Nobody likes mixed messages: Why tone of voice matters

Every brand has a living, speaking personality, and it's vital that your customers can understand and respond to it. Each articulation of your brand is, consciously or subconsciously, registered by the people who matter to you most, but do your brand’s words say what you want them to? And do they say it consistently, concisely, and with integrity?

You’ll probably need some tone of voice guidelines to help you answer these questions. Documents that outline the values and character of your brand will help anyone engaging with you understand what to expect. It might come as a surprise, but it can be all too easy to lose track of your brand’s nuts and bolts, which is why it is essential to set out exactly what your written communications are supposed to say to your customer. What are your key messages? What integral values does your brand represent? The right words used in the right way maintain the value of your brand and keep stakeholders loyal. Tone of voice guidelines will help you identify which words are the right ones, and how you can craft them to suit your brand’s personality. After all, the only way to be yourself is to know exactly who you are. That’s where we come in.

Self-assessment is one of the most valuable abilities a brand can have, but completing it effectively is a tricky business. As we mentioned in last month's edition of The Copywriter we helped RBB Economics to understand their key messages and value propositions in order to create a verbal identity. You are who you say you are, so make sure your words don’t misrepresent you.