In order to make meaningful connections, it’s important a brand’s voice is heard.  

The quickest and most impactful way to stand out from the crowd in a busy marketplace is by cultivating a unique tone of voice – something which immediately makes your business or product identifiable. Whilst it may not initially seem like a vital component of brand identity, tone of voice establishes a strong image which highlights who the business is, what it stands for and how to communicate with its audience.  

Creating impactful content isn’t just about what you say, it is always about how you say it.  

Whether you’re writing an internal newsletter or a social media post, developing a consistent tone of voice should always be at the forefront of all communication strategies.  

In this blog, we’ll explore everything there is to know about tone of voice and how to get it right. 

 Why is tone of voice important?  

Tone of voice defines how a brand communicates with its audience as well as influencing how its message is interpreted. A strong tone of voice can help to demonstrate company goals, personality, values and areas of expertise while helping you to connect with your audience.  

The tone a business chooses helps to convey an attitude, mood, intention and emotion, often influencing how the information is interpreted by the audience.  

 The organisation  

When formulating a tone of voice, it is important to remember the organisation you are writing for and the industry they are representing. Think about the topic you’re discussing and how your client would like to be perceived by its customers and potentially its competitors.  

A great example of a light-hearted brand tone of voice is Innocent Drinks. The business keeps its voice light, humorous and creative which helps to support the product it is selling. This tone of voice choice connects the product with an appropriate identity.  

Tone of voice is a great way for a business to build trust, credibility and a strong rapport with its audience. Finding the right approach for the business you’re writing for can help it to stand out from its competitors and create a strong sense of identity.  

While focusing on the organisation as a whole, it is also important to acknowledge the personality of your spokesperson. It’s worth understanding the language they naturally use, how they want to be positioned within PR and their professional personality.  

Building a strong and consistent tone of voice means that publications know what to expect from your client and can help to build trust with their audience. Creating a strong identity for your client doesn’t only help to convey the brand’s values and personality, it also helps to influence perception. 

 Tone of voice: types 

From humorous to professional, selecting the right tone of voice is crucial to strong communication with the audience of a business. 

Focusing on the service or product on offer from your client is a great place to start when determining the style of voice that will match the business.  

A professional voice is a great option for a more corporate and long-standing organisation which is responsible for widely acknowledged pillars of society, such as banking. Major brands like Barclays, for example, employ a professional yet modern tone in all their comms – clearly demonstrating they are ‘Fluent in Finance.’  

A great contrast to a professional tone is the relaxed and humorous approach, which can be seen in the persona of brands like ‘Who Gives a Crap’ – it boldly embraces puns, jokes and tongue in cheek references to create a stop-and-look result.  

Apple has truly mastered its tone of voice as many think of its tech products before the fruit! Apple uses short bold statements with a casual yet serious and enthusiastic tone of voice.  

It is important to note that brands are able to use a similar tone of voice but with a different approach and different audience. For example, both Disney and Nike provide an uplifting and hopeful tone of voice, but Nike created motivational,  empowering and action-orientated messaging, like its slogan ‘Just Do It,” whereas Disney creates a magical and enchanting brand identity.   

 Some other great examples of well-known mainstream brand identities would be:  

• McDonalds  

• Google  

• Starbucks 

• IKEA  

 Audience  

It is important that the tone of voice used for your client is appropriate for its target audience, sector and brand. While it can seem like a more exciting approach to go for an upbeat and playful tone of voice, this isn’t always appropriate and if used within the wrong setting, could be detrimental to the organisation.  

While tone of voice can help to make a business, it can also break it. For example, Spotify has an edgy, casual and friendly tone of voice which suits its audience and the service it provides but this wouldn’t work for an organisation dealing with healthcare or child services, for example.  

 Authenticity  

Lastly, authenticity is key. At Eden, we always encourage our clients to be authentic in their approach and work to ensure our collaboration reflects this.  

The right tone of voice makes a business ‘human’, accessible and most importantly relatable, working to build and maintain a powerful brand personality – which leads to enquiries, sales, brand loyalty and longevity. 

A great example of a strong tone of voice locally would be DoughNotts. The local doughnut company is known for being fun, playful and informal with its brand identity, perfectly matching its sugary treats! To match the colourful and unique doughnuts it has on offer, this brand has created a relaxed and casual tone of voice which appeals to their target demographic.