Tone of voice - the good, the bad and where to turn if things get ugly

Anyone who has ever had a very begrudging 'sorry' from someone who has been kicked under that table knows it's not just what you say, it's the way you say it that matters.

This is tone of voice.

The mood and emotions you convey when you speak. The words and phrases you use to show you're upbeat, friendly and confident. Or soothing, gentle and calming.

All brands have a tone of voice, intentionally or otherwise. If you have no idea what your brand's voice sounds like, it's likely to be confusing for your audience. So how do you do it well? what mistakes should you avoid?

We can't cover everything here but here's a quick rundown:

The tone of voice must be a decent fit for the brand - a surf shop could say 'hi mate' a financial adviser? unlikely. Authenticity is vital. If you sound fake you'll lose your customer's trust, and probably sound like a bit of a pillock.

Buy-in is key. Give clear guidelines to everyone who needs them and make sure people who speak, act and write on behalf of your brand know all the ins and outs. The tone of voice can't be applied willy-nilly, there's just no point. If there's a lack of understanding or enthusiasm you need to fix this. Your tone of voice document must be a fixed truth. It's not something to ignore when you fancy it.

Don't ignore your audience. How does your target audience want to be spoken to? Establishing a tone of voice isn't a vanity project. It's a business tool, it's for you and your customers. Do they love jargon because it makes them feel 'in the know'? Do they hate slang and words created post-1995?

Follow your tone of voice guide at all times. If you come across a scenario where copy would work brilliantly for your business but doesn't fit you need to decide if your rules are too restrictive and didn't account for this scenario in which case edit it. Or, if this is the exact situation you wrote your rules for - to stop you using this copy.

What to do if you're struggling with your brand's tone of voice

My preferred method is to brain dump. Ask your staff, your clients, prospective customers - I'd even ask your competitors if they'll tell you! Put it all down and then get sorting.

Asking people what they think will bring out things you don't like. Did they say you were stuffy? too casual? inconsistent? It might sting but it's useful feedback and sits in the 'to be avoided' category. Because sometimes knowing what not to sound like is extremely useful.

Next up is your 'core voice'. This is the real essence of your brand. The cornerstone of your business. Experts, cheap, premium, friendly, ethical, polished. Whatever the absolute distilled version of your business is you need to get this down. Every single message you create should hit at least one of these points. This is what you want to drum into every single person who interacts with your business.

The third bucket is 'secondary values and voice'. This is probably the hardest (sorry). You might want to be seen as encouraging or open-minded but it's not the center of what you do.

Then you as the business owner fill in any gaps in each category. Perhaps nobody said that you're a sponsor of an event or you've ensured all your venues are totally accessible. Now you can add in what's missing - with the insight that it might be an area for you to work on building awareness.

Now you can start to work out how to use these hot and not categories to create guidance. For example, if you decide you're a friendly Bristol-based business you could lean into local slang, refer to local events and landmarks, etc.

It sounds like a lot of work - and it can be - but starting with a blank piece of paper and trying to go straight in to write rules and guidance is a much more difficult task.

Plus if you really don't fancy the job - get in touch as I'd love to help you.