Tone of voice is essential to brand identity - so get a copywriter involved
Virgin has been held up for many years now as a shining example of effective branding. It's certainly a very familiar look, and applied in a wide variety of industry sectors. But imagine if Virgin wrote to you like an old fashioned bank manager or talked at you like a party bore? Would it be the same brand? Of course not.
Personality is very much a part of what makes successful brands distinctive. And arguably the most effective way to express personality is through language - usually known these days as tone of voice.
When it's done well, tone of voice can really differentiate. In the recent past the likes of Orange, Innocent, Ronseal, Apple and The Economist have all made a success of their own particular tone of voice, so much so that these brands are now almost clichés (in the nicest possible sense) in marketing circles.
But when tone of voice is poorly managed it can be a real liability. People recognise good visual identities, but if they then associate these with the woodenly-worded letter, the ad full of management jargon, or the grumpy, unhelpful call centre agent - where is your brand? And if your website, ads and brochures look similar but all read as if they've come from different people, where is your brand? Consistency is as important with the words as it is with the look.
So, have we convinced you (if you needed any convincing) that visual identity and tone of voice work hand in hand, all part of the presentation of the organisation to the outside world? If so, then there's every reason when conducting an expensive branding exercise and its subsequent application, to spend some time and money on getting the tone of voice right.
Where does the ‘tone of voice’ come from?
A successful tone of voice brings to life a brand’s personality and values. So if the branding process has defined these properly, a good copywriter should be able to capture them in words. Ideally, this copywriter should be involved in the branding process from the start, to ensure the personality and values can translate into a plausible, effective tone of voice for the brand. Copywriters work with words every day, so are used to creating, or working in, different styles, for different reasons, for different audiences. They are also good at putting themselves in the readers' shoes - judging how a reader will react to the company's different communications. This way, a good copywriter will make sure the words reflect the brand personality you have worked so hard to capture visually.
With a copywriter on the team, you can also put a proposed personality and language style into ‘live’ text at the earliest development stages, making it easier for everyone involved to discuss, judge and fine-tune. In addition, experienced copywriters will be familiar with the tone of voice being used by other companies in the market, so can help ensure the team doesn't waste time developing something that's not particularly distinctive. And while all brands are different (that’s their point) we haven’t yet come across a brand whose stated aims do not include clear communication, which is the aim of any good copywriter.
And how do we use the tone of voice consistently?
Once the preferred tone of voice is agreed, the guidelines follow – just as for typography, colour, imagery, etc. But unlike design guidelines, which are generally used only by trained designers, language guidelines are for all those who are going to write or speak on behalf of the company - potentially any employee or contractor. Therefore the guidelines themselves are an exercise in clear and persuasive communication, explaining how words should be used - or not - giving relevant examples. They must be easy to use and easy to understand, or they will simply sit on a shelf gathering dust. So, again, it's important to have a copywriter look after this task.
In short, tone of voice matters. And it's not just the Apples, Oranges, Virgins and Innocents of this world that are cottoning on to that fact. If you want to bring your brand to life, it pays to talk tone of voice with a copywriter.