Every brand looks, sounds and smells of something
Even if you get your logo done at Krapp-O-Print and your copywriting’s chugged out by Aunty Carol’s mate Sue, from the Fishmongers (you know, the one with the squinty eye and the Take That tattoos), you have a brand tone of voice.
It’s how you look, sound, feel, taste and smell to your potential and existing customers/clients/staff/investors…
Yours may be a haphazard mess of a voice, but a voice it is, all the same. However, when you purposefully work out what your tone of voice should be, well, you’re already on a different level.
I’d suggest you work it out all by yourself, but:
a) You don’t have the time
b) You can’t see your own wood for your own trees
c) I’d be shooting dollop in the foot
You talkin’ to me?
Your tone of voice needs to be rooted in who you are as a brand. It needs to express what you stand for, your personality, your take on the world. It also needs to connect with whoever you need to connect with.
Your audiences should be able to read any of your copy and get a feel for why they’d want to hand over their hard-earned cash. Or why they’d want to hang out with you.
And when they’re past the reading stage, their expectations need to be met. So if you’re ‘cheap and cheerful’, there’s no point whanging on as if you’re Dolce&Gabbana. This is about working out who you are, where you fit in and then giving you a voice that shows you off in your best possible light.
So, let’s talk about the tone of voice process
More specifically, let’s talk about the tone of voice process dollop would love to take you through.
It all kicks off with us being nosy – to the point of being obsessive.
We’ll have a good old rummage through your business – where it is now, where it’s come from and where you want it to go. There’ll be questions, oh yes, lots of questions, like:
• Who are you up against?
• What makes you different?
• Who are you trying to attract?
• What makes these people tick?
• Who’s your favourite Gladiator – Jet or Wolf?
We’ll put any existing branding, marketing and copy under the knife (don’t worry, we’ll use anaesthetic and wash our hands first).
We’ll ask to speak to your customers.
We’ll go deep into what your competitors are up to.
Then, unless you already have these things in place (and you’re 100% convinced they’re spot on), we’ll sit with you to work out your values as a business. And we’ll hunt down the special something that’ll make your customers’ toes tingle.
To workshop or not to workshop
At dollop, we’re big on getting the job done as best as it possibly can be, without fluff or faff. Our approach will all depend on time, budget and your very particular needs.
If you have to hit the launch button super-quick, we’ll work out a sprinty way to get you there. If you have the luxury of a few weeks, and have very big goals, we might get into rounds of workshopping and analysis.
Whatever’s right for you.
We won’t sell you any old guff you don’t need.
So, what is this brand tone of voice thing in practice?
Put simply, it’s a set of parameters, a framework that clearly defines the rules for writing your way. Once the detective works done, you’ll end up with a brand tone of voice guide that snuggles up nicely with your visual brand guide (we can do that for you too).
Typically, a brand tone of voice guide will include:
• A statement that neatly sums up why your business exists – what it does, who it does it for, and why you do it better.
• A snappy set of pillars or principles that underpin everything you do as a business.
• An explanation of how those principles work, so that you (or your Copywriter) can write about your brand with total confidence.
• A clear descriptor – as a paragraph, couple of sentences and a one-liner – to use anywhere in your written communications, that gets right to the bones of who you are and what you do.
• An explanation, in a sentence, of what your brand voice is.
• Tips and tricks for writing in your brand’s tone of voice. Dos and don’ts for writing headlines and longer copy – with examples.
• Any special considerations when talking to different audiences.
• Any special considerations when writing for different media.
• A messaging framework that unpacks the key things you’ll need to talk about. Example headlines and/or phrases that pick off these key messages in your tone of voice.
• A manifesto that unpacks everything you believe in, written in your new brand tone of voice.
• And, if you’re going through a brand refresh, we’ll look at old copy examples and re-write them, so you can see your new voice in action.
We might also include your vision, mission and values. We might give you a grab-bag of handy words and phrases to pepper your copy with. We might give you a boilerplate summary of who you are, or an elevator pitch to plaster across your website, socials and presentation decks. We might even give you a list of hard and fast language rules about punctuation, spelling and other nitty-gritties.
We’ll go as deep as necessary, to give you a bang-on guide that breathes life into your tone of voice. It doesn’t have to be bible-thick, but it will have just enough in there to be useful and practical.
Sign me up
Tone of voice is your compass. It’s what all the solid brands have, and what the rest don’t even know they need.
A voice that slaps your public round the chops, or a whisper that gently seduces them into a state of brand worship. Whatever you end up with, it’ll be just right for you and the future of your business.
Want one?
dollop. creativity with splattitude
