If you are, then I expect snarky attitude, quick quips, and concise information. If you're talking to my grandmother, then she'll expect a softer tone, and LOTS of detail. Then she'll call. (I'll email).
What I'm getting at is the all-important question of tone of voice. Something that not too many think about, or not in so specific a way, tone of voice in your messaging is critical to the success of your marketing efforts.
Whether it's your website, your company blog, or your display ad campaign, the way you write conveys more than you might realize about your business.
You've got to consider ALL the factors when setting out to write for your company. Who is your audience? Where are they located? What's their personality and style? What are their expectations for your business or your industry?
You're not going to resonate with senior citizens in Minnesota if your content is jazzy and quick-witted and sarcastic, just like you're not going win over 20-somethings in LA with long, droning, wall-of-text traditionalism.
But wait. Your grandma is hip and with-it and loves sarcasm? Cool. (And good for her!)
That's why you need to know your audience. There's no formula for nailing down how you should talk to your people, how you should convey your business' personality. As some of my favorite tone of voice junkies recently said, "Tone of voice is a process, not a hard and fast set of rules."
Who are you? Are you the funky digital company shaking up the industry? Awesome. Use language that says that. Are you a down-home, local company serving your more-traditional community? That's wonderful - use language that says that.
Tone of voice is all about making your company sound less like a company and more like a human -- and humans have personality. Let yours shine through and reach out to your people with confidence in who you are!
No comments:
Post a Comment