When we think about the word branding, the first thing that pops into our minds are the various logos and color schemes associated with different companies. There is a lot more that goes into creating a powerful brand. Finding the right tone for a brand is just as vital as a fancy logo and a cool theme. In fact, it might be more important because the voice is ultimately what communicates a brand’s values and goals. The best social media voices have it all – a powerful logo, unique goals, and a memorable tone.
Importance of Social Media Tone in Branding
Social media is where branding finds its identity in today’s world. Think about top brands for a moment. They all have such a unique voice when it comes to what they post and how they present themselves. Skittles is probably the most unorthodox of them all, yet their voice – as weird as it might be – perfectly identifies with their brand.
Social media tone affects how a business is perceived. It ultimately shapes customer interactions and forms their opinion. Some of the benefits include:
- Allows businesses to streamline reactions.
- Creates a recognizable business that stands out.
- Builds trust and loyalty.
For some reason, companies will match all of their content to their tone but then they overlook social media. That’s a big mistake since social media is probably the most important place to utilize a brand voice. The goal of social media marketing is to build relationships so becoming identifiable and memorable helps a company attract strong customers. Those customers engage in conversation, essentially spreading the message to thousands of people.
How to Find a Social Media Tone for your Brand
Sticking to a brand’s voice on social media is essential for businesses that plan on fully engaging their customers. Believe it or not, the overall concept is the same as designing the brand’s theme. Social media tone has one important job – it helps customers remember your brand. But for it to work, it must match the same theme as the rest of your branding.
Planning is important. 71% of consumers have unfollowed brands on social media because they were too embarrassed by their posts. This same source shows that 41% also unfollow brands that share irrelevant information. You can avoid these by doing the proper research or bringing in a company like Research Optimus to optimize your social media strategies.
The first step is to get everyone within the marketing department on the same page. Content creators, admins, and everyone involved in social media marketing will need to make sure they are using the same tone.
Translate Your Voice to Your Tone
This is really just a matter of properly outlining and planning around your ideas. The best social media voices have this in writing so that all of the marketing department has access to it. Social media starts to get complicated as your business grows. The only way to keep from being lost is to be authentic.
Customers love businesses that are authentic so there is absolutely no reason to not just be yourself. Here’s how to translate your voice into a brand voice:
- Define your values and write them down.
- Write a detailed customer service strategy for social media.
- Create a detailed list of social jargon.
Use Brand Transparency in Your Social Media Marketing
In today’s world, being transparent is no longer an option. Customers want to know everything about their products, as well as the company they are buying from. The best social media voices are transparent, so you should be too.
Being transparent requires careful planning and can be quite a difficult concept for older companies to grasp. Create a culture of transparency in your business. Leaders are the ones who pave the way for everyone else.
The biggest thing is that when your business makes a mistake, it should be shared openly. Have a written policy in place for sharing these mistakes. This is essential because it makes your brand come across as open and trusting.
Domino’s is a great example of this. They discovered a list of complaints from customers but rather than keeping them secret, they shared them with the public. Then they shared their plan for correcting those issues.
Examples of Great Voice and Tone in Social Media Marketing
Here are a few examples for some of the best social media voices.
- Dove is a company that sells self-care and beauty products, so they have a social media tone that encourages people. Their tone emphasizes responsibility and promotes body positivity. You can see this in the soothing tone that they use to communicate on social media.
- Calm is an app that is designed to help with mindfulness. They use posts that are equipped with soothing imagery. To fully engage with their audience, Calm posts tips on how to improve overall well-being.
- The Honest Company use a family-friendly tone to promote their family products that are free of toxins. Their target audience is concerned mothers, so they engage their audience by providing parenting tips.
Final Thoughts
In short, people are more likely to remember social media tones that match the overall brand of a business. Customers need a voice to identify with the brand logo. It helps them access the human side of your business.
More importantly, the best social media voices drive conversations. Your customers are not going to remember what you say when you meet them. They will remember how your message made them feel. Social media messages that hit on emotion will compel people to comment and share those messages.
Finally, finding the right social media tone starts with knowing who your target market is. Certain tones will resonate better with a specific audience. That makes market research valuable when it comes to creating the right tone. Research Optimus provides essential research services that will make it easier to define your target market. Don’t waste valuable time with trial and error marketing.
