August 13, 2024
In
Copywriting Blog, Tone of Voice
Tone of Voice Copywriting: Is Emotion Your Brand’s Missing Ingredient?
WE’RE RATIONAL. RIGHT?
Consumers like to think they make rational decisions, but we’re all swayed by emotion.
• The desire to belong – social approval.
• Pride and prestige.
• The need to feel secure.
• FOMO.
Every purchase is a balance of emotion and logic. But emotion strikes first – even with high-value items such as a home.
LIGHTNING-FAST EMOTIONAL RESPONSES
Consumer behaviour expert Phillip Adcock says that for purchasing decisions:
* Emotional reactions are 3,000 times faster than rational thought.
* The emotion to reason ratio is 24:1.
How can brands inspire an instant, emotional response that is right for their customers?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE FRONT DOOR THEORY
Property developers and estate agents have known for decades that first impressions of a property are instantaneous – and crucial. Studies show that front door colour alone can dramatically affect emotional perception – even selling price. A study by Safestyle found that the top five front door colours are red, grey, black, blue and white.
We often form an instantaneous emotional attachment to a property and start to envisage ourselves living there – even when logic tells us a different home is a wiser purchase. And bad first impressions are difficult to reverse.
TONE OF VOICE IS YOUR BRAND’S FRONT DOOR
Your brand’s tone of voice is the first signal (along with your imagery and fonts) of who the brand is, adding information beyond just your products or services. The level of formality, warmth and your word choices set the tone.
Emotional motivators are psychological triggers that influence decision-making and drive action. Emotional motivators such as trust, reliability and gratitude increase conversion, boosting your brand’s growth, value and profitability.
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CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING
What even is a “blue” front door? Bold or subdued? Robin’s egg, ‘Midnight Sonata’, ‘Spirit of Neptune’, ‘Icy Dawn’, ‘Porthole’, ‘Mermaid Dreams’? Some blues convey prestige, others evoke a sense of calm.
Context is everything: the front door of a red brick townhouse in Mayfair is different from the door of a seaside cottage, a historic manor house, a Cotswold yellow stone terrace or a whitewashed holiday home in the Greek isles.
The setting and the audience affect your choice of colour (or tone of voice). A brand’s tone of voice should match the type of product or service, the price point and the target audience.
CREATE THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE
Your tone conveys a sense of atmosphere that should chime with your audience. Are they interacting with your brand when they’re in business attire – or a swimsuit and sandals? Customers feel differently about the ‘personality’ of their wealth management fund, their activewear brand and their favourite noodle restaurant.
Where is your client encountering or using your brand? On a beach, at work, at home, in public? Atmosphere can be subconscious. Estate agents are known to make coffee, pop bread in the oven or heat cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg on the hob before viewers arrive, to set the scene of a happy home complete with freshly baked goodies.
ELEVATE YOUR BRAND’S TONE OF VOICE
Boosting your brand’s immediate emotional connection is a strategic move, not a feel-good add-on.
Finding your unique – and distinctive – brand voice is an art. Work with a copywriter who blends artistic sensibility with a rigorous commercial approach.
LET'S DISCUSS YOUR TONE OF VOICE
CREATING ATMOSPHERE WITH TONE OF VOICE
How do we convey atmosphere through tone of voice? Carefully – just as too much cinnamon can be cloying, too much sugary language can cheapen your brand.
Ensure that your brand’s atmosphere matches customer expectations, whether that means a formal and trustworthy space for serious business matters, a fun vibe, the seamless and hushed service of a five-star hotel, or an effusively warm welcome with friendly chat.
ELEVATE YOUR BRAND’S TONE OF VOICE
Is your brand identity adding value for customers – and return on investment for you? If not, get in touch.
EMAIL TO DISCUSS YOUR TONE OF VOICE
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