The Tone of Voice and its importance to business success
There are brands whose ads are recognizable from a thousand others, even without using their name or showing the product. A striking example is Coca-Cola, whose trucks have become another attribute of the winter holidays. In this case, you can immediately feel the company’s style and its approach not only to the creation of its product but also to the interaction with the consumer. This principle is called Tone of Voice – a combination of certain elements, which together make up the communication style of the business. And it is important that this unique sound is evident in every interaction of the brand, whether it is advising customers in messengers, publications in social networks, or official events.
To better understand what brand voice is, we can look at the example of Apple Corporation. Throughout its history, the company has built a certain image, which it does not change. Products of the brand are associated with progress, simplicity, and functionality. They give their users a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity. At the same time, Apple’s communication is quite formal, but the company tries to give its clients the best, even if it’s the establishment of a warm relationship.
The Tone of Voice encompasses various components, including content, communication style, product presentation, ad creation, and more. In order for the concept to look harmonious, it must extend to the design, product presentation, logos, and fonts. Particular attention is paid to the style of communication, which by tone should coincide with the design of the site or conduct of social networks. It is important that the voice of the company was traced in every detail, otherwise, there will be no effect.
There are different types of Tone of Voice, but each one is unique and describes a specific company. In this case, there are no uniform standards of communication or integrity of the image, everything is determined through the influence of different characteristics and features.
Developing a Tone of Voice has 5 steps, and the first thing to start with is the target audience. In order to run a successful business, it is important to understand the needs and pains of your consumers and be able to give them a product that will meet certain requirements. The optimal solution here is research and analysis.
The second step to determine the Tone of Voice is to describe the brand values themselves, without them you cannot create a coherent image of the company.
The next step is a comprehensive analysis of the existing content and brand image. Here it is important to understand the mood of consumers, and their perception of the product and the company, in order to improve the image if necessary. Now the Tone of Voice concept can be built on the basis of this knowledge. It can be geared toward the younger generation, which means communications will be freer, with a touch of humor. Or conversely, the tone will be dry and more formal, which is more suitable for potential corporate clients.
The final step is to incorporate Tone of Voice into all elements of the business, marketing activities, product design, external and internal communications.
