When you’re writing for your brand, you’re giving it a voice. It must have its own unique tone that sounds authentic and sits comfortably with your logo and business purpose.

When your brand is talking it displays its character and personality. For your customers, that will sound familiar and reassuring. For your prospects, that personality should sound appealing and carry the essence of what your product or service offers.

This is what copywriters call the brand’s tone of voice. And it’s critical that your brand consistently uses the tone that supports your brand and marketing strategy.

Is your brand playful and cheeky? Cool and self-assured? Perhaps rock-solid safe and secure? Or luxe and opulent? Your brand’s identity will determine the language and tone it speaks in, so that it is readily identifiable to your target market.

It’s up to you and your marketing team to determine your brand’s tone of voice. Once you develop style guidelines and brief your copywriter, your brand takes on an almost human form.

And as soon as it opens its mouth, it needs to sound genuine.

Here are some tips for keeping your brand’s voice on point.

Unless your brand is uptight, overly formal and a strict authoritarian, always write in plain English.
Write as if your brand was a person speaking directly to your customers. Give it an active voice and the level of familiarity consistent with its identity and the relationship.
Convey your brand’s passion, optimism, confidence or humour with emotive words.
Ensure your brand’s voice is seamless with its outfit (logo).
Keep the conversation short and sharp – don’t give your brand long unwieldy sentences to splutter through. Short sentences. With language to suit the personality.

It’s easier to say, but harder to do. Which is why it helps to have the support of a professional copywriter.

You’ve invested in your brand and you need to protect it. Make sure you give it a voice that embodies its character and the promise it conveys to your customers.

Blog written by guest | Frank Chamberlin, Director and Founder - Action Words.

Frank Chamberlin, is a member of the Marketing Faculty at Monash University as a Teaching Associate. He has been a part of Monash for many years and has been teaching in the Masters of Marketing since 1999. Frank also is the Founder and Director of Action Words a professional business writing agency who have been delivering effective writing for businesses since 1998. They have diverse experience for writing across a variety of marketing mediums and also are passionate about training marketing and communications teams on how to write for their brand.

Credit: Photo by Trent Erwin on Unsplash