Recent conversations around AI content creation have us all thinking about how we can use bleeding edge tech to streamline our workflow and save on costs. However, while the higher ups are lauding the benefits of tools like ChatGPT, conversations at the coal face are focused around the difficulty of individualising brand content without that human touch.
At recent industry conference, Brighton SEO, the question of brand voice was clearly at the forefront of expert minds. CEO of Crowd Content and leading light in all things SEO, Carlos Meza put into words how vital human input is in an increasingly robotic world, telling an audience of optimisation experts: ‘AI is going to flood the market with content that has the same tone of voice so your brand’s own recognisable tone of voice will become more important than ever’.
‘AI is going to flood the market with content that has the same tone of voice so your brand’s own recognisable tone of voice will become more important than ever’.
With this in mind, it’s worth talking a little more about just how important tone of voice is for your brand. And how, when faced with a new age of content creation, you can develop and maintain a tone that suits your product while keeping customers engaged with what you have to say.
What is Tone of Voice?
Helping you to communicate with your audience, tone of voice gives your brand its own personality. Whether you’re serious about selling insurance or have a light hearted approach to lipstick sales, an individual tone of voice makes sure that everyone who writes copy for your brand – whether that’s scripts for TV advertising, the blurb on the back of a packet or social media posts – is on the same page. In many cases, a strong tone of voice can be just as vital to brand identity as a stand-out logo or beloved mascot, while also giving customers confidence that you really know your stuff.
A strong tone of voice can be just as vital to brand identity as a stand-out logo or beloved mascot
An essential part of your creative brief, tone of voice works alongside imagery to set your brand apart from competitors and is usually informed by the market you’re working in and your target customer. It’s also an easy way to communicate your core values.
Why Does Tone of Voice Matter?
According to research conducted by Sprout Social, the public consider memorable content to be almost as important as great customer service when it comes to those things that make a brand’s social channels stand out[i]. This same research also suggests that marketers tend to underestimate the importance consumers place on a brand’s recognisability[ii].
Tone of voice might be only one of a handful of things that make your brand stand out, but with an increasing need to be present across multiple platforms using a variety of different media types, it’s vital that your customers can pick you out of a crowd regardless of whether they’re reading a product description on a website, glancing up at an ad on the tube or scrolling past a twenty second TikTok.
In a world where your expensively produced logo is regularly shrunk down to a teensy 110 pixels avatar, what you say and how you say it is more important than ever when it comes to brand recognition.
In a world where your expensively produced logo is regularly shrunk down to a teensy 110 pixels avatar, what you say and how you say it is more important than ever when it comes to brand recognition.
Why You Should Develop Your Tone of Voice Today
Developing a brand tone might sound like a pain in the neck you could really do without, especially when AI’s offering to save you time and money with perfectly acceptable content that does the job in an inoffensive way. However, there are three key reasons that a consistent and unique tone of voice is important to your brand, no matter the markets you’re moving in:
Tone of voice = brand identity
From the fun and friendly voice of Innocent to the irreverent youthfulness of Netflix and the honest, cocktail hour tone of Dove, the most recognisable brands are built around a strong persona. It’s not the logos, the colour schemes or the imagery that capture the imagination and set them apart from competitors but the way these brands speak to the people who pay for their products. A strong tone of voice can set your brand’s identity in stone, giving the rest of your creative collateral a path to follow – think Netflix’s tongue-in-cheek use of internet memes and Dove’s magazine ad images of ‘real’ bodies, unaltered by Photoshop.
Tone of voice = customer connection
Marketing starts with knowing who your customer is. Once you know who’s buying your products the next step is finding a way to connect, and that’s all about voice. While a drinks brand targeting younger buyers might find a connection through informal, cheeky text written with social media in mind, the company selling a fridge-freezer to a homeowner will need to appear trustworthy and knowledgeable. The tone of voice you run with is intended to show your customer that you understand who they are and what they need.
Tone of voice = consistent communication
It’s all well and good knowing your audience, but if your branding isn’t consistent across every platform it’s all for naught. That’s why style guides are important, ensuring the whole team, in-house or outsourced, speaks with one voice. This consistency makes sure that your customer can spot your brand from a mile off and isn’t confused about who you are as a company, improving trust and creating brand loyalty.
What is Your Brand’s Tone of Voice?
What is your brand? If you had to give it a voice how would it sound? Experienced marketers typically work with four dimensions of tone of voice, as established by research conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group[iii]:
Casual v. formal
Sir and ma’am or mate and pal. How you choose to speak to your customers might depend on their age and status or on the type of product you’re offering. Knowing your audience is a must in helping you know how best to address them.
Funny v. serious
Is your brand more Alan Carr or George Alagiah? What you’re selling and who you’re selling it to might inform whether there’s room for a laugh or two.
Irreverent v. respectful
While being rude to your customers is a hard no, when it comes to certain products and certain audiences, putting that tongue into your cheek can help make content memorable. But while glib might work for some, there are certain sectors that require a more respectful tone.
Enthusiastic v. matter of fact
Should you be breathless with excitement over your product or is this serious business that requires a serious tone? Marketers know how to find the balance between keen as a bean and cold, hard facts.
How The Content Marketing Team Can Help Define Your Brand’s Voice
Most brand communication might come via a smartphone screen these days but that only makes finding a human connection more important than ever. Leaving brand comms to AI means losing the humour, heart and voice that makes your product yours and helps your brand to stand out from a crowded market.
Leaving brand comms to AI means losing the humour, heart and voice that makes your product yours
Before lifting a pen, The Content Marketing Team get to know you and we get to know your customer too, which means that your content marketing campaign is always unique. Granted, it takes a little longer than sticking a prompt into ChatGPT, but every piece of copy we produce is consistent and true to your core company values as well as being carefully crafted for great SEO, no matter the latest moves made by Google.
Our marketing experts, tech bods and copywriters treat every client as an individual, working to your existing style guide or working with you to find the tone of voice that makes your brand uniquely yours. Which means your customers will never read something that sounds like your competitors could’ve written it and that they’ll always know who you are and what you stand for, even if we wrote it on your behalf.
To discuss brand copy that helps you to stand out in a crowded field, drop us a line today.
[i] https://sproutsocial.com/insights/brand-voice/
[ii] https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/uk-ireland-social-media-trends-2022/#a-recognisable-brand-is-the-ultimate-differentiator
[iii] https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tone-of-voice-dimensions
