Finding your inner (tone of) voice

What is tone of voice and why is it important to your brand? Understanding tone of voice and what your brand sounds like can be tricky – not to mention that rolling it out and making practical changes can be overwhelming. Our FINALLY guide to finding your brand’s tone of voice will uncover what it actually means and how it helps people interact with your brand.

If you’re looking to rebrand your business or need help with the way you talk to your customers and audience, get in touch and see how we can help.

What is ‘tone of voice’?

We’ve all heard the saying, it’s not what you say, but how you say it. That’s exactly what tone of voice means. It’s how you ask and answer questions. It’s what shapes the words on your website, your social media updates, terms and conditions, marketing emails and any physical packaging or flyers. Your tone of voice builds your brand’s personality and helps your audience recognise you.

Tone of voice and building your brand

The key to a successful brand is being consistent. It builds trust and cements your brand as a reliable source for products and information. Tone of voice is one of the tools that brings everything to life. Teamed with correct logos, colour palettes and anything else you’d find in a style guide, the use of specific words and phrases paint a picture of your brand and shapes the way your audience sees you. 

Why do I need a tone of voice?

Words have power and the way you use them determines how effective they are. Your tone of voice is a way to harness that power and keep your content consistent. A well-defined and authoritative tone of voice will support and enforce your good reputation. A friendly tone of voice makes your brand trustworthy and likeable to your audience and makes you memorable for all the right reasons. 

In-house, a strong brand means that your team are confident to speak on behalf of your business and in the correct way. Whether it’s a customer service agent handling complaints and queries on web chat or a regional sales manager delivering a presentation, the tone of voice will help them say exactly what you want and need them to say on behalf of your business.

What makes up a tone of voice?

A strong tone of voice is one that’s simple. It’s free of any fuss and jargon and shapes the way your brand thinks and feels about things. Your tone of voice guidelines might have a list of buzzwords that you can say… and then list of words your brand wouldn’t say. Again, it’s all about being consistent.

For example, a local estate agent brand may decide to not use the word property when discussing its products, opting for home instead. See how they’re similar words but with different associations. Property could be deemed cold and corporate, whereas home incites warmth and something a bit more personal. Afterall, it’s home sweet home, not property sweet property. 

Also, a marketing agency like FINALLY could say: we are an integrated marketing agency, working across design, digital marketing, web development and content. Instead, we say that we help businesses be found, be seen and be understood because it’s easier, cleaner and makes sense.

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.