Determining the right tone of voice, how do you do that?

Tone of voice meaning

What exactly does 'tone of voice' mean? Nothing is as personal as a voice. With your eyes closed you can recognise that of your best friend or that one actor. The tone of voice is the voice of your company. It is the tone with which you address your target audience. You use your tone of voice in all your communications: from branding and campaigns to video and written texts. In fact: your tone of voice is the basis for successful content creation. Does your company have a clear tone of voice? Then you will be recognisable to customers and prospects!

Three examples of tone of voice

Brands with a strong tone of voice include:

• Ikea ('Hej')
• Apple ('Think different')
• Travel company Eliza was here.

The latter always communicates from the character Eliza. As if she is an acquaintance of yours, with good hotel tips. But usually a tone of voice is more subtle. Often, you don't even notice that your favourite brand or company has thought this through. You notice more quickly if a tone of voice is not right. If your favourite shop sprinkles jargon you don't understand. Or when the staff in your local pub suddenly address you as 'you'. That does not make you feel good as a customer. So when determining your tone of voice, it is important that it matches your brand.

Determine your tone of voice

By communicating from a clear tone of voice build close customer relationships. In the tone of voice sessions At Mediatic we search for the voice of your company together. We have done this before for Netherlands Clean. 

Imagine your company as a person.

• Which personality fits?
• Who are you talking to when you write a text?
• Do you say 'you' to that, or you?

Determine tone of voice in 4 steps

First we determine your brand personality and your target group. Then we go through the wheel above. We cover four pie slices:

• Your goal.
  What do you want to achieve with your communication?
• The tone of voice
  What is the vibe that you convey?
• The use of language
  What type of language suits you?
• Your character
  Who are you and what do you want to convey?

This regularly leads to lively discussions. We will elaborate on these outcomes after the session.