Why marketers should apply tone of voice across all touchpoints

Consistency across all touchpoints in the customer journey is essential to building strong and long-lasting relationships, yet many brands are missing out on opportunities to showcase their attention to detail. 

The Nielsen Norman Group put it well ‘A product's tone of voice communicates how an organisation feels about its message. The tone of any piece of content can be analysed along 4 dimensions: humour, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm.’

From website copy and social media posts to email marketing, brochures, and online advertising, marketers know how important it is to have a consistent and appropriate tone of voice across all forms of communication. 

But what about the less prominent touchpoints? I'm referring to the 404 pages, the pop-ups and the cookie policies. While these may seem like an insignificant part of your communication strategy, they offer a fantastic opportunity for your brand to show off its unique tone of voice and attention to detail. 

What is tone of voice?

For those unfamiliar with what tone of voice is, it's the way your business speaks. Tone of voice describes how your brand communicates with its target audience and influences how your message is conveyed. It's the heart of your brand's personality, capturing its goals, values, and expertise.

Seasoned marketers will already know that a business's tone of voice is fundamental for developing a personal connection with potential consumers and keeping them engaged. It's especially important if your competitors use the same marketing channels as you, which will be the case for many brands, as it helps cut through the noise and leave a lasting impression.

Applying tone of voice across all marketing touchpoints

The strongest brands ensure their tone of voice is sprinkled across every touchpoint – even the bits frequently viewed as unimportant or obligatory. Here are some examples. 

404 error pages

It seems like standard practice for most companies to have a 404 page that blandly says, "Sorry, the page you're looking for is unavailable." While there's nothing wrong with that, it's expected, dull, and certainly doesn't give customers anything to remember you by.  

Of course, no one wants a customer to encounter a 404 page on their website, but they will from time to time, so you may as well create something slick, creative, or amusing to put them back on track. 

(Image courtesy of Screaming Frog)

Take Screaming Frog, for example, a tool that helps website owners find and fix broken links. Here, it acknowledges the irony of having a 404 page, making fun of itself. The page is also animated with moving fish and lilypads, showing a little extra thought has gone into it. 

(Image courtesy of Innocent Drinks)

Innocent Drinks is another entertaining example. Already notable for using plenty of humour in its marketing, it's no surprise that the brand continues this trend in great detail on its 404 page. Rather than a short apology message, it highlights its 'strong track record of making mistakes', even going as far as sharing an entire list of its favourite marketing blunders (click here if you fancy reading them).

Cookie notices

(Image courtesy of Maryland Cookies)

Most of us have likely grown accustomed to clicking "accept all cookies" on a website without even reading the notice. We're so used to seeing this type of banner that we often don't pay attention to them anymore; after all, it's just a bit of boring legal text. 

But it doesn't have to be. And what better place to find a creative cookie banner than on a cookie retailer's website? This example from Maryland Cookies is light-hearted and funny yet still fills its legal obligation by linking to crucial information in a user-friendly and on-brand manner. 

Pop-ups

Pop-ups are a popular marketing tool used to alert users to exciting offers, discounts, and more. While some people are sceptical of their effectiveness, it's safe to say these ads aren't disappearing anytime soon. Given that people generally dislike advertising, it's even more important for marketers to ensure the pop-ups they use contribute to a positive experience. 

(Image courtesy of Poo-Pourri)

Here, Poo-Pourri (a creatively-named bathroom spray) remains incredibly on-brand with this email subscription pop-up. Everything from the shape of it, the headline ('Join the Potty'), to the call to action is amusing, relevant and intriguing. 

(Image courtesy of Skinnydip)

Fashion brand Skinnydip's pop-up is short and sweet and clearly understands its target audience. The copy used here sounds like something two best friends might text each other. It's also assertive in answering its own question with 'of course you do', eliminating any doubts the reader might have about engaging with the call to action.

Final thoughts

We're all familiar with the phrase 'it's the little things that count'. So, while applying a consistent tone of voice to the significant marketing touchpoints like your homepage and email communications are essential, don't forget to consider the little touches. From the bottom of your packaging to the small print on your email signature, it's these that will add up and leave a lasting impression.

Looking to improve your copywriting skills to nail your tone of voice? CIM's Copywriting Masterclass course is designed for those keen on nailing their voice and being able to effectively develop, analyse, and critique copy productively. Sign up below.

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