{"id":15520,"date":"2020-07-31T09:50:06","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T09:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=15520"},"modified":"2023-11-27T11:12:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T11:12:13","slug":"its-time-to-review-your-tone-of-voice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/its-time-to-review-your-tone-of-voice","title":{"rendered":"It’s Time To Review Your Tone Of Voice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Having worked in publishing, community management and social media and now specialising in communications, I\u2019m well versed in nailing the correct tone voice to convey your message to your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past few months during COVID and BLM situations, there have been repeated articles that a brand\u2019s tone of voice has to include empathy. But tone of voice is so much more than just being empathetic. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Without being genuine, human and authentic, a brand\u2019s so called empathetic messages can come across as cold, unfeeling and false. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s compare two engagement responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first is by Honda<\/a> in response to a user about its position on Diversity and Inclusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response was personalised by the engagement team to some degree, rather than just saying hey read our statement. Honda certainly looks as though it is taking the diversity initiative seriously, by holding itself accountable and saying exactly what actions it is going to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, here\u2019s a brand response from Toyota<\/a> that answers the user question about an individual, however the use of the corporate language makes you feel that the legal or corporate comms team wrote this without it being personalised or adapted for social platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of tone of voice beyond being empathetic was reinforced when a Twitter survey found that just 7 per cent of 1,000 UK Twitter users want brands to return to their normal tone of voice, as published in Campaign<\/a> recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During March at the height of the global pandemic, customers wanted informative content and engagement from its brand, whereas in June it is more about being caring and supportive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research demonstrates that brands have to be able to adapt their tone of voice to take into account cultural trends and situations, and not blindly carrying on with pushing its own agenda. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A brand\u2019s tone of voice typically has four or five characteristics to it, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have to include all characteristics when responding. For certain campaigns, or specific situations, it is about being able to change the emphasis to ensure it answers the user\u2019s queries in the most effective and appropriate way. Engagement specialists, who reply on behalf of brands, must be able to tell the brand story using the correct brand values in a personalised, genuine and human way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some tips to help your engagement team hit the right balance with its tone of voice<\/h4>\n\n\n\n