How to find the right tone for your brand’s social media presence

The other day I came across a funny tweet from the CIA’s official Twitter account, which led me to a thought. What tone a brand or business should adopt on social media platforms. How should they create it?

Finding the right tone for your brand’s social media presence can be a tricky thing. In this post, we will try to discuss what exactly we mean when we use the word “tone” and how your brand can approach it.

What is tone?

In social media marketing, tone means a flavor to your brand’s voice. Tone adds a specific touch to a brand’s voice, depending upon factors like audience, situation, and channel. A brand’s tone of voice covers all of its written copy, including its website, social media messages, emails and packaging. For example, a clothing brand targeting millennial may adopt a friendly and playful tone for their social media posts.

Why is tone important?

Setting up a tone is very important for a brand, as it tells a particular story about the people behind the brand. A brand’s tone on social profiles gives people an idea of the brand’s personality. Nando’s are quite famous for their witty and cheeky tone in their advertisements and billboards. Using a particular tone for your brand’s social media presence sets you apart from the rest.

Using a specific tone will help you build a strong relationship with your customers. It also helps you build trust. As familiarity and trust have a strong link, therefore keeping your brand’s t0ne consistent will help your customer recognize it, which can later on be used to persuade and influence them.

How to find the right tone for your brand’s social media presence?

One best practice is to write down your brand’s values into few words. These words could be adjectives like intelligent, witty, frank, friendly, and professional. For example, if we see Apple, we may come up with words like Innovative, Inspire and Dream. If we try to apply it on Nando’s we may get words like cheeky, fun, and entertaining.

Another important thing to check is your target audience. Your target audience will help you decide your brand’s tone on the social media platforms. For example, how a digital marketing agency may want to appear in front of its target audience. Their target audience may include brands like Nike, Citroen, and Coca-Cola. If you are confused, then have a look at the tone Havas Worldwide’s has applied to its social media presence.

Once you are done with your brand’s voice and tone on social media platforms, check it against these points.

• Your tone is authentic, not commanding and enforcing.
• Your brand’s tone offers consistency throughout your social media platforms.
• Avoid humor, sarcasm and funny tones if you are not up to it. It is embarrassing for everyone when they fall flat.

Wrap Up

To sum things up, always remember business and context. Your tone should be light and easy for people. If you manage to keep it simple and clear, we hope your brand will perform great on social media platforms.