You know what's really going to make a difference in your SEO copywriting? Not just any old content, but the way you present it. That's right, it's all about the tone of voice.
Sure, content is important for telling your story and strategically using keywords to gain trust and loyalty from prospects. But let's be real, it's your tone of voice that truly resonates with your audience. In fact, a staggering 65% of consumers say a brand's tone of voice helps them emotionally connect with the company.
Why Is Tone of Voice so Important in Online Content?
Think of it this way: the content is the 'what,' but the tone of voice is the 'how.' In verbal speech, this is conveyed through pitch and inflection. In copywriting, you use word choice, punctuation, and font style to convey emotion and elicit a response from readers. It's crucial to understand your audience and write with a tone that they can relate to when crafting SEO copywriting.
But why is tone of voice so important in online content, you ask? Well, it shapes the overall feeling of a message and plays a major role in brand identity. Consistently written in the same tone, messages will reflect the image of your brand, making it more authentic and recognizable to consumers. A unique tone of voice also keeps your messaging from getting stale and creates an emotional connection with your audience, influencing their purchase decisions.
Bonus: a clear and consistent tone of voice sets you apart from the competition and results in higher conversion rates.
So, how do you go about nailing your tone of voice?
Tone of Voice Establishes Your Brand
First, choose from a range of personalities that align with your brand.
Every eat stale chips? They're stiff, taste like crap, and are definitely gross.
Same goes for your writing.
Tone of Voice Creates an Emotional Connection
The main objective of your copywriting: drive people to act.
Oh wow, who would have thought that the way you say things could actually affect how people feel?
And get this, their feelings are apparently 1.5 times more important than their thoughts when it comes to making a purchase.
Crazy, right? It's how they get us to buy useless stuff.
So go ahead and unleash your inner thespian and really lay it on thick with your tone of voice.
Tone Gives You A Competitive Edge
If you write with a clear tone of voice, people might actually want to stick around and read your content!
But wait, there's more! They might even click on more pages and actually convert into paying customers.
Unbelievable, I know. It's almost like putting some effort into your writing and making it unique and memorable pays off. Crazy concept.
And hey, while you're at it, why not make your messaging consistent and blow your competition out of the water? People will love your communications so much, they'll keep coming back for more.
5 Steps to Grand Slam Your Tone of Voice
1. The 4 Dimensions or Keep It Simple, Stupid
You can analyse content along these dimensions:
Humour
Formality
Respectfulness
Enthusiasm
Each dimension goes from one extreme to the next:
Formal vs. casual.
Funny vs. serious.
Respectful vs. irreverent.
Enthusiastic vs. matter-of-fact.
2. Set Your Tone Guidelines
Then, define the voice and tone guidelines for your brand. Consider your audience and the message you want to convey when determining the right tone.
Syntax: how you’ll develop and structure your sentences.
Grammar: use the right form of verbs, adjectives, etc.
Vocabulary: what words you will or won’t allow.
Punctuation: how many exclamation points are too many?
How I like to do it: come up with 3 words I would use to describe the business in question. I let those guide my writing style.
If determine the 3 words are "luxury, high ticket, self-care", then I'll want to deliver a respectful and formal discourse.
3. Get Your Customers To Spill The Tea
Struggling to figure out your brand's voice? Can't seem to connect with your audience? No worries, just turn to the people who engage with you the most: your customers.
They're the ones who will really know how to make your brand better. Just survey them and ask them to choose from a list of adjectives or give you open-ended feedback.
It's a great way to get valuable insight on how to tweak your tone of voice and connect with them on a deeper level.
Or you know, you could just continue to blindly guess and hope for the best.
4. Let Your Competition Do The Heavy Lifting
Who would have thought that tone of voice is all about writing in a way that's unique to your brand?
In case I'm not being clear: don't copy/paste your competition.
But hey, if you're feeling desperate for inspiration, just do a quick Google search and visit their websites to read through their content. Definitely not a waste of time.
See how they deal with:
Sentence structure.
Vocabulary.
Humor.
Metaphors.
Punctuation.
Take a look at what your competitors are doing well and make note of areas for improvement. Use this information to craft a tone of voice that truly works for your brand and create content that resonates with your audience. With this strategy, you'll be well on your way to success.
5. Write For One Reader In Your Audience
Speaking in the "we" is for corporations. If your brand is YOU, speak is the first person or risk losing any humanity and connection with your reader. It's 2023: emotions are currency. Building a connection means building wealth.
It's super important to write in a style that's uniquely your brand, but you have to remember to keep your audience in mind. Who are you writing for?
Corporate execs looking for professional info?
Tech-savvy millennials who love GIFs?
Each audience is unique and needs a tone of voice that speaks to them.
So go ahead and stalk them a little bit (not in the maliciously, duh). Read their comments on social media or email communication, and pick up on the way they communicate. Use all of this top secret information to shape the tone of voice you use to reach them.
Let Your Tone Define Your Brand
Your tone of voice is like a window into your brand's soul. It's like a personality test for your business. The way you make your readers feel through your SEO copywriting totally defines who you are as a company and has a huge impact on your success.
So go ahead and take a long, hard look at yourself and figure out what perception you want people to have of you from your writing. Then create consistent messaging that's uniquely yours and sets you apart from all the other boring brands out there.
It'll help you build lasting relationships with your customers and drive success for your brand.
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