If one post sounds like a cheerful friend, the next sounds like a government notice and a reply to a customer sounds annoyed, followers stop trusting the page. Brand voice is the consistent personality of a business in words. When you manage several clients, or when another person covers for you, a written voice keeps every post and reply sounding like the same business.
Voice and tone
- Voice stays the same. A chop bar might always be warm, playful and local. A microfinance company might always be calm, clear and respectful.
- Tone adjusts to the moment while keeping the voice. The same chop bar is playful when announcing a new soup, but serious and kind when replying to a customer who got sick or when sharing condolences.
A helpful way to describe voice is with a few scales: funny or serious, casual or formal, enthusiastic or matter of fact, respectful or cheeky. Place the brand on each scale and you have a starting point.
The one page style guide
You do not need a thick brand book. One page covers most of what you need:
- Three voice words. For example: friendly, proud, practical. Add one line on what each means and what it does not mean.
- How we address people. "You", "our customers", "family"? First names in replies?
- Words to use and avoid. Product names spelled correctly, local terms the brand likes, words it never uses, such as slang that could offend.