It was Albert Mehrabian who came up with the rule determining that successful communication is made up of three parts: the words you use, your tone of voice and your body language. Take into consideration the fact that your customers are unable to see your body language through their computer or mobile screen and it’s fair to say that tone of voice is the major contributor when writing content.
A tone of voice is an expression of a company’s values and way of thinking, and it’s not to be considered lightly. Just how the tone of your partner’s voice when speaking can instigate hurt feelings, or even an argument, the wrong tone of voice in your content can also put off potential customers.
It tells consumers who you are
Tone a voice gives you the opportunity to advertise your best self. If the kinds of customers you want to attract are businessmen and women, your tone might be authoritative and professional, but if you’re targeting teenagers, then it should be more light-hearted and quirky. Having that same consistent tone over time is what will help build your personal brand, and make it likeable. Just don’t lie; if you’re not a fun brand, don’t try to be. There are many types of tone of voice, choose one that reflects your genuine values.
It’s what makes you different
Communicating passionately, quietly or angrily can completely impact how people interpret you. If voice and tone was not considered, everybody’s business would seem like it was run by the same dull people. And your amazing, innovative, unique business wouldn’t be distinguishable from any other. Tone of voice can demonstrate your warmth, expertise, sense of humour, or any other attribute that you want to display to consumers, and sets you apart from your competition.
It Helps To Build trust
When customers identify a tone of voice, they’re also identifying a personality. They start to form an image of a person or company based on the tone of voice you present. By doing this, customers feel like they’re getting to know the brand or company, bringing with it a sense of trust and familiarity.
Developing a consistent tone of voice across all of your customers’ connections to your brand, including all social media channels, makes you seem genuine and your customers feel at ease. That familiarity is comforting, as they then know what to expect from you.
It can be used to influence and persuade
So, it makes good business sense to find out who you are as a company and reflect that in your tone of voice communication. Once you pinpoint your values and how you’d like to be perceived, you must make sure all your touch points refer back to these values. Some companies go as far as to create brand guidelines. These help to maintain a consistent look and sound for both consumers and employees and help take a business from being just a company to becoming a brand.
References: pixus.uk, Albert Mehrabian, University of California
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