In this fast-paced digital world, it is highly important for brands to look for innovative ways to stand out among the crowd. According to the latest research by Sweor.com, it takes just 50 milliseconds (0.5 seconds) for the users to form an impression about your brand/website. This is where every brand’s tone of voice plays a crucial role to grab the audience’s instant attention.
The ‘tone’ generally depicts how your brand communicates with the target audience and how the audience perceives the conveyed message. In simpler terms, the tone describes the actual personality of your brand. It allows your customers to capture the true emotion expressed through words – if your tone is angry, happy, sad, cautious, friendly, authoritative, conversational, formal, sarcastic, casual, and so on. The tone of your brand generally relies on your target audience, the choice of medium for communication, and the core goals of your content marketing. Let’s spare a few minutes to unlock how the ‘tone’ of the content makes a real impact on your brand identity.
The significance of ‘tone’ in content marketing
“In a sea of mediocre content, a brave tone can be a big differentiator.” – Ann Handley. According to the chief content officer, Ann Handley, the tone is a key factor in creating bigger, braver, and bolder content. She emphasizes that the end customers would experience ‘content shock’ when huge volumes of information engulf them. This condition makes it challenging for the audience to identify the accurate message. So, brands must adopt the right tone for their content marketing strategy, which would be unique enough to pass through the content clutter.
Many digital marketing experts worldwide reiterate the significance of embracing a flawless tone for your marketing message. A recent survey revealed how a brand’s tone helped in building an everlasting bond with its customers. It fosters a healthy connection with your audience; for instance, a caring tone makes them emotionally connected with your brand. Secondly, an ideal tone improves the trust of your audience. If your marketing tone reflects your brand values, it allows the customers to make an informed decision. Another highlight is that the tone of your content marketing improves your brand recognition to a large extent. Also, surprisingly, the tone would increase your business revenue in the long term. A brand would reap exceptional content marketing benefits when it follows a consistent tone across all its channels.
Determining and implementing the ‘right tone’ across industries
To begin with the process of identifying the best tone for your content, you need to ask yourself a few sensible questions.
- Who am I?
- What is the purpose of my brand message?
- Who am I communicating with?
- What’s the aim of my marketing campaign?
- How can I use my tone to achieve the desired outcome?
- Which tone would suit my brand image?
- Is my tone effective enough to convince my audience?
- What are the real benefits of my content marketing efforts?
Here are a few examples of well-known successful brands – those who went on to strike the right chord with their unique tone.
- Leading sports brand
The content of a social media poster says, “If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance. Play inside, play for the world”. Can you guess the tone of the content in this case?
Yes, it’s undoubtedly a beautiful blend of a passionate and emotional tone to stir the audience’s feelings. The globally renowned brand, Nike, is known to ace emotional marketing campaigns. The tone played a vital role in inspiring consumers and witnessed their active participation.
- Popular lifestyle brand
The brand’s tagline goes this way across all its social media channels – “Good, Clean Fun”. Can you guess the tone in this case?
Yes, it’s evidently a cheerful tone. This familiar brand, Bath and Bodyworks, always illuminates positive energy through their happy tone. Their content stands out in every of their marketing campaigns, very well supported by visually pleasing creatives.
- Global CRM software
When the marketing campaign’s content reads out, “We bring companies and customers together”, – it expresses a sense of professionalism in a corporate environment. With no further doubts, it depicts an authentic professional tone that meets the expectations of a B2B landscape.
The world-famous CRM software, Salesforce, strives to create highly impactful campaigns with purpose-driven content.
- Top telecom provider
A recent Facebook post caption says, “The Next stage of Telecom evolution is here – Virtualized Service Providers”. The message was expressed in detail in the description area. The tone is fairly simple to identify; it undeniably reflects a professional and informative tone that caters to its specific niche.
The telecom leader, CloudSmartz, takes a smart approach in implementing a definite tone for their brand. This way, they establish themselves as a thought leader in the respective domain.
Organizations today carefully analyze and adopt an ideal tone to differentiate themselves amidst this stiff competition. With the rise of infinite digital platforms and marketing channels, brands leave no stone unturned to build their identity with the help of a concrete tone. There’s a slight difference in the brand communication of B2B and B2C companies. If your brand masters the art of implementing the perfect tone, then it’s simpler to make a significant presence in the digital space.
Defining the perfect tone for your brand
A few quick tips would help in establishing the perfect tone for your brand. Get set to witness desirable results through your content marketing.
- Understand your audience
The first and foremost step is to be aware of your audience’s expectations. According to the latest report by Salesforce, 66% of consumers anticipate brands to understand them and their specific needs. When you get to know their expectations and preferences, you can adapt the tone of your content to suit those targeted buyer personas.
- Create your own brand guidelines and mission statement
It’s important to focus on your brand objectives and marketing goals, keeping the target audience in mind. What is the purpose of your brand? What can the audience expect from your brand? What core values will you share with your audience? What makes your brand unique? These are a few relevant questions to ask yourself before framing up the brand guideline document.
Next is to have a strong mission statement for your brand. This will help in building a healthy relationship with your customers. Your brand’s mission statement must be aligned with your guidelines. A solid mission statement and a guideline document would shape up your brand’s culture, thereby helping in setting up the intended tone.
- Maintain consistency across channels
It’s high time you embrace a consistent tone across your marketing channels. Each marketing platform demands a different approach when it comes to brand communication. Many successful companies make it happen easily as they resonate with their audience’s emotions.
Before putting out the content in a specific tone across your social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you need to analyze the content’s intent, your target audience group, and the essence of your marketing message. Based on the consumer journey and their online behaviour, you can go with an informative, professional, witty, casual, cheerful, conversational tone, and more. It’s all about being harmonious with your audience’s needs.
Eg: A motivational and happy tone set by MailChimp for email marketing template – “Woohoo! Finished this week’s campaign. I can enjoy the weekend now!”
- The actual implementation – now and forever
As the tone of your content represents your brand image, it’s imperative for you to implement a powerful tone that acts as an active ambassador. ‘Tone’ has a real impact on your marketing efforts as it encapsulates everything related to your brand. Maintaining an authentic and consistent tone would help capture the right audience, connect with them, and convert them into loyal customers. For better results, every company must think of the bigger picture and start implementing the right tone today. A dedicated content marketing agency will help you sail through this process easily.
Our Approach (Conclusion)
As a top content marketing agency, Vajra Global helps brands with customized content marketing services. Our highly experienced team of content experts empower your brand to connect the right audience with the right choice of words. We take up a 360-degree content approach, encompassing all the significant elements. Get set to shape up and stand apart in the market with a bold and redefined tone. If your business lacks a suitable content marketing strategy, you should connect with a personalized digital partner like us.
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