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Marketing Blog | Addison Clark | Richmond, VA

Brand Tone

Brand messaging has the power to create lasting connections with consumers. While brand voice is one of the most important aspects of establishing a brand identity, the brand tone is key to executing your message effectively. Unlike brand voice, which should remain constant, the brand tone can and should change. It provides the nuance necessary to appropriately communicate your brand message, in alignment with your brand voice, depending on the context. For example, the way you address a customer complaint should differ from the tone used to announce a new product or promotion.

Clearly defining and executing brand tone will help ensure an organized, consistent brand. Here are three steps you can take:

Consider the context

For what channel or purpose are you creating content? Your brand tone should be appropriate to the context in which you are interacting with your audience. For example, a social media post may take a more playful or humorous tone, while a brochure will be more direct and informative. The style of your writing can be used to influence the overall tone of a message.

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes

One of the most important tools to determine brand tone is empathy. Actively put yourself in your audience’s shoes. How would your customer feel reading your message? What other thoughts or concerns may they have running in the background? By understanding the thoughts and feelings of your customer, you can adapt your tone to meet their needs.

Say it out loud

Once you have determined the tone of your message, read your content aloud. Are there any words or sentences that simply ‘don’t work?’ Could anything be misinterpreted? It can also be helpful to consider how you would ask an employee to speak to a customer in a similar context in real life. The way you would like an employee to address a customer complaint in person can help inform the brand tone used to convey a similar message in writing.

It can be easy to gloss over brand tone when it comes to creating content. However, being intentional through your brand tone will lead to much stronger, more consistent messaging. Once you know how to communicate your message across varying contexts, it is important to make sure all employees are on the same page to deliver a consistent tone every time

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