Free template - Brand tone

Shape your brand's tone of voice with these top tips

You've heard the old adage, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it"... Or perhaps "first impressions last a lifetime". These time-tested expressions apply to your brand.

Just like in regular relationships in life, your customers will be drawn to who they identify with and the tone they speak in. The pitch, inflection, and choice of words affect how people interact with you. As a result, it helps to ensure your company has the right voice to resonate with the right people.

Setting your tone will include words, slogans, colours, choice of images and fonts when communicating with your audience. Doing so will help with the following:

Setting and maintaining a positive first impression
Build an emotional connection
Stand out from the crowd

Examples of brand tone

The marketplace is awash with multiple companies competing for the same clientele. Therefore it is wise to offer products and services that separate you from the pack. These differences should also be reflected in your brand. This will ensure that it is unique, captures consumers' attention, speaks to their needs, and represents them in your messages.

Here are two examples on X of different approaches used by organisations selling a similar product.

The above advertisement from Adidas appears bold, assertive, and confident. It is unflinching and proud of its heritage.

Compare the above with the Old Spice advertisement. The latter is tongue-in-cheek, funny, and self-aware. You could even say it's a satire on fragrance advertising.

How to determine your brand's tone

Step 1: Identify your audience and their needs

Understanding who your audience is and what makes them tick is crucial for successful marcomms. A good starting point would be to conduct focus group exercises to establish:

Their demographics
Their challenges
Their interests
Existing companies they like
Marketing channels they use

The more you speak in a voice your audience identifies with, the more likely they are to buy and remain loyal to what you are selling.

Click here for more information on creating audience personas

Step 2: Define who you are and who you are not

Brainstorm some adjectives that best describe who you are. Think of characteristics that represent your products and how you provide services to customers.

For example, imagine you are running a soft play area for kids. You might characterise yourself as 'fun', 'adventurous', 'bubbly', and 'safe'. Likewise, you are not 'stuffy', 'serious', 'adult' or 'formal'.

Take some snippets from these example tonal words to get you started

Admirable	Cheerful	Energetic	Generous	Multi-cultured	Quirky
Amusing	Clever	Entertaining	Gentle	Nostalgic	Relaxed
Animated	Compassionate	Excited	Homely	Optimistic	Religious
Assertive	Confident	Foolish	Human	Passionate	Romantic
Approachable	Considerate	Formal	Informal	Personal	Serious
Authoritative	Corporate	Fresh	Ironic	Pious	Sexy
Athletic	Determined	Friendly	Inspirational	Playful	Silly
Caring	Direct	Fun	Kind	Powerful	Sporty
Casual	Edgy	Funny	Light-hearted	Professional	Trendy

Once you've got this sorted, write down how you would specify your brand as if it were a person. E.g

<Brand> is <tonal word>, <tonal word> and <tonal word> who is dedicated to <mission> and represents the best interests of <audience>.

Step 3: Think about multimedia usage

Should your images represent the human element? Do you want them to be photos only or are illustrations OK? What style do your videos require?

It would be wise to consult with a graphic designer to establish this to create and incorporate these findings into a style guide.

Step 4: Fill in the blanks in the template below

With the legwork out of the way, you can crack on with the easy part. Download the document below and populate the fields accordingly. Bring in colleagues across your organisation to secure their investment too. After all, your new approach will affect teams outside of marketing including sales, customer services, and even how your CEO interacts with others.

Download your free template for brand tone

Having the right brand voice makes you identifiable and recognisable to your intended audience. It helps your company to set itself apart from the competition by speaking to your audience in a unique way that resonates with them.

Like what you see?

Explore this website for examples of fabulous marcomms projects I have worked on. Get in touch for an informal chat on how we can work together. Who knows, this could lead to something special.