2 minute read
Brand tone of voice83
by iKnow
83
BRAND TONE OF VOICE
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How does a brand put its values into a writing style? It defi nes its own tone of voice. Once you have identifi ed what your brand stands for, and understood its personality, you can use language to represent it.
In any one language, we all pick from the same words but we can still sound very different. It’s a bit like composers using the same instruments of the orchestra to create different moods.
The idea One way to tell that an e-mail scam is a fake is to check the language. One claiming to be from the tax offi ce turned up in my inbox recently announcing “You have a tax refund!!!” The UK Revenue Offi ce is unlikely to use one exclamation mark, let alone three. An instant giveaway.
In recent years, large companies who write regularly to their customers have realised that their letters were being ignored because they were formed of long, impersonal sentences, industry jargon and pompous language. Instead of treating customers like people, they were just sending out the same old standard letters written for their own convenience not with the reader in mind. Analysing their language to fi nd gaps between the way they want to sound the customers and the way they have been coming across, helps organisations to develop new ways of writing which represents their brand values.
The danger is that you go too chummy, imitating another company’s tone of voice instead of defi ning your own. Your language should support your brand identity not fi ght it. That’s why the UK Revenue Offi ce will never put three exclamation marks in their email subject line.
In practice • Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Would you read to the end of your own letters? If they strike you as dull or patronising, it’s time to change. • Look closely at the language you’re using. Does it match your brand’s personality? It’s not always easy to write in a different style, but there are companies who specialise in devising a new tone of voice and training people to use it. • You can bring in creative business writers to help you redefi ne your tone of voice and train new and your people in the new skills they need to write in that way. You can always have brand language specialists rewrite your standard letters for you to help you get going.
