Brand messaging & tone of voice

It’s not just what you say that matters – it’s the way you say it.

While design is the visual identity of your brand, ‘tone of voice’ is the catch-all term for your verbal identity. When your brand speaks, you should have a distinctive and instantly recognisable voice. You should come across consistently, relevantly and engagingly – with the power to build trust, and to influence and persuade.

We’ll create that beautifully crafted verbal identity for your brand. One which clearly articulates who you are, what you do, what you stand for, and why customers should choose you. Brand tone of voice is one of the most important weapons in the brand armoury, yet it’s commonly neglected. Except where we’re involved, of course.

What does brand tone of voice include?

• Key messages – what do you want to tell people, and in what order? Does this vary according to your audience? This is a critically important place to start.
• Tone of voice – how do you want to come across? Which aspects of your brand personality must be woven through everything you say?
• Style – are you comfortable with humour, or wit, or neither? How simple do you want your copy to be? How do you approach headlines?
• Language – what kind of English do you use; what are the rules you’ll consistently follow? This can have a major influence on tone.
• Vocabulary – are there any words you can create, claim, or ‘own’? For example, do you want to be associated with certain nouns or adjectives – or never ones that your competitors use?
• Medium – how should you write differently for different media; for example, print, social media, your website?
• Audiences – how will you adapt your writing style according to whether you’re talking to existing or potential customers, or employees, or partners, or the press, etc?
• Inclusivity – how do you avoid falling into the trap of inadvertently excluding people of different abilities, races, religions, genders, etc?