How To Find Right Tone Of Voice For Your Business
When it comes to establishing your business’ online presence, tone of voice is critical. It doesn’t just matter what you say, but how you say it: as with face-to-face conversations, communicating effectively online requires nuance. But why exactly does your tone of voice matter so much – and how do you find the right tone of voice for your business?
The why
Let’s tackle the first part of that question to begin with. Why does tone of voice matter? It can make you stand out from your competition, for one, and gives those on your website an insight into your company’s approach and attitude. If you come across well online, it stands to reason that more people will want to get in contact with you and purchase your products and services.
The correct tone of voice can foster trust and authority, too. If your company is only just starting up, establishing a consistent tone of voice can be instrumental in driving growth and building those all-important relationships with your customers.
The how
When you’re considering your business’ tone of voice, you should examine your word choices, use of punctuation and the overall feel that emanates from your writing.
Perhaps you operate a company which sells gifts, and you’d like to adopt a humorous, witty tone. Achieving this will require different word and punctuation choices than a bank or financial institution, for example, which will most likely want to adopt a more professional, business-like tone of voice.
In this example, the gift company might want to use exclamation marks and write in a more relaxed fashion, using contractions like ‘you’re’ or ‘isn’t.’
Know your audience
This leads nicely onto our next point: the importance of knowing your audience. The first step in establishing a tone of voice is understanding who you’re actually writing for – without that knowledge, you’ll just be taking a stab in the dark. Consider who your business is aimed at and study the demographics your site is attracting. Younger audiences typically demand a different tone of voice to older audiences, for example.
You also have to consider your company’s values: what is it that you want to get across to people who’ve never heard of your organisation before? Is it that you’re friendly and offer great customer service? Or perhaps it’s your transparency and straight-talking advice? You can emphasise these values in your writing, which goes a long way towards building a loyal customer base.
For example, if transparency was a key value of your company, you could adopt a more ‘chatty’ tone of voice and avoid the use of technical jargon and complex terminology. This will give visitors to the site the impression that you are transparent and straight-talking (rather than just saying you are).
