If you take a look at most successful brands, what do you notice about them? Distinctive logo, check. Unique customer experience, check. Distinctive tone of voice? Oh, what’s that then? I’ve written before about tone of voice and how important it is in building a business. Lots of companies seem happy to spend thousands on design and other marketing elements, forgetting a key element of building a successful brand, finding their voice and using it well.

John Simmons, in The Invisible Grail, talks extensively about how words play a vital role in bringing a brand alive. And some companies get it absolutely right – Innocent for example. They use fresh, natural words and straightforward language to engage the reader. Google, Virgin and Amazon have used writing to differentiate themselves from the competition, reinforce what their brand stands for and most importantly, sell more.

What will bad writing cost me?

Sometimes it’s easy to see the benefits of good writing – you change the copy on your website and you get more visitors or you sell bucket loads more of your product. Or you change some packaging copy and sales go through the roof. But it can be difficult for some people to see the benefit of changing words across a business. How can you justify spending money on writing brochures, letters or press releases?

It’s simple. You won’t be burning money. By the time you’ve designed, printed and mailed a badly worded brochure you’ve probably spent a few grand. So it lands on Mr Smith’s desk and the words are so dull and boring he falls asleep at his desk and the brochure ends up in the bin. Similar scenes follow at every company you’ve sent the brochure to. You are out of pocket because you spent money on the initial brochure and those results you hoped for will never materialise.

And then there is the customer. Every time you engage with your customers you set up their expectations. If your words aren’t in line with what the customer expects they will feel let down and go elsewhere. You have to be true to what your company is. Imagine if a global law firm suddenly starting sending out corporate brochures with the first line, ‘Yo, businesses, we like wanna look after your law stuff’. The words have to be appropriate and reflect what your customer expects.

How do we get it right?

Be honest – about what your business is and what your customers expect from you. If you use words to try and create a false image, customer will be disappointed and go elsewhere.

Try and be distinctive – differentiation isn’t about saying ‘we want to be fresh and dynamic’. Drop the clichés and get back to what really makes your business different.

Use your tone appropriately – it’s really important to use tone of voice consistently, but it can’t be so rigid that it doesn’t flex to fit the method of communication.

Know when something is written in your tone of voice – it can be hard to apply tone of voice guidelines to every single piece of written communication across a company, but what you should be able to spot is when something isn’t written the right way for your company. Have examples of good writing that staff can refer to.

Using words well creates a brand experience that customer love, and will keep coming back for. Try injecting some personality into your writing and see where it could take your business.

Want some more nuggets on tone of voice?