 Careful word choice builds trust among your ideal customersOne of the companies I write for is in the process of rebranding at the moment, and part of that process involves a reworking of the tone of voice principles they apply to customer communication. It’s a large company with an international presence, so this is no small undertaking – and yet an objective observer might conclude that the tone-of-voice change they’re implementing, which involves changing just one adjective in the keywords they use to describe the kind of copy they want us to write, is minimal. An objective observer might conclude as much, but they’d be wrong. This one tiny tweak represents a seismic shift for the copy I’ll be writing. That’s how important it is to make sure you’ve got your tone of voice principles absolutely on point. Whether you’re considering a TOV re-think, starting from scratch, or worrying that you haven’t given yours enough thought, read on for some key principles that you can apply to help move you in the right direction. What's your USP?Working out what it is that your brand does better than the rest is an important way to determine your customer profile. Nike and Adidas both sell sports apparel, but their corporate approaches are subtly but significantly different, and their respective USPs support that difference. Adidas prioritises innovation and customisability in its products. It’s about looking to the future and engaging with identity, as reflected in its 2022 slogan “Impossible is nothing.” Nike focuses on the universality of athleticism: the company seeks to reframe the concept of “athlete” as something that’s available to everyone in one form or another. “If you have a body, you are an athlete,” they say, thereby establishing their USP as inclusivity, inspiration and support. This is reflected in their famous “Just do it” slogan. What three words reflect that USP?This is important and can’t be rushed. In the TOV rework I mentioned above, just one of those keywords has been tweaked, and even then the new keyword could easily function as a synonym for the old. Say you sell artisan chocolate, both online and offline. So do a lot of other companies. Your USP is that you incorporate wild, unusual colours into your child-oriented sweet treats. Your three words might be:
Another artisan chocolatier might specialise in sourcing all-local ingredients. Their three words might be:
Yet another goes for unusual flavours. Their three words might be:
…and so on. Each company has a different value proposition, a different customer appeal, and ever-so-slightly different demographics. Their copy will reflect that, and be guided by the adjectives that reflect their USP. What three words do NOT reflect that USP?This is more nuanced than coming up with negative associations. It’s a given, really, that no brand wants their USP to reflect ideas like boring, low-quality, scammy, dirty, commonplace, etc. If you have to explicitly instruct whoever’s writing your product descriptions that they shouldn’t sound dull, monotonous and untrustworthy… maybe it’s time to hire a copywriter? Just saying… No, these three words should represent a much more structured approach to tone of voice. Going back to our artisanal chocolatiers. Company #2 and Company #3 are almost polar opposites in terms of their tone of voice. Company #2 wants to evoke a sense of continuity with their place of origin, a sense of caretaking derived from a close relationship with the land. They would never use “adventurous” to describe their brand. That’s not the image they want to portray. Likewise, Company #1. They want to situate their brand as a source of childlike magic, to appeal to – presumably – parents or parent-adjacent folks looking for fun, kid-oriented treats. “Irreverent” just isn’t going to work for them, for exactly the same reason that “innocent” isn’t going to work for Company #3 – it’s much too soft and cautious for the guys who’d like to bring you the Chilli Rum Asparagus Surprise. Do your original three words still represent your USP?Tone of voice is an ever-evolving project. Companies are not static; they shift and adapt to changing economic conditions, changing competitors, changing environments, changing customer habits. And as they shift, their value propositions shift too, and the tone of voice principles that represented last year’s customer-facing profile no longer works for the image that they need to project into the future. Company #1 might be hit by a shift in advertising regulations in one of their primary markets which no longer allows them to actively target young consumers. Now they have to think about how to specifically appeal to parents (or, let’s face it, grandparents, aunts and uncles) in a way that still sounds child-focused. That will impact on tone of voice: maybe dial down “wonder” and replace with “magic” or “nostalgia.” Very similar concepts; worlds apart in how they configure the copy they produce. Perhaps Company #3 comes to realise that their focus on the exotic isn’t playing well with a push towards sustainability among their primary demographic. “Adventurous” becomes “courageous” – they’re still appealing to the kind of thought processes to which the Chilli Rum Asparagus Surprise seems reasonable, but with the added implication of heroism, which plays much better alongside an attitude of environmental concern. None of this works, of course, if it doesn’t actually reflect the company’s core values. Tone of voice and USP must have a basis in what the brand truly represents and aspires to. Company #2, for example, is going to have a hard time selling themselves as “sustainable” and “trustworthy” if they’re slapped with a massive fine for polluting a local waterway. But when USP, tone of voice, and value proposition work in harmony together, they’re a powerful force indeed.
So if you’re keen to explore how tone of voice leads to great copy, give me a shout. Because a tiny tweak can make a huge difference.
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