Why you need a copywriter to give your company a unique tone of voice

This is one of those areas that really sets one company apart from another.

Many businesses have a great tone of voice and a style of copy that’s unique. Think Apple, Virgin, Innocent Drinks, Mercedes-Benz, Ben & Jerry’s, McDonalds, Nike and Tesco.

Other businesses just don’t. Think err… I can’t think of any because they aren’t memorable. But that just shows that they don’t see how important tone of voice is. 

This is when you need a freelance copywriter, and one of the key reasons why you should never write your own copy.

Tone of voice can be very hard to get right and copywriters have to work hard at it. Some words can be just right for one client but totally wrong for another.

So what is tone of voice?

It isn’t complicated.

It’s just the character of your brand expressed through the written word. It’s important because it sets out what your brand is, what you stand for, your values and how you do business.

Above all, it shows the personality of your company. Your values are what you believe in. Your personality is how you say it.

To be effective and set your company apart, your tone of voice needs to be different, recognisable and unique. And it should be consistent at all times to build trust with your customers. That’s because there’s a strong link between familiarity and trust.

We like things to be familiar and the same all the time. Then we feel comfortable with them. It’s like your best mate’s dress sense, or a girl friend’s chatty phone calls or a family member’s terrible jokes. They’re always there and they never change. So we become familiar with them and trust them.

Your company must do the same when it talks to customers.

You must be consistent in your language, your tone of voice, the writing style you use in everything - every social media post, every blog, every tweet, every ad, every leaflet, every piece of copy or content.

Then your company becomes familiar and customers feel more comfortable with you.

How to find your tone of voice

This is where a freelance copywriter can be a massive help.

Together you can talk to the key figures in your company. Find out how they see themselves, what they believe in, how they like to do business, what they’re for and what they’re against.

Then boil it all down into a few key thoughts. These can be words such as: intelligent, trustworthy, professional, fun, frank, caring, quirky, different, straightforward, witty, honest. Or, they can be phrases such as ‘try harder’, ‘think different’, ‘just do it’, ‘push yourself’,  ‘who else’ or ‘best ever’.

Try and come up with as many as possible. And then boil them down. Once you’ve nailed down some key messages which express your brand, you can start to define your tone of voice guidelines.

You’re setting out how to write for your company, the style to use, the words which capture your character – and of course, the words that don’t.

Sticking to a tone of voice

That’s easy too.

Give all your writing to an experienced UK freelance copywriter. They’ll bring your unique tone of voice to every single thing you do, right down to your cookie message on your website home page or boring T’s & C’s messages.

Some great examples of strong tone of voice 

As a tone of voice copywriter, I can help you all the way through, from finding your tone of voice to writing everything for you. To find out how a unique tone of voice can help build your business and give you a stronger identity, call 07966 196706, email jamie@worddept.com or use the Contact Form.