The phrase ‘your website is your shop window’ once felt inspirational. But nowadays, we expect far more from digital experiences. The majority of interactions we have with brands now take place online, and not just on the website. Social media, apps, portals – they’re all different doors for us to buy more, learn more, do more.
Digital marketing used to be a thing, but now it’s the only thing. That means people are moving seamlessly between different channels, and brands need to think about these transitions to keep that experience consistent. Anything that feels too different will jar. But using the same language everywhere won’t feel right either. So, how do you get the balance?
Not just how you say it, but where
Rather than sharing the same messages everywhere, you want to be selective about what you say and where.
Creating a joined-up customer experience across digital channels takes a nuanced understanding of how users interact with content on each platform and in each format. There are some general rules, like avoiding an update about a new Head of HR on Instagram. But what needs to go where will depend on your own understanding of how people use your platforms.
Think about who is using each platform and what they want to get out of it. Do they want to be inspired, reassured or guided on what to do? Are they different demographics? Rather than sharing the same messages everywhere, you want to be selective about what you say and where. User journey mapping can be a big help. Create different typical journeys so you can see where different messages need to land to be in front of the right eyes.
Flex equals consistency
A good tone of voice can adapt to different situations. That’s vital online, where your audiences can jump from a LinkedIn post straight to a news story and then look at your About Us page in just two clicks.
Flex is the hero here, but it’s all about getting the nuance right. Rather than having another tone of voice, which will make brand identity all muddled, you can dial up and down some aspects of it. If you have a tone of voice principle that feels more ‘out there’ or anti-corporate, that’s the one you’ll want to flex. That could be as simple as using different grammar techniques. For example, if you don’t normally use contractions (it’s rather than it is), you might want to allow them on social media to avoid sounding too stiff.
Clear guidelines will show your teams what to do for each channel. Including examples of different formats is a helpful way for people to see which writing techniques they should be leaning into, and where.
Sweat the small stuff
Human brains are very sensitive to tone, so we pick up on the slightest details. If a tone of voice is consistently applied, you won’t notice it’s there – that’s one sign it’s working well.
Make sure you give micro-copy a tone of voice review. That could be instructions on your app, replies from a chat bot or button copy. Let’s imagine an app for a banking disrupter that claims to make things easy. If the buttons say “proceed”, rather than something simple like “next step” or casual like “let’s go”, it’s not going to feel straightforward.
Pay extra attention to copy like error messages, notifications and account preferences. This is where tone of voice is often overlooked.
Taking it offline
By working closely with compliance and experts in customer service, you can achieve the balance that keeps everyone (including your audiences) happy.
Most interactions with your audience will happen online, but not all. Some may still be over the phone or by letter. And even though email comms are digital, non-marketing ones can feel like letters.
The tone of voice offline will need to match up. This gets tricky when different teams look after those comms, but your brand team can get involved to polish elements and set guidelines. Get the expert on your tone of voice to review comms like call centre scripts, order updates and responses to complaints. Make this a collaborative effort. By working closely with compliance and experts in customer service, you can achieve the balance that keeps everyone (including your audiences) happy.
Spot where tone isn’t working
Getting tone of voice right takes an always-on approach. When content has been in place for a while or various team members have been adding to the mix, the tone can quickly become jumbled. With an audit across your different channels, you can see where your brand voice is, and isn’t, being consistently applied.
Speak to us about getting an expert eye on your content to find those hidden spots where the tone has slipped.
