We often see the terms tone of voice and messaging being used interchangeably. It’s understandable why – there is some overlap between the two. They both need to reflect your brand values and the personality of your organisation. They focus on copy and language, rather than design or imagery. And they are used together in content.
Yet they are two distinct areas of brand identity, and the way you create and apply them is quite different. This short guide sets the record straight.
Why do tone of voice and messaging matter?
Every company has a tone of voice and messaging, whether you’ve thought carefully about it or not. If you don’t think yours does, it’s a sign that your brand language might be very similar to your competitors’, generic or inconsistent.
Putting structure around tone of voice and messaging is an opportunity to have some control over your audience’s perception of your company. By taking a strategic approach, you can be clearer about why your company is different and what it’s like to work with you. And you can convey these themes through everything from web content to those awkward replies to customer complaints.
What is tone of voice?
Just as a person’s tone is their way of saying something, a company’s tone of voice is the way it writes and communicates.
Humans pick up signals of a person’s true meaning by the intonation of speech. We know that someone is angry if their volume goes up, and if they sound high pitched too then they’re probably exasperated.
We also decide what a business is all about or its intentions through similar signals. Short, punchy sentences suggest they’re busy and keen to try new things. Long wordy sentences, on the other hand, tend to reflect a more traditional brand and potentially way of doing business. Overly formal language implies the business wants to create some distance with its audience.
Drawing these conclusions often happens unconsciously. That’s because tone of voice evokes something in readers. We might not think a company is old-fashioned when we read long sentences, but we feel bored and switch off. This is because the experience we have when interacting with content contributes to our perception of the brand.
Being intentional with tone of voice helps you express your business’s personality and guide the impression your audience takes away.
What is messaging?
Messaging is what your company says. It’s the points you make and the way you frame them to help them resonate with your stakeholders.
Your messaging should set out:
- Your company values
- The problems you solve
- Why customers should choose you
Having a clear framework helps you be disciplined about what you include and what you leave out. A common challenge is resisting the urge to say everything about your company and what you offer. The result is diluted messaging and unmemorable content.
Going through a messaging exercise enables you to focus on the points that really matter to your audiences and the ones you can back up with clear evidence. It sets you up to be consistent across all channels and clear about what you stand for, so your audience has fewer questions.
Showing the difference between tone of voice and messaging
Here’s an example to show what each of these elements looks like in practice. The core message stays the same, but the tone changes the personality.
Core message: It is difficult to get to the supermarket when life is busy, so deliveries over £30 are always free.
Straightforward tone: Spend over £30 and get your supermarket shop delivered for free.
Warm and friendly tone: Let’s cut you the slack you need. Spend over £30 and we’ll deliver your shopping for free.
Bold and playful tone: Permission to go on supermarket strike. Spend over £30 we’ll cover delivery.
How do you develop tone of voice and messaging guidance?
We tend to refer to two key elements: tone of voice guidelines and a messaging framework.
Tone of voice guidelines set out the key principles or personality traits you want to convey in your writing. Good guidance will link these to your business strategy, explaining why they’re important. And they should come with practical pointers, such as writing techniques and relevant before and after examples.
A messaging framework includes the core elements of your offering, service or approach, and how you’re different from others who do what you do. Ultimately, it should ladder up to an overarching statement that ties everything together. Strong frameworks include proof points to back up everything you’re saying – evidence helps audiences believe your claims.
How do elements of a brand voice strategy work together?
A brand will ideally have tone of voice guidelines and a separate messaging framework document. Keeping them distinct stops you from overwhelming people with guidance or creating word soup. Instead, they reach for the part they need for the exercise – messaging for points to make, and tone for personality.
Where it does get a little confusing is that each document should align with the other. The messaging framework should be written in the brand tone of voice, and the tone of voice should reference key messaging. The idea is to create a consistent story, whichever document you’re using.
What other elements of brand identity are there?
Style guide – this is normally part of a tone of voice document. It sets out the linguistic and punctuation rules that are vital for consistency, covering elements like the way you set bullet points, numbers, capital letters, etc.
Verbal identity – an umbrella term for all the non-visual elements of your brand. It brings together your messaging, tone of voice, word choice and narrative.
Brand narrative – acting as an extension of your messaging, a narrative creates a story for your business. Crucially, it adds an element of why you do what you do.
Positioning – this word is used in a few different ways. It usually refers to deciding where a brand should sit in the market. In copy more generally, it’s the spin you put on points or messages to create a more favourable response.
What makes tone of voice and messaging effective?
Without giving away all our secret recipes, the essential ingredient is authenticity. Everything that articulates your brand needs to feel deeply connected to your business, your ways of working and your audience.
Here are a few other pieces worth reading to sharpen your brand language:
- Here’s what should go into your tone of voice guidelines
- Flexing your tone of voice across different channels
- Getting into your audience’s mindset
If you need help finding your voice or message, get in touch with us.
