5 ways to increase engagement with your brand tone of voice

It’s easy to dismiss tone as an unimportant part of digital marketing, but the way you talk to clients and customers is crucial in building a relationship. Think about how you talk to people face to face; your tone and your prose could make the difference between clinching that sale and missing out on a new customer. Writing for digital platforms is no different.

1. Speak in plain English

No one wants to be made to feel stupid or incompetent. We all like to impress with our knowledge but if the end reader is unfamiliar with jargon, you could lose them. Be clear, empathetic and simple.

2. Don’t patronise people

At the same time, don’t over simplify things. It’s patronising and will make people instantly defensive.

3. Show a bit of humility

If something has gone wrong and it’s your fault, don’t be afraid to admit it. Apologise and be sincere with it. People will respect a brand more if it admits to its mistakes.

4. Be brave

Copy is an ever evolving beast, don’t be afraid to do A/B or MVT testing to hone your words. Writing is an art, so don’t shy away from making it work harder. For a creative, there is no such word as failure, it’s all learning.

5. Think about your audience

Where have they come from? What do they want? Where are they going? What do we want them to do? How do we want them to feel? What’s their level of understanding? Your customer should be at the heart of everything you do, so make sure they’re at the heart of your content and communications.

All of this sounds like common sense, but it’s easy to lose sight of these things when you have approvals, product managers and clients breathing down your neck. Once you’ve got into the habit of writing simply and naturally, producing copy to tight deadlines becomes a cinch.

So with these tools, you’ll hopefully build rapport with customers, who’ll want to return to you time and time again – just with a few well thought out words!