Wise Wednesday #50: Brand Voice & Tone Evolution

Wise Wednesday #50: The Core and The Curve: Brand Voice & Tone Evolution

This week on Wise Wednesday, we’re marking a milestone by addressing the ultimate challenge in consistent communication: Brand Voice & Tone Evolution. In a rapidly changing digital landscape, your brand needs a voice that is both consistent (recognizable everywhere) and flexible (adaptable to context, trends, and crises). Mastering this balance is the key to building lasting trust and engaging authentically across every channel.

Defining the Core: Voice vs. Tone

The distinction between Voice and Tone is the foundation of a flexible strategy. Your goal is to keep the Voice constant while allowing the Tone to shift.

• Brand Voice (The Core): This is the consistent personality and style of your brand. It's stable, unchanging, and reflects your core values—it’s who you are. For example, your brand might be defined as Friendly, Expert, and Witty. This doesn't change.

• Brand Tone (The Curve): This is the attitude or emotional inflection applied to the voice. It's variable and adapts to context, audience, and platform—it’s how you say it. For example, your friendly voice might adopt a Casual tone on TikTok, an Empathetic tone in customer service, or a Serious tone in a press release.

Step 1: Developing the Consistent Voice (The DNA) 🧬

Your core voice must be defined before you can flex the tone.

1. Define Your Archetype: Picture your brand as a person. What are their 3-5 core personality traits? For example, Patagonia is defined by being Value-Driven and Grounded; Wendy's is known for being Witty and Bold.

2. Conduct an Internal Audit: Review all existing content (website, emails, social). Determine which voice traits perform best and identify any inconsistencies across different departments (like Marketing versus Customer Service).

3. Identify Vocabulary: Create lists of words:

   • Always Use: Key industry terms and words reflecting your core mission (e.g., empowerment, sustainability).

   • Always Avoid: Jargon, competitive slurs, or words that feel generic or outdated.

Step 2: Adapting the Tone (The Flexibility) 🔄

Tone shifts allow you to "read the room" on different platforms or during different situations without betraying your core personality.

1. Create a Tone Matrix Framework: Document how your core voice should sound in common scenarios across various channels. Use clear DOs (what to do) and DON’Ts (what to avoid) for guidance.

   • Customer Complaint (DM): Use an Empathetic, Reassuring tone. The DO is: "We hear you, and we're on it. DM us your info, and we'll fix this." The DON'T is: "Sorry for the inconvenience. Our team is aware."

   • TikTok/Reels: Use a Casual, Humorous tone, leveraging trending audio and meme formats. Avoid overly formal language or corporate imagery.

   • LinkedIn Post: Use an Informative, Professional tone, using data and clear, concise summaries. Avoid excessive emojis or slang.

2. Design for the Platform:

   • Visual-First Platforms (Instagram/TikTok): The tone must be expressed through visual cues (fast cuts, trending sounds) as much as through language.

   • Text-Heavy Platforms (LinkedIn/X): The tone is conveyed primarily through word choice, sentence structure, and punctuation.

Step 3: Evolution and Governance 📓

A brand voice is a living document. It must evolve to remain relevant and requires strict governance.

1. Develop Brand Voice Guidelines: Formalize your voice and tone framework into a simple, accessible guide. This is the playbook for everyone who communicates on behalf of the brand.

2. Train and Empower Your Team: Conduct regular training sessions. The more familiar your team is with the guidelines, the more naturally they will apply the voice.

3. Audit Regularly (Quarterly): Systematically review content performance and consistency.

   • Test for Consistency: If you removed your logo, would your followers recognize the content as yours?

   • Test for Resonance: Are your posts generating the right kind of engagement (e.g., if you aim to be witty, are people commenting on the cleverness)?

4. Incorporate AI Strategically: Use AI tools to draft content, but always review the output to ensure the tone is correctly applied to your established voice. Automation should feel human, not robotic.

In Conclusion:

Consistency in voice is the anchor that keeps your brand recognizable. Flexibility in tone is the tool that allows you to connect authentically with diverse audiences across dynamic platforms. By clearly defining your core Voice and creating a strategy for adaptable Tone, you ensure your brand always sounds like itself, no matter the context or the channel.