Why Your Brand Needs a Defined Tone of Voice.

If your branding is how you look, then tone of voice is how you sound.

Let's be honest, tone of voice kind of gets stuck a little bit down the list of "I should probably do this for my business one day" - somewhere far after logo, website, social media, newsletter, digital marketing, PR, Google ads,... oh boy, poor tone of voice gets chucked right to the bottom of the pile far too often. Misread as unnecessary.

And you know what, I get it. When you're running a business, your priorities don't tend to be your tone of voice - you're more worried about key touch points and making sure it looks damn sexy for your customer.

But trust me, there ain't nothing less sexy than a sexless tone of voice.

Why tone of voice matters.

Chucking together some website copy without any rhyme or reason isn't going to serve you well in the long run. Those social posts with captions going out willy-nilly - yeah, that's going to cost you down the line. Why? Because if you don't have a defined voice, you don't have a defined personality.

And why does that matter?

Because if you don't know where you stand, your customers certainly won't.

That's the crux of it.

And you won't be able to gain any real trust if people can't get what it is you're trying to say.
Your fonts and colours aren't enough on their own. The "what you say and how you say it" is just as important as the logo design and the carefully chosen colour palette you feature on everything from your website to email signature.

Three reasons TOV is important (because we all love a wee list).

1. It gives you a personality. If your branding was how you looked, tone of voice is how you sound - and we've all been there when we see someone who we think is SUPER cool and then we chat to them and it's like watching paint dry. You've GOT to know what you want to say and HOW you're going to say it. Sure you believe in sustainability - so do a f*** load of brands now. How're you going to tell me what you believe in in a different way from all the ten thousand other brands out there? A sexy logo isn't the only thing that will differentiate you. You've got to connect deep down.
2. It aligns your whole team and your brand across every platform. If you have a defined set of guidelines and you know why you're supposed to say "omg" instead of "goodness gracious me dear sir", you're going to truly represent your brand in a way that is authentic. And if you're more than a one-(wo)man-band, your team will be able to also represent your brand with authenticity and personality at every turn.
3. Your tone of voice is how you truly connect with your audience. Yes, they will be attracted in by how you look, but how you sound is why they'll buy and why they'll stick around. Words are SUPER powerful. They stick. So make sure that you're connecting with genuine authenticity and passion. I don't want to hear one basic sentence or off-brand quote - I'll be round to slap you if I do.

Ready to rock and roll?

Next time a freelancer rocks up ready to smash your marketing campaign and says "hey, have you got a tone of voice guide I can refer to", you won't say the dreaded words we all hate to hear "you can take a look at our blog to get an idea" - you'll say, "Oh yes DUDE we've got the sexiest one you'll see" (or something to that effect... maybe you're not a frat boy in the early 2000s, but I digress).
So off you fly - go get that tone of voice sorted!

Want a helping hand?

Okay, you're on board and realise a tone of voice guide isn't just some flimsy internal marketing but really it's the golden egg you've been searching for? Yes? Well then, let's chat, because that's my forte. I'll help your brand define exactly what you stand for and how you're going to tell your audience that you stand for it - from Tweets to newsletters to website copy, nailing how you sound will level up your brand.
​
Go on, hit up my website: www.themovinginkpot.com or DM me here - LinkedIn will love that.
My books are open for 2022 so hit me up to level up ;)