emails. 

Different occasions may ask for different words and phrases. However, a company must always try to keep their tone consistent. This includes the choice of words. It also includes the emotion one uses to communicate. However, emotion is subjective. It can change depending upon the conditions. The tone of voice has an impact on your company’s brand value and awareness. Therefore, You attract the right crowd and also advertise better.

For instance, if your company has a target audience which is mostly professionals. However, your company’s communication style is slightly childish and funky. Your target audience may not be attracted. Although, if the target audience here were teenagers. Your company stood a much better chance of gaining new customers. This is exactly how the tone of voice works in terms of brands.

What Is a Good Tone of Voice 

A good tone of voice is any voice which is able to showcase your brand’s personality. Here, voice is not the audio but the different ways a brand uses to communicate with its audience. Your brand must be able to sound different from others but true to itself. This is exactly what makes the tone of voice fitting to your brand’s image. It is an achievement to have customers recognize a brand just through its messaging. Therefore, your brand’s tone of voice must be able to help you gain your customer’s trust. It must help you sell without actually having to sound pushy.

Pros and Cons

Well, tone of voice can have both pros and cons. However, this is entirely dependent on how well a company uses it. In case a company uses it well, there are only advantages. Some of those advantages are: 

• Shows your brand’s personality: Having the right tone of voice helps you show your brand’s true self. It lets your audience know who you are. If you are a kids brand, your voice must be able to communicate so. Your main goal must be to showcase the value of your brand. Therefore, this will help bring in the right target audience. It will also help build good relationships with the audience.

• Trust: this is true even among human beings. We all judge a person based on their tone. Similarly, customers also form a brand’s image based on its tone of voice. Therefore, this helps them build trust in your brand. 

• Makes you stand out. Every company wants to stand out. However, most of the companies in the same industry sell the same things. What will make them different from the rest? It’s the way they communicate with their customers. Therefore, having a distinct tone of voice is so important. It helps make your brand unique.

• Marketing: Your tone of voice plays a huge role in marketing too. The way you advertise your products should be consistent with your company’s tone. This can help influence your audience better too.

Disadvantages: Good tone of voice can never have any advantages. However, even a slight mistake in your tone can. You may lose out on customer trust. In addition, you may also lose out on your brand’s appeal and identity. Your tone of voice should be able to reflect your brand. 

The Importance and Best Strategies 

As we know, finding your brand’s tone of voice is very important. It can really change the dynamic between you and your customers. A brand’s tone of voice not only helps build your customer’s trust. It also helps create a memorable image in their mind. 

Customers often associate with brands due to the value they offer too. Brands create a certain image in the customer’s mind. For instance, can a person imagine a different Starbucks logo? No, it will be met with a lot of negativity. This is because customers have associated with it. Therefore, tone of voice is not just words, it is also colours and images.

Here is some ways brand’s can recognise their tone of voice: 

• Knowing their target audience: One must do deep research about their audience. They must know about the language this audience uses as well as their preferences. Are they the Gen Z crowd or are they from an older generation? Understand and look at other brands. See what works well with your audience.

• Be aware of your own values: A brand must know its mission and vision. You must be able to communicate your core values to your audience. This is what will make your brand different from the rest. Create branding guidelines and format everything accordingly.

• Decide your tone: After your research and brand values, you must by now know what you want to sound like. Therefore, decide the same. For instance, you must know if you want to sound friendly or casual. One decided, to refine that tone and find ways to communicate around that tone only.

• Implementation: Finally, use this tone of voice to communicate. A lot of organisations have their own brand guidelines. Especially all the teams that work on digital channels are asked to follow these guidelines. 

Top 6 Tone of Voice Examples

Let’s look at some error page examples to show different voice tones:

• Alfa Romeo

This brand is rational as well as emotional. Their tone of voice is formal as well as a little casual. This particular tone of voice is showcased through their error page too. Even their error page appears in very formal language.

• Mailchimp

Mailchimp has a very humorous approach to its error page though. It is simple and conversational. It doesn’t waste too much of your time and is straightforward. 

• Gillette

Gillette in fact has a very interesting error page. They make good use of shaving puns to keep it funny yet simple. They are polite as well as humorous.

Taco bell

Just like the company’s image in real, its error page is the same too. It is funny and super creative. The 404 error is shown instead like LOL (laugh out loud) they also have a cute taco graphic in the background. The content as well as the page make their error page quite cool.

• Marvel

Marvel has a cool error page as well. It revolves around its characters and also has their graphics alongside.

• Netflix

Netflix’s error page is also very simple yet creative. It has made use of shows and movies as a background to make phrases. For instance: “Oops, it’s a blunder” in front of a still from Queen’s Gambit.

Therefore all these companies are somehow communicating their tone of voice through an error page! That’s the beauty of it.

In Conclusion

All in all, having a set of brand guidelines which show your tone of voice is helpful. This is because consistency is very important. Today, companies and brands are not on just one platform. They exist on several different digital channels. However, all these channels require content to be posted almost daily. This is why your content on every platform must have the same tone. You cannot sound formal on Twitter but quirky on Instagram. 

Your voice should be clear and apparent to your customer. They must be able to imagine your product and service by your tone of voice itself. 

Do you think that tone of voice is important for brands? Do you feel a lot of brands keep that in mind? Let us know in the comments section below.