Tone of voice in corporate communications: The right tone sets the brand
In brand communication, it’s not only what you say that counts, but how you say it. Companies that want to differentiate themselves from the competition over the long term need to craft messages that inspire trust and excitement in their target audiences.
A key component of these messages is tone of voice—the specific style of communication that determines how the brand is perceived. It’s about much more than words: it’s about the recognition, authenticity, and trust that comes from consistent and credible communication. It’s about sounding like your company.
But how can you put tone of voice into practice to convey your company’s values and identity? And what’s the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in this context?
- The building blocks of the tone of voice
- What is tone of voice?
- How to translate identity into language
- Tips for a consistent brand voice
- Examples of successful tone of voice strategies
- AI and the tone of voice
The building blocks of the tone of voice: from word choice to emotion
An effective tone of voice is made up of several elements that work together to create the brand’s voice:
- Word choice (lexis): The terms and phrases used determine the impression a brand makes. This can range from technical precision to emotional terms and colloquialisms. It also determines whether short, concise phrases or longer, more complex expressions are preferred.
- Sentence structure (syntax): Short, concise sentences come across as accessible and direct, while complex sentence structures often signal formality and seriousness.
- Tonality (emotional nuance): The emotional undertone determines whether the message comes across as friendly and approachable or factual and authoritative. This contributes significantly to how a brand is perceived on an emotional level.
What is tone of voice and why is it essential?
Tone of voice describes the tone of a company’s communication. It influences how the target audience perceives the company and contributes significantly to branding. It includes word choice, sentence structure, and the emotional nuance that resonates in every message. A humorous and relaxed tone conveys a very different brand image than a distant and formal communication.
Tone of voice creates coherence and ensures that a brand is consistent across all channels. This allows companies to build trust and develop a close relationship with their customers.
Making brand values tangible: how to translate identity into language
Brand values are at the heart of every corporate identity, and tone of voice makes those values audible and tangible in every message.
1. Clearly define your brand values
What’s your mission? What defines your brand? What values are central to your identity? These need to be articulated clearly and unambiguously so they can be translated into communications.
2. Translate brand values into language
Use your brand values as a basis for word choice and tonality. Every choice of language should reflect these values.
3. Adapt to audiences and contexts
While the tone of voice should remain consistent at its core, it must be flexible enough to adapt to different audiences and communication channels. Consistency is not stagnation.
4. Storytelling as a value communicator
Tell stories that make your brand values tangible. Tone of voice determines how these stories are told and how the audience receives them. For example, a company that has social responsibility as a core value might tell stories about its charitable projects and choose an empathetic and engaging tone.
Translate brand values into language: Deutsche Post
Deutsche Post implements its tone of voice using four values that reflect its committed, people-oriented spirit:
Practical and consistent
Deutsche Post sees itself as a facilitator and uses positive and constructive language. “Of course I’ll find out for you.” The focus is on trustworthiness—people entrust Deutsche Post with private and valuable information. The language conveys that personal data and concerns will be treated securely and confidentially. “You can trust us.” The company also comes across as confident, but not arrogant. “We can
help you; that’s what we’re here for” instead of “Trust me, I know better.”
Human and approachable
Customers are addressed personally whenever possible—by name or directly as “you”. Impersonal terms such as “people” are avoided to create a sense of intimacy. The senders of the messages are also clearly identifiable to foster a personal dialogue.
Respectful and credible
The company makes a point of taking customers and their needs seriously. The pronoun
“we” is often used: “We can solve this together.” Criticism is accepted openly and responded to with empathy. In order to convey credibility, superlatives are used sparingly and advertising statements are clearly explained without “small print”. “Our services are subject to factors beyond our control” instead of “We guarantee delivery by noon tomorrow. Fastest service, lowest prices!”
Contemporary and optimistic
To be understood by everyone, Deutsche Post uses simple and clear language without unnecessary jargon. It also avoids excessive introductions, filler words and empty phrases. Services are explained in an understandable way, without being preachy or salesy, but with clear recommendations and benefits. “Product X benefits you personally because...” instead of “Buy this! Act now!”
Tone of voice consistency: tips for a consistent brand voice
Consistency is critical to successful brand communication. Once a tone of voice is established, it must be maintained across all channels and in every message to build brand recognition and credibility.
Tips to help you stay consistent:
- Tone of voice guide
Establish clear guidelines for your tone of voice. This guide should outline how your brand speaks on different channels and what words, sentence structures, and tonalities are used. Do’s and don’ts make this particularly tangible.
- Training and workshops
Ensure that everyone involved in communications understands and can apply the tone of voice. Training helps ensure consistency.
- Regular review
Regularly check that your communications are following the established guidelines. This can be done through internal audits or external feedback loops. You may also need to establish KPIs to measure the quality and consistency of your communications.
- Digital tools
Tools such as content management systems or text analytics software can help monitor and maintain tone of voice consistency.
- Lead by example
Managers should lead by example and actively model and support the tone of voice. A strong role-model function and regular communication
of the importance of the tone of voice as part of the brand identity strengthens compliance and motivation within the company.
Examples of successful tone of voice strategies
innocent: relaxed and humorous
Innocent Drinks, the manufacturer of smoothies and juices, is known for its humorous and relaxed tone. Their language is relaxed, often playful, without losing sight of their core values of health and sustainability. They use simple, accessible language that exudes authenticity and humanity, creating a strong connection with their target audience. Their social media posts often use puns and speak directly to their followers. Product packaging also features tongue-in-cheek descriptions that make the brand feel relatable and human.
Oatly: provocative and ironic
Oatly, the Swedish oat milk company, uses a provocative and ironic tone that stands out from typical brand communication. Their style is honest, unconventional, and at times deliberately provocative to stimulate discussions about sustainability and nutrition. On the packaging, Oatly takes a “talking” approach, where the packaging “talks” directly to the customer and makes ironic comments. Their advertising campaigns often use bold and provocative statements such as “It’s like milk, but made for humans.”
AI and the tone of voice: opportunities and challenges in corporate communications
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can greatly simplify corporate communications.
AI is especially useful when it comes to processing large amounts of data, automating standard responses, or personalizing content. However, it’s wise to consider whether and how AI may simplify and streamline corporate communications.
Benefits of AI in communications | Challenges and limitations |
Increased efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks such as answering boilerplate questions, freeing the communications department to focus on more strategic tasks. | Lack of empathy: AI isn’t yet able to understand and communicate complex emotional nuances in the same way as a human. |
Personalization: AI can help create personalized content at scale, improving customer engagement. | Loss of brand personality: Overuse of AI can result in the loss of the individual, human touch of the brand voice. |
Consistent tone of voice: AI-powered writing tools can help maintain a consistent tone across messages, especially when dealing with large volumes of content. | Privacy and copyright: Privacy and intellectual property issues must always be considered. |
Availability: Provide 24/7 availability through AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. | Review the content: AI-generated content should never be trusted blindly. A review always makes sense. |
Comprehensive analytics: Optimize communication strategies through AI-based analysis of large amounts of data. |
AI is valuable for simple, recurring tasks such as answering FAQs or confirming appointments. However, in emotionally charged or creative contexts, the focus should always be on a human connection.
To ensure that the AI strikes the desired tone of voice, a number of measures are recommended:
Training the AI
An AI can learn to reproduce a company’s tone of voice if it’s trained with enough sample texts that clearly reflect the style and tone. Companies should ensure that they provide a wide range of content to train the AI in different communication contexts.
Fine-tune through parameters
Modern AI tools, such as GPT-based models, make it possible to preset certain parameters for tone and style. This allows companies to control how formal, humorous, or objective the AI content should be. These parameters help to achieve the desired emotional nuances and maintain brand identity, even in automated texts.
Continuous monitoring and adjustment
Even if an AI can do much of the work, content must regularly be reviewed by humans to ensure that it hits the intended tone and that there are no misunderstandings. Especially in emotional or critical communication situations, human fine-tuning is essential.
The challenge is to find the right balance between efficiency and authenticity without losing the human touch.
Conclusion
A strong tone of voice is essential to communicate a company’s identity clearly and consistently. It conveys brand values, builds trust with the target audience, and creates recognizability. While the use of AI brings many benefits, companies should ensure that their communications never lose their humanity and authenticity. Ultimately, tone of voice remains a key element in the long-term success of a brand.
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