<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124137f495f8604cd803_651d3d5a8e014752d6689af0_64b54554baa2b7e02ba09e5f_Tone%252520of%252520Voice%252520101%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Round-up: How to Strengthen Your Brand Voice - And Common Mistakes to Avoid</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>18 August 2023</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>6 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">With <strong>over a third of consumers</strong> highlighting a business' 'distinct personality' as a key stand out feature over competitors, <strong>are you making the most out of your brand voice?</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal">In our latest workshop, 'Tone of Voice 101 - Building and Enforcing a Consistent Voice for your Brand', our experts discussed some of the <strong>practical challenges of implementing a specific brand voice</strong>, and what in-house teams need to consider before making any kind of shift, including <strong>how to frame your current brand TOV</strong> and the avenues you could explore to <strong>add real business value.</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Our experts:</strong></p> <p class="gn-reveal"> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-garry-8679b4105/" target="_blank">Ben Garry</a></strong>, SEO Lead, <strong><a href="https://www.impressiondigital.com/" target="_blank">Impression</a></strong><br> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-roe-a23a6926/" target="_blank">Dom Roe</a></strong>, Head of Planning, <strong><a href="https://www.reci.pe/" target="_blank">recipe</a></strong><br> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-bennett-3514422/" target="_blank">Mike Bennett</a></strong>, CEO / Chief Creative Officer, <strong><a href="https://www.thecltr.com/" target="_blank">TheCltr</a></strong><br> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-taylor-26184a/" target="_blank">Neil Taylor</a></strong>, Founder, <strong><a href="https://schwa.consulting/" target="_blank">Schwa</a></strong><br> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-cairns-599431189/" target="_blank">Rob Cairns</a></strong>, Content Lead, <strong><a href="https://www.presentworks.co.uk/" target="_blank">Present Works</a></strong> </p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Why brand 'Tone of Voice' matters – and its defining factors</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Brand tone of voice is the <strong>distinct personality or manner</strong> in which you convey messages to your audience through specific word choice, writing style or emotive speech.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In an era where brand reputation is more important than ever, our experts discuss <strong>the factors that make a strong TOV</strong> and the wider role this plays in your brand strategy.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You need something at the heart of your TOV to tell you exactly what it is, <strong>yet most guidelines don't</strong>. In many organisations, <strong>the people doing the writing are not professional writers</strong>, so they require practical guidelines with loads of examples, along with a 'hook' that they can remember when they're on socials or writing letters to customers and so on."<cite>Neil Taylor · Founder, Schwa</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Brand TOV can be split into two parts – the message you're trying to deliver and <strong>how you're delivering those specific messages</strong>. A lot of the tone of voice falls in the 'how we deliver' side of things, and you might start to tie in brand beliefs or values into that, considering the impact that has on consumers."<cite>Dom Roe · Head of Planning, recipe</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You must understand what your audience wants, and then you must understand what your organisation's capable of delivering. <strong>If those two things don't mesh properly</strong>, you end up with an inauthentic tone of voice. What your audience is talking about, <strong>how they're talking about it,</strong> informs your tone of voice."<cite>Mike Bennett · CEO / Chief Creative Officer, TheCltr</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Having <strong>four unique personality traits</strong> which are aligned with the business can give you a well-rounded tone of voice. For each of those personality traits or rational, we advise to write down clear examples of messaging that follows them and ones that don't at all, <strong>to identify where those boundaries lie</strong>."<cite>Rob Cairns · Content Lead, Present Works</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">⅓<em>+</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of consumers highlight a business' 'distinct personality' as a key stand out feature over competitors.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">61<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of marketers state that businesses are struggling to keep their language interesting and engaging.</span></div> </div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>The biggest challenges in building a great 'Tone of Voice'</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">With <a href="https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4094824/Brand_Voice_Comes_of_Age_OP.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>61% of marketers</strong></a> stating that businesses are struggling to keep their language interesting and engaging, we asked our Network specialists what are the challenges, <strong>or blockers,</strong> to a great 'Tone of Voice'?</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Knowing what you want to Achieve with your Tone of Voice</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"From an SEO perspective, but also within other channels, <strong>you're going to have parts of your strategy that push people one way or the other</strong> – whether this be new or returning audiences. So, there are different elements that can build up your brand voice across a website, from on-page copy, headers, imagery, to titles and descriptions that are appearing in search, all those matters. But ultimately, what you want to achieve with your tone of voice, <strong>is going to be different depending on the goal of a specific channel or part of the website</strong> <strong>you're working on</strong>."<cite>Ben Garry · SEO Lead, Impression</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Different Interpretations of the Guidelines</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Internally, if everyone has a different interpretation of the TOV guidelines, then what you put out there will be <strong>inconsistent</strong>. This can lead to a confusion from the consumers end, as they're seeing different tones across your various marketing material, which will start to blur the message you're trying to send out. <strong>Meaning your brand will begin standing for less and less</strong>."<cite>Rob Cairns · Content Lead, Present Works</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Aligning your Brand TOV with your Audiences' perception</h3> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>The biggest issue is alignment – brands often talk about themselves in a certain way yet that's not how the consumer sees it.</q><cite>Mike Bennett · CEO / Chief Creative Officer, TheCltr</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Mike</strong> highlights, "in terms of tone of voice, <strong>the biggest issue is alignment</strong>. Brands often talk about themselves in a certain way yet that's not how the consumer sees it. So, brands will go to market with a tone of voice that they think is amazing, but they haven't really done the research to understand how the consumer is going to <strong>interpret or respond to this</strong>."</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Neil Taylor, Founder of Schwa on the importance of TOV guidelines" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa124137f495f8604cd7fd_64e0bf0f0838e40e6743065c_Neil.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Neil Taylor, Founder of Schwa, speaking on the importance of clear TOV guidelines.</figcaption> </figure> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Desire to be in the Middle</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"With a lot of clients, there is a desire to be right in the middle when it comes to tone of voice guidelines – for example 'be confident, but not arrogant' or 'fun, but not funny'. Therefore, everyone portrays themselves in the same way. Instead of 'fun, but not funny', why not write 'laugh out loud, funny' and portray that every single time, this may not be right for every brand but it would <strong>make you more distinctive from a tone of voice perspective</strong>."<cite>Dom Roe · Head of Planning, recipe</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Stick to your Guidelines!</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Sometimes people have guidelines, but they have flexibility to them that lets everyone get out of jail. <strong>Your tone of voice is not meant to differ to a specific audience or channel</strong> – if you're completely mirroring your audience then you don't have a tone of voice. So, there is a question here about getting you guidelines clear, but then also being bolshie about how you stick to it."<cite>Neil Taylor · Founder, Schwa</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Key considerations before making any kind of shift in your brand voice</h2> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"The first thing to consider before making any kind of change to your brand voice, <strong>is working out if it's a tactical or strategic move</strong>. So, are you making tactical change in reaction to your <strong>competitors</strong>? Which isn't necessarily a good idea, or are you making a thoughtful, strategic change in reaction to <strong>shifts within the market or consumers</strong>?"<cite>Dom Roe · Head of Planning, recipe</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Dom</strong> also shares the Five C's for assessing and positioning your 'Tone of Voice':</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Dom's Five C's for assessing your Tone of Voice position</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Clear.</strong> Does it make sense to your audience?</li> <li><strong>Consistent.</strong> Is it consistent with your business now and where you want to be in the future? And can it be consistent across different platforms?</li> <li><strong>Credible.</strong> Is it believable in relation to who or what you are?</li> <li><strong>Compelling.</strong> Does the audience like it?</li> <li><strong>Competitive.</strong> Does it help you stand out from the competition?</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">He adds, "you can score each out of 10 to assess your current TOV position."</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Internal buy-in</h3> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"If you're pivoting, or changing your tone of voice then you've got to communicate that internally. <strong>If your business doesn't believe it, then you won't sell it to anyone else</strong>. You must get the wider business to think in the same way that your marketing team is thinking, <strong>otherwise your brand voice will start to feel inauthentic</strong> as the business go in one direction while marketing goes in another."<cite>Mike Bennett · CEO / Chief Creative Officer, TheCltr</cite></blockquote> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Taking your brand TOV to the next level</h2> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>One advertising campaign could define your tone of voice</strong>. There are multiple different platforms, such as Search Console, Google ads, various social platforms with reporting, <strong>use data from any or all of these</strong> to tell you what's resonating with your audience, and be prepared to act on it."<cite>Ben Garry · SEO Lead, Impression</cite></blockquote> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Depending on your resources, <strong>invest in visual brand development</strong> alongside your TOV, as this can fall flat on its face if it's not supported by the correct colours, illustrations, or images."<cite>Rob Cairns · Content Lead, Present Works</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>If you're investing in TOV strategy this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. The GO Network offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more.</em> <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch" target="_blank"><strong><em>Get in touch</em></strong></a> <em>to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/tone-of-voice-101-building-and-reinforcing-a-consistent-voice-for-your-brand" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Tone of Voice 101 - Building and Reinforcing a Consistent Voice for your Brand</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts cover how to assess your current TOV, avoid common pitfalls, and measure success across channels and internal roll-outs.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/standing-out-from-the-market-with-visual-branding" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Standing Out from the Market with Visual Branding</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Assess your identity&#39;s impact, build consistency across digital and offline, and avoid common mistakes when running a visual brand update pr</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/101-ways-to-get-more-from-your-ppc-strategy-in-2024" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">101 Ways to Get More from your PPC Strategy in 2024</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Avoid common PPC mistakes and unlock campaign insights that power SEO, brand awareness, and customer intelligence across your full agency of</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/tiktok-emerging-social-platforms-how-your-brand-can-get-involved" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">TikTok &amp; Emerging Social Platforms: How Your Brand Can Get Involved</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Experts from Ponderosa and Round cover paid vs. organic reach, trend-driven content, and the pitfalls to avoid when moving clients into new </span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>