FINALLY’s tone of voice tips

We recently wrote about the importance of your tone of voice and what it means to your brand. But how can you identify your own tone of voice now that you’re ready for a rebrand?  You could get in touch with FINALLY and see how we can help. Otherwise, try some of these exercises to help find your tone of voice:

Identify your brand’s core values

What do you and your business stand for? You could be environmentally friendly, which might imply being down-to-earth and having a grounded tone of voice, whereas a luxury brand may sound more elegant and aspirational. Whatever your values, think about how you want to be seen and heard, because this will help deliver.

Top tip: Involve the team early – especially those who control what your audience sees – this includes sales staff, new business and service managers as well as copywriters and social media managers and even designers and your digital marketing team if you have them.

Who are your customers?

Think about the people who buy your products and use your services. You might see them every day in your shop or speak to them over the phone – are they relaxed shoppers looking for a bargain or are they industry peers where there’s an expected air of professionalism when you talk? Think about how you would communicate to them elsewhere, like in an email or letter. 

K.I.S.S

Keep It Simple, Stupid – know when to adjust your tone to reflect the audience or mode of communication and avoid long-winded and complex sentences. Saying something in as few words as possible often has the biggest impact.

Also, know the difference between formal and informal messages. The same can be said of technical language and how well you know your audience. You’d assume that someone in digital marketing would understand what the SERPs were. However, we’ve all heard that saying about what assuming things does to U and Me, so remember to say Search Engine Results Pages and then put SERPs in brackets afterwards. 

Celebrity personas

If your brand were a famous person or you had a dream celebrity client, who would they be? Are they outspoken and flamboyant like Russell Brand, are they demure and intelligent like Emma Watson or are they powerful and charismatic like Barack Obama? Once you’ve identified your brand’s celebrity you can channel their voice into your own and think about how they respond to something.

This also works for cars, supermarkets and types of holiday – all of which, help paint a picture of your brand.

Call FINALLY

From setting your  brand book, helping your brand be more emotive and using tone of voice to tell your story, FINALLY can help.

Get in touch to discuss your options and we’ll see about organising a discovery day to get to the core of your business. With our help, you’ll have your new brand shouting in no time.