‘Tone’ is a crucial element of any businesses’ written content. The reason for this is it helps you to build a mental connection with your target audience. You know- the very people you are looking to garner a desired response from with your content! “So what is this tone?” I hear you asking. Put simply: Tone is the feeling that your written marketing content helps to convey upon the reader. Some words and sentences are short, sharp and to the point. Then there are other language choices and forms of sentencing that enable you to say practically the same thing, but as you read the sentence, different imagery and a completely different overall feel comes with it as you read, simply by drawing the sentence out and adding more descriptors. Just take a look at these last two sentences and think of the actual subject matter within them. Is it any different? Yet look at how differently you read these sentences back! This is just a demonstrator of ‘tone’.
Tone is important because it provides a great subtle cue to your target audience as to what your business or organisation is really about- how you work, who you’re looking to work with and what sort of buying experience you provide to the customer. Go and quickly Google search a few adventure tourism companies. Pay attention to the language they use, then Google search a retirement estate or two and (nature of business aside) pay attention to how differently the web or marketing content is written. This is a great example of the author using ‘tone’ to give the reader a desired feeling (or feelings) about the product or service. After all, in many business transactions you’re not only buying a product or service, but you are purchasing an expected feeling that comes as a result of using said product or service.
If you run a party hire company, you want your target audience to feel up-beat, excited and enthusiastic about doing business with you- and this should be reflected in your marketing content- online or otherwise. If you own a formal hire company, you want your target audience to feel sophisticated, confident, relaxed- looking your best on a big occasion is something that a lot of people stress over because of their inherent insecurities, so you want to create the right ‘tone’. Make them feel that doing business with you will give them the exact opposite of these negative feelings! Give them the impression that not only will they walk out of your store looking like a star, but the whole purchasing process will make them feel like one, too.
For a great example of ‘tone’ being used in business copy, just browse through a couple of real-estate websites or brochures. Look at how even a simple inner-city apartment is described. Sometimes the language is so vivid and exaggerated as to be almost a parody- but it sure sets a mood, doesn’t it? Then turn your attention to your own product, service or organisation- ask yourself not only “What does my target market want?” but “How does my target market feel- and how do they want to feel after doing business with me?”
Although a subtle element of great written marketing content, tone is one of those small element that can make a big difference to your results when used wisely!
Tone is important because it provides a great subtle cue to your target audience as to what your business or organisation is really about- how you work, who you’re looking to work with and what sort of buying experience you provide to the customer. Go and quickly Google search a few adventure tourism companies. Pay attention to the language they use, then Google search a retirement estate or two and (nature of business aside) pay attention to how differently the web or marketing content is written. This is a great example of the author using ‘tone’ to give the reader a desired feeling (or feelings) about the product or service. After all, in many business transactions you’re not only buying a product or service, but you are purchasing an expected feeling that comes as a result of using said product or service.
If you run a party hire company, you want your target audience to feel up-beat, excited and enthusiastic about doing business with you- and this should be reflected in your marketing content- online or otherwise. If you own a formal hire company, you want your target audience to feel sophisticated, confident, relaxed- looking your best on a big occasion is something that a lot of people stress over because of their inherent insecurities, so you want to create the right ‘tone’. Make them feel that doing business with you will give them the exact opposite of these negative feelings! Give them the impression that not only will they walk out of your store looking like a star, but the whole purchasing process will make them feel like one, too.
For a great example of ‘tone’ being used in business copy, just browse through a couple of real-estate websites or brochures. Look at how even a simple inner-city apartment is described. Sometimes the language is so vivid and exaggerated as to be almost a parody- but it sure sets a mood, doesn’t it? Then turn your attention to your own product, service or organisation- ask yourself not only “What does my target market want?” but “How does my target market feel- and how do they want to feel after doing business with me?”
Although a subtle element of great written marketing content, tone is one of those small element that can make a big difference to your results when used wisely!