_Although English does not differentiate between the formal and familiar “you” forms, many other languages do, presenting marketing specialists and copywriters with sometimes difficult choices._ 




So, if one of your company’s growth strategies rests on localisation, this is something you have to [seriously consider in your corporate communication](top-4-challenges-in-your-company-s-communication-you-need-to-solve-asap).

### In this publication we will talk about:

- Implicit differences in adress accross languages
- Why knowing those is important
- How can you make your communication match your audience’s expectations


Linguistic and cultural differences between different regions are so pronounced that not being aware of them could lead your business into trouble.

“The absence of the [formal] “you” in Latvia freaks me out. Everyone uses only the [familiar] “you””. We hear a lot of such comments from our Russian-speaking clients in Latvia, our home country. 

Of course, companies are not trying to be rude, they just don’t get the essence of the polite form for the native speakers. 

So, a discussion on the use of formal and familiar forms of address in marketing and client relations goes on.

While the discussion — and the problem itself — may be hard to understand for native English speakers, it’s a real issue in Slavic and Baltic languages, as well as in some other Indo-European tongues. 

What makes it really complicated is that it’s not just about grammar, but also about the communicative traditions of different regions. In Russia, the formal “you” (вы) is considered to be the optimal choice when addressing a client, while the familiar “you” (ты) is reserved for friends and acquaintances. 

What’s more, if you want to be really polite, you have to start “Вы” with a capital letter (but, to make it even more puzzling, this is only if you are referring to a single person, not a group). 

Take the same Russian language to neighbouring Latvia, and the cultural norms miraculously transform — here, “вы” is often considered to be too formal and cold, so clients are regularly addressed informally when using online stores, social networks, corporate websites and even bank apps, which leads to some being offended, or at least surprised (“do we know each other?!”).

Across Europe, traditions vary widely, but the general rule is: the further south you go, the less formal communication is. 

* In Germany, the informal “du” is somewhat less acceptable than its analogue “tu” is in France, although 

* both of these languages privilege the formal address (sie, vous) for people one doesn’t know closely. 
 
* Italy, by contrast, is well-known for its extremely informal communication habits. There, if someone says “Ciao, bella!”, they’re not necessarily trying to pick you up: it’s common to be addressed like this in a food store. If you come from the north of Europe, blushing and embarrassment are guaranteed.

### Beware of familiarity

So, what is the takeaway for businesses from all of this? 

First, when entering a new market, do your research on communication traditions. [Hiring local professionals](https://textok.com/resources/blog-posts/brand-tone-of-voice-creation-to-outsource-or-do-it-yourself) will certainly cost you less than making mistakes. 

Second, don’t be too obsessed about making direct address to customers the central (or only) way of communicating your [brand’s tone of voice](https://textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication). 

There are many other channels through which your business can express to your audience that it is open, friendly and accessible. Take your time to explore these options of tone and style with communication professionals you trust, as you can’t rush [building your brand’s identity and character](https://textok.com/resources/blog-posts/mastering-brand-tone-of-voice-7-rules-rooted-in-experience).

large_3 reasons why you is not you_.jpg

medium_3 reasons why you is not you_.jpg

small_3 reasons why you is not you_.jpg

thumbnail_3 reasons why you is not you_.jpg

3 reasons why you is not you_.jpg

3 Reasons Why "You" Is Not the Same "You" For Everyone: takeaway for corporate communication

_A brand book is one of the first things we see when we meet a new client. It’s a guide we open with excitement and anticipation, as this is how we “meet” like-minded writers, who pass us the message — “this is how this company speaks”._  



However, in many cases, while visual brand books typically care for every tiniest detail concerning a brand’s colours, fonts and imagery, when it comes to guidelines for verbal communication, companies often rely on extremely vague statements. 

We know from experience: that isn’t merely ineffective — it is, in fact, [harmful](/blog/top-4-challenges-in-your-company-s-communication-you-need-to-solve-asap). 

### In this publication we will talk about:

- The [growing importance of great texts](/blog/on-the-end-of-text-why-text-and-textok-is-so-important-in-the-tik-tok-era)
- Why loose definitions of tone don’t work
- Why tone of voice guides can cause misunderstandings 
- How to avoid confusion in your brand style guidelines

### Text matters

When we started as copywriters, tone of voice guides (TOVs) were pretty exotic — very few companies thought they needed such a thing! If the verbal language of a brand received any attention at all, it usually amounted to just two pages in the brand book, with all the rest devoted to defining the visuals. 

These days such guidelines are much more ubiquitous, and many companies even have [sub–TOVs for each of their brands](/blog/unlocking-brand-potential-leveraging-diverse-tones-for-multiple-brands).

We applaud this development, as more and more companies realise that not only logos, fonts and colours, but the style and tone of their texts matter for the integrity of their brand. 

We appreciate this awareness about [how different a text can be in character](/blog/3-reasons-why-you-is-not-the-same-you-for-everyone-takeaway-for-corporate-communication) and what kind of impact it can have on an audience.

Yet as the ranks of tone of voice guidelines grow, their quality remains patchy. Unlike visual brand books, [tone of voice guides](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication) rarely contain specific rules — most of them use broad and abstract terminology that doesn’t provide enough guidance.

### What kind of blue?
(Or how friendly do you want your text today?)

“Emotional but factual”, “friendly and accessible”, “bold and punchy” — these are just some of the ways companies have described the desired tone of their communications that we have encountered in our practice. 

This is like stating in a visual brand book that a company’s colour is “blue”. Not very helpful, is it?

Brand books are needed to ensure coherence and continuity — every sensible designer should be able to reproduce a brand’s style after careful study, even when not previously familiar with the brand. 

That’s why instead of just “blue”, brand books define specific shades, such as “Pantone Dark Blue 00249C” or “Pantone Process Blue 0085CA”.

Companies should strive for the same level of detail in defining the rules for verbal communication. 

Yet terms we use to describe a tone or style are typically much broader and, unlike pantones, they don’t have a distinguishing code to make each unmistakable. Which makes the task of creating a truly effective tone of voice considerably harder.

### Cut through confusion

First, what exactly is the problem with describing a desired tone of voice as “approachable” or “punchy”? Well, unlike the colour “Process Blue”, “approachable tone” can mean very different things to different people. 

If the concepts used in TOV guides still leave much to the interpretation of copywriters, creative agencies, managers, salespeople, and the boss, it simply does not deliver because the point of such guidelines is to exactly avoid (even crude) differences in interpretation.

Moreover, disputable terminology creates ground for conflict — while managers criticise the text for not being in line with the company’s TOV (and their feeling may be absolutely right), a copywriter is desperately trying to make changes for the better while lacking specific feedback about the use of words, phrasing and the other parameters that make up a copywriter’s professional world. 

Both sides may refer to the same TOV guide while having a completely different end result in mind.

### Think like a copywriter

However, we have discovered how to avoid such confusion — by supplying abstract terms with lots of specific examples. They translate big concepts into specific verbal instruments and help distinguish between “too little friendliness” and “too much friendliness” and the “wrong kind of friendliness”. 

They demonstrate how verbs make the text “dynamic” or how “factual” descriptions differ from “opinions”. 

They describe the right length of sentences, the right degree of intimacy or distance, the exact manifestations of “smart” or “playful”.

While “do this” is enough for a visual guidebook, for verbal guidelines “don’t” is as important as ‘do’, so the examples need to focus on differentiating the desirable from the undesirable as clearly as possible in many instances. 

Often the right style is only seen when enough opposites and misses are provided to mark the differences.

Visual brand books speak the language of visual designers, using the building blocks they use, such as letter spacing or colour shade. 

The same has to be true for tone of voice guides — they have to work on the level of the building blocks of language. 

That is why copywriters have to be an integral part of developing a tone of voice guide. After all, leaving designers out of the process of creating a brand book would be unimaginable.

large_Brand TOV development_go specific.jpeg

medium_Brand TOV development_go specific.jpeg

small_Brand TOV development_go specific.jpeg

thumbnail_Brand TOV development_go specific.jpeg

Brand TOV development_go specific.jpeg

Brand Tone of Voice Development: go specific or go home

_Your company has developed a great [tone of voice (ToV) guide](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication). It may be coherent and detailed and really captures the spirit of your brand, but the problem is — without implementation, it will rest in peace forever._




In this publication we will talk about:
* Why the resistance to changes in communication may occur
* Ways to mitigate it while developing a style guide
* Training and workshops as part of the change management

Previously [we discussed](/blog/brand-tone-of-voice-development-go-specific-or-go-home) why guidelines for the verbal communication of a brand need to be as detailed and specific as visual brand books. Yet even the most well-defined TOVs face a challenge that visual guidebooks don’t — verbal language is simply a more abstract matter.

There’s a crucial difference between applying a colour scheme defined by a brand book and producing original written content based on TOV guidelines. A writer doesn’t have a colour-picker tool to verify if the wording they are using corresponds to that specified in the TOV.

This means that even the most detailed descriptions of the desired style and tone of communication will always leave some room for interpretation and imagination. And that, in fact, is good news because you certainly don’t want your ToV to be a creativity killer!

So how does a company facilitate creativity while also ensuring compliance? The answer lies in implementation and, more specifically — in training the employees who perform the communication.

### Change to manage

Since a judgement of what is and isn’t compliant with a defined ToV cannot be mechanical, a copywriter (by which, in this case, we mean every person who writes something on behalf of the company) and any managers who approve the texts have to literally train their ear to detect false notes. 

So what an effective training program needs to achieve is not only how to memorise the rules but also how to apply them creatively within each new context.

Another objective of employee training is to overcome the fear of change (or rather, of underperforming under new conditions) or any resistance the communicators might have. It needs to tackle their insecurity in the face of change in an emphatic manner. 

Enforcement strategies that impose the guidance from above prove to be ineffective. After all, a tone of voice guide is just a document — it needs active collaboration from actual communicators to work. That is why a training programme needs to be part of a broader change management plan.

### We shall overcome
(and we talk from our experience)

The training programmes need to be both practical and creative because this is the nature of text production itself. Sometimes teaching involves a lot of joint effort and teamwork. Sometimes we go for individual coaching sessions. At other times, we combine both. 

Sometimes one session is enough, while often there is a need for one or two follow-up sessions. We have also applied psychotherapy-inspired methods with great success when there is insecurity, resistance and inertia to overcome.

Every time, a training programme should be based on the very specific characteristics of the ToV guidelines, the team, the audience and the brand itself.

You will know you fulfilled your role when not only do the employees and the core communicators have learnt to implement the tone of voice guidelines independently but they are also able to teach their skills to each incoming team member and thus keep the brand’s communication coherent amid staff turnover. 

The successful implementation allows a [brand tone of voice guide](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/mastering-brand-tone-of-voice-7-rules-rooted-in-experience) to serve as a source of inspiration for employees who previously struggled to get their texts right, by providing them with the firm ground to stand on and create.

How to introduce change to your communications team

large_Tips for Communication Training_.jpg

medium_Tips for Communication Training_.jpg

small_Tips for Communication Training_.jpg

thumbnail_Tips for Communication Training_.jpg

Tips for Communication Training_.jpg

Tips for Communication Training: overcoming resistance and teaching the tone

_The words “communications audit” may sound intimidating — and, we must admit, not without reason — but it is, in fact, an invaluable investment for your business._




In this blog post, we’ll explain what a communications audit is, why it’s necessary for your business and how it’s actually performed. And to back up our advice with some practical help, we’re offering you a [detailed corporate communications audit how-to guide](/guide/communications-audit-guide) and [audit table template](/template/table-template-for-communications-audit) that you can use to conduct an audit of your company’s communications.

### Article Highlights
_(Check-ups and audits don’t have to be scary!)_

1) Wait, What Is a Communications Audit? (Taking care of your business’s health)
2) Can You Give an Example? (Namaste! We can)
3) And There’s More… (Including, but not limited to, these examples:  communication channels, inconsistencies, best practices and new goals)
4) But How Is It Done? (This part may sound a bit scary) 
5) No Need to Worry (We dispel your fears)
6) Last But Not Least… 


### Wait, What Is a Communications Audit?
A communications audit is a procedure for assessing your brand’s communications — from your online and print content to the press releases, newsletters and e-mails sent to your partners and customers. 

It can be performed internally or by an external consultant, and its main objective is to find inconsistencies in your brand communications. Eliminating these inconsistencies is crucial for maintaining a unified brand impression, which is key to a successful, ever-growing business. 

To put it simply, an audit is like a health check-up. If you want to keep your corporate communications in the best possible shape, you need to make an appointment for some extensive tests from time to time. 

And even if you don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with your business communications, a timely check-up can help you avoid many complications in the future. 

### Can You Give an Example?
Here’s a case from one team member’s experience. They were approached by a company that had built an office centre in an upscale business district, offering serviced office space for lease. 

Everything about the office centre was Class A, from its lucrative location and elegant design to the highly professional work of the service and maintenance staff. Yet the demand for the office spaces was still considerably lower than expected. 

The development company perfectly knew their product’s worth. However, they felt there was something wrong with their communications, but failed to pinpoint the issue. 

This is why the company ordered a communications audit at a consulting agency where our colleague was working at the time. 

After conducting an audit, the consultants were able to identify all the flaws in the developer’s communications and list them for the client.   
Here are some of those shortcomings:  

* Overly complicated sentences (many instances of more than two clauses in one sentence).
* Repetitiveness (e.g. the phrase “office centre” occurring up to four times in a sentence, with no attempt to use synonyms like “building”, “premises”, etc.).
* Almost no pronouns (always “NN Office Center” instead of “we”; “the future tenants of the office centre” instead of “you”, etc.). 

All in all, the tone of voice was rather cold and bureaucratic and, thus, inconsistent with the purposes of social media communication. Even though an office development is meant to sound business-like, its publications must also be readable and engaging. 

To attract new clients and partners, you must acknowledge them as an audience and reach out to them, especially on your social media channels.  

Actually, the consultants in our story could identify the main issue from the get-go. It took them just a quick scroll through the company’s Facebook page to understand what was going wrong. 

But would it be professional of them to base their evaluation on a couple of examples? No, because getting a complete picture requires a thorough approach. 

By conducting the communications audit, the consultants were able to precisely pinpoint the shortcomings of the client’s communications and provide them with clear recommendations for the future. 

### And There’s More…

As you can see from our example, ordering a communications audit from a third party is extremely helpful for business owners who outsource their copy. 

A communications audit will provide you with an unbiased evaluation of your copywriters’ work. If you have been feeling like switching to another agency for your communications, an audit will provide you with solid justifications for your decision. You will also obtain clear guidelines to pass to your content creators in the future.   

And, of course, there is more. Communications audits cover a vast range of purposes, such as…

* Identifying the most and least effective communication channels for your business. 
(_Result_: Communication becomes more cost-effective as your writing staff can now focus on the channels that attract more customers.) 

* Pinpointing nasty inconsistencies, like the wrong spelling of your own brand or capitalizing a letter you don’t need to capitalise. Is it Textok, 
TextOK or TexTok? (You guessed right, it’s Textok! )

(_Result_: Overall company image improves. Besides, eliminating minor inconsistencies is especially important if your business is hoping to bring in investors.)

* Checking if your content falls in line with good communication practices. Maybe your social media posts are way over the recommended 1-2 sentences. Maybe it’s time to remind your audience about your company’s mission, since all your recent content revolves around sales and giveaways.

(_Result_: Voicing your message more clearly improves your rapport with your existing customers and partners. It also opens up more opportunities for bringing in new customers and partners.)  

* Defining your new communication goals. If your business has been on the market for several years, you are probably looking for opportunities to grow and expand. 

You need to enter a new stage with fresh up-to-date visuals and, of course, innovative copy. And studying your previously written content is the best way to decide on the necessary changes. 

(_Result_: You now have the tools to work out the best communications strategy for a glorious future, may your business grow and expand evermore!)    

### But How Is It Done?

As you can see from the previous section, a communications audit can serve many purposes. But whatever your goal is, you will first need to…

* Identify or re-identify your target audience, your company’s vision and mission, and your business goals.  

* Decide if [your current tone of voice](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/mastering-brand-tone-of-voice-7-rules-rooted-in-experience) fits all of the above. 

* If yes, what can you improve to make your business communications even more efficient and successful? 

* If not, what steps do you need to take to achieve the consistency which will make your business communications efficient and successful?
But how exactly do you audit your communications? 

As we’ve already said, this process is similar to a health check-up. A thorough check-up involves many tests and screenings because your physician needs to have a full picture of your health. 

It’s the same for assessing your business communications. You need to look through the entire scope, page by page, post by post — and meticulously study them from all angles. 

Everything is taken into account: particular keywords and general choice of vocabulary, grammatical errors and stylistic inconsistencies, use of punctuation and pictograms (such as emojis) and much, much more… 

If your business is communicating in more than one language, in the course of an audit you need to see how consistently your content is localized. Does your international audience see the same picture as your local public, or do you need to adjust your tone of voice in other languages? 

In short, a communications audit is a complex and lengthy process. Depending on your methodology, it might also involve focus groups (how does a certain audience react to this or that piece of content? 

How does it make them feel?) and interviews. But, just like with a health check-up, it’s a necessary investment of time and effort that always pays off.  

### No Need to Worry

This may all sound rather frightening. In fact, we felt unnerved ourselves as we wrote this! But only a little bit. Because our Textok experts have already taken care of the scariest part of the job: we’ve written a [detailed manual to guide you through the audit](/guide/communications-audit-guide) process step by step. 

And to dispel the last of your fears, we’ve prepared [an audit table](/template/table-template-for-communications-audit) that you (or your consultant) can fill with notes and samples that will comprise your actual audit. 

You can fill out the table individually or as a team — our sharing tools allow this to be done completely stress-free, and all your notes are safe with us. You can also download the table for offline use. 

### Last But Not Least…

As we’ve already mentioned, assessing your (or your customer’s) communications will take some time, definitely more than a couple of days. 
So, our last recommendation is to stay focused on your initial purpose. 

A good health check is thorough, but it is still limited to a certain number of tests depending on your age, history, lifestyle, etc. Because checking _literally_ everything at once is simply impossible (and unnecessary, anyway).

The same goes for communications audits. Be thorough but stay on track! Remember what goal or goals you had in mind at the beginning of the audit.

You have the knowledge, you have the tools. You have a goal. So, have no fear and audit away! We guarantee that it will do you a world of good :) 

Corporate communications need a regular check-up, just like you

large_On the importance of checkup for_.jpg

medium_On the importance of checkup for_.jpg

small_On the importance of checkup for_.jpg

thumbnail_On the importance of checkup for_.jpg

On the importance of checkup for_.jpg

Maximizing Corporate Communication Impact: on the importance of regular communications audits

_Companies with consistent communication and branding boast higher revenues and steady growth — this should be enough reason for your company to also develop a tone of voice guide. Let’s go!_

In this publication we will talk about:

- What is a corporate “tone of voice”
- Why a company needs to develop one
- What a good tone of voice guide does
- What the stages of the brand style guide development are there
- Grab your detailed free template!
- What your company’s tone of voice guide should (and shouldn’t) include
- What challenges do tone of voice guides solve




### What is “tone of voice” 

Everybody has their own personality, as unique as their DNA. Some people talk little and are scrupulously polite. For others, every sentence is like a firework. For brands and companies, tone of voice works in the same way that personality does for people. 

So, in short, tone of voice is a personality of your brand that is expressed through the texts it produces: including ads, social media posts, e-mails and many more. 

### Why a company needs to develop a tone of voice guide

The tone of voice is an integral part of brand identity. In most cases it manifests itself visually (through logos, brand colours and fonts) and verbally — through the texts a company produces.

It includes everything from one-word texts such as product names, to large-scale web pages, brochures, or books, from mundane letters to very special investment proposals. 

The need for effective and consistent communication of a brand’s unique character and its core values in every interaction with its clients, employees, partners, and wider society — this is why companies create tone of voice guidebooks. 

### What a good tone of voice does

The tone of Voice guides, or ToVs, as they are commonly known, are designed with one main purpose in mind — to ensure that customers have great experience with a company through time, on all subjects and across all platforms. 

[Whether you outsource the development](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/brand-tone-of-voice-creation-to-outsource-or-do-it-yourself) of your brand’s tone of voice guidelines or do it yourself, remember that a well-tuned tone of voice:

• establishes the personal character of your company
• helps your company to stand out in the competition
• enhances recognisability and raises the value of your brand
• facilitates the setting and achieving of strategic goals  

### How to develop a tone of voice guide

There are many different methods out there, but our years of experience have enabled us to develop an approach that has proved to be the most efficient for our clients. 

It consists of six important stages:  

1) [Communication audit](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/maximizing-corporate-communication-impact-on-the-importance-of-regular-communications-audits) (which is a useful thing on its own!)
2) Research, which may include focus groups and polls of your customers, or analysis of the data you already have
3) Interviews with relevant executives — a “personality test” for your company’s team, bringing to light the “big idea” behind the business, mission, vision, core values, brand stories etc.
4) Preparation of a structured tone of voice guide (there’s a free template for download below — don’t miss it!)
5) Presentation and Q&A for the executive team 
6) Training sessions for communicators

### Grab your [free template download](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication)!

_We at Textok have gathered a lot of our own experience with brand communication style guide development and structured it all for you in this comprehensive detailed template. Enjoy!_ 

### What your company’s tone of voice guide should (and shouldn’t) include

To put it shortly, the guidelines should include everything you need to create a beautiful and appealing verbal identity. 

Value your own and your employees’ time, so don’t go for hefty opuses or empty marketing-speak. Go for a concentrated guidebook that will change how your company communicates.  
 
Your tone of voice guide should include:

1) 1 to 3 adjectives for the tone definition with a more detailed specification for each of them. Those few words will become your mantra when writing. 

2) Main principles of your tone of voice.

3) Description of your target audience(s), audience personas and their anticipated responses in communication.

4) Writing markers — examples of writing that will help you create texts and adjust them to different media more confidently.

5) Recommended use of words (adjectives/verbs/action-words) and rhetorical techniques for the tasks your company typically deals with.  

6) Demonstrations of variations of the tone of voice, depending on the audience, mood, goal and medium. 

7) Advice on don’ts and an outline of what constitutes fine style. 

**What challenges does a detailed tone of voice guide solve?**

The clear tone of voice guidelines solve these [main challenges in the communication](/blog/top-4-challenges-in-your-company-s-communication-you-need-to-solve-asap) of any company:

Formalising the ToV rules in the form of detailed guidelines is the best way to ensure that the most important principles are clear to everybody.

As a company’s communication serves different purposes (sales, customer support, image-building etc.) the style and tone of texts the company uses also tend to vary. 

Setting a minimum subsistence level of basic rules that need to be followed at all times helps tackle the natural human tendency to switch tones from friendly to defensive when faced with challenging situations.

If the only agreement that binds a company’s communication is in the form of mutual understanding of certain people, there is a risk of disruptions when new people are hired. It also makes integrating a new employee slower and costlier as unwritten rules are hard to convey.

Yes, it looks like a lot of information to understand, structure and put in use. That’s why Textok’s tone of voice guidelines is such a great stepping stone to have. Don’t be a stranger and start using it now!

large_TOV guide.jpg

medium_TOV guide.jpg

small_TOV guide.jpg

thumbnail_TOV guide.jpg

TOV guide.jpg

Mastering Brand Tone of Voice: 7 vital rules rooted in experience

_Development of the [tone of voice guidelines](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication) and [training your writers](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/tips-for-communication-training-overcoming-resistance-and-teaching-the-tone) to write differently from now on are two distinct but interrelated processes. Yes, change management is a part of it, so prepare to meet some resistance in the protection of the “old ways”._ 




However, even if your company has never worked on its tone of voice, you will already have one. It will develop spontaneously as your employees carry out their daily work. 

In this case, a distanced view by skilful professionals — best when it comes in the form of a [structured audit](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/maximizing-corporate-communication-impact-on-the-importance-of-regular-communications-audits) — is needed to help you elaborate a consistent tone of voice that will let you achieve your full communication potential. 

Developing your own ToV guide will bridge your deeply personal understanding of your company’s personality and its business specifics. 

To create a ToV guide you will need to gain and [use a detailed knowledge](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/brand-tone-of-voice-development-go-specific-or-go-home) of how your target audience perceives you, obtain [a fine sensibility](https://textok.com/resources/blog-posts/3-reasons-why-you-is-not-the-same-you-for-everyone-takeaway-for-corporate-communication) for the different communication styles your company uses, know-how, and, of course, good taste.  
 
Creating a tone of voice with professionals:

— allows you to discover strengths you never knew your company had
— enables you to spot and work on constraints holding you back
— gives you valuable insights you will benefit from for years to come 

It also gives you the benefit of more flexibility in your change management. Experienced consultants will build the tone of voice development process to [involve people who write texts](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/tips-for-communication-training-overcoming-resistance-and-teaching-the-tone) in your company. In this way, they will become part of the change (and maybe even its biggest advocates!).

large_Brand TOV creation_to oursource or yourself.jpeg

medium_Brand TOV creation_to oursource or yourself.jpeg

small_Brand TOV creation_to oursource or yourself.jpeg

thumbnail_Brand TOV creation_to oursource or yourself.jpeg

Brand tone of voice creation_to oursource or yourself.jpeg

Brand Tone of Voice Creation: to outsource or do it yourself?

_Writing aids — the tools you use to improve the clarity and flow of your text — have become increasingly popular. And with each passing year, they are evolving, becoming smarter and better so that our writing can become smarter and better. However.._



Read in this blog article:

- Style vs Tone of Voice
- Step up Your Name Game
- Mind Your Vocabulary
- Keep It Short or Make It Long
- Save Time and Other Resources

..however, the versatility of today’s popular writing tools is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it’s great to have an editing tool that can help, whether you’re writing a business letter, an academic paper or a newspaper article. 

On the other hand, precisely because these tools are built to improve your writing in general, they don’t take into account the specific requirements of your brand. 

In this blog we’re going to break down why the editing tools we know and love do not quite cut it when it comes to brand communication … and how Textok can save the day.

### Style vs Tone of Voice

Today’s editing tools are great for keeping your grammar and style in check. Some applications go as far as overseeing noun density (because sequences like “brand communication training program goals”, though grammatically correct, are so hard to comprehend that they require a machete to work your way through them).  

But brand communication doesn’t just need a clear and eloquent style of writing. Every brand has its own stylistic requirements that make for its unique voice in the market. 

These requirements are called the [Tone of Voice (or ToV)](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/mastering-brand-tone-of-voice-7-rules-rooted-in-experience), and they vary greatly from company to company.

### Step up Your Name Game

The most obvious example that comes to mind is the spelling of a brand’s name. All-purpose writing aids are very well trained to recognize incorrect spelling, but the thing is that a) most brand names are unique proper names (like L'Oréal, Starbucks or Textok) and b) brand-name spelling is case-sensitive, and this is a very important factor. 

Of course, you can simply add the company name (like Textok) to your dictionary. But what if you get tired at the end of your working day and inadvertently add another spelling, so now both Textok and TextOK look equally fine?  

Textok is trained to save brand names in a separate category, so it will keep only one approved version of each brand name and automatically correct all instances of misspelling.

### Mind Your Vocabulary

Many published TOV guides may include long lists of words which are irrelevant to your particular company's communication and will never be used. 

They may be derogatory (words we know shouldn't be used in brand writing) but more usually it's a case of style. In fact, what one company may veto from its vocabulary, another company may welcome in their day-to-day communication. 

For example, we’ve worked with private banking services who never refer to their clients as customers — only “clients” or “partners”. We also know that many banks avoid using the word “debtor” because it causes a negative reaction in their target audience.

Depending on the market, every brand has its own set of values and priorities which are always uniquely reflected in their wording. 

For some brands, it’s crucial to exclude gendered pronouns from their communications and their ToV guides are focused on building a completely gender-neutral environment. 

Other brands may use all types of pronouns but their vocabulary is finely tuned to the sensitivities of older 60+ generations.

Today’s writing aids are not built to customize vocabularies depending on the preferences of each brand. 

Textok helps you keep track of those “no-no” and “yes-yes” words — even if they differ across diverse campaigns under one brand. From now on, you don’t have to worry whether you or your colleagues have remembered the guidelines correctly — you can just write. 

With Textok, you don’t need to put in extra time and effort to find the exact page in the guidelines — once configured, it automatically keeps all texts in line with the desired ToV. 

### Keep It Short or Make It Long

ToV requirements are not always limited to the choice of vocabulary. They can include such parameters as sentence length — and for totally opposite reasons. 

For some clients, it’s essential that their texts are as approachable and uncomplicated as possible, so complex sentences are out of the question. 

Other clients may prefer voluminous phrases that add depth to their narrative. 

This is why Textok is trained to oversee your sentence length and level of complexity. Should you configure that copywriters need to write only in short, easily digestible sentences for your brand, Textok will warn writers if they suddenly wander off into an overly long and complex passage. 

This is a customizable feature — you can vary the desirable sentence length and complexity and, of course, you can choose not to use it at all if sentence length is irrelevant for your brand. 

### Save Time and Other Resources

Digital editing tools have been with us for two decades, helping us create cleaner, smoother and richer content. Unarguably, they’ve made writers’ and editors’ lives much easier. 

Regrettably, communication specialists, copywriters and managers still have to keep complex sets of rules in their heads — unlike grammar or style principles, brand guidelines aren’t universally known and aren’t easily googleable.  

This makes life hard for brand communication managers and copywriters alike. It is virtually impossible to keep track of all the recommendations and restrictions — and these details are what characterize a [thorough brand tone of voice guide](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication). 

Which is why copywriters keep managers busy by making the same brand-specific mistakes over and over again. 

A great deal of company-paid time is wasted searching, identifying and correcting mistakes that could have been easily avoided… if only such a special automated tool existed.  

Textok is hardwired to detect not just general grammatical and stylistic slips but has a detailed customisable tone of voice checker at its heart. 

We automate specific brand tone of voice and ethics compliance (check out our latest [gender-inclusive language guide](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/anti-sexism-tone-of-voice-manual)!) thus freeing-up valuable company resources. Not only does it help copywriters produce better quality texts, it also saves tons of time for text approval. 

You don’t have to take our word for it. **Register a free Textok account**, explore and show it to your boss and colleagues — Textok is happy to help!


Writing aids don't allow you to write your way

large_Why we invented Textok_Writing aids not enough.jpg

medium_Why we invented Textok_Writing aids not enough.jpg

small_Why we invented Textok_Writing aids not enough.jpg

thumbnail_Why we invented Textok_Writing aids not enough.jpg

Why we invented Textok_Writing aids not enough.jpg

Why We Invented Textok: exploring the need for more than writing aids

## How not to be sexist
_9 practical tips from Textok_


Feel free to _download the guide_
[Anti-sexism Tone of Voice Manual](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Textok_Anti_Sexism_Guide_76faf6f738.pdf)

_This guide was written as a practical supplement to our blog on anti-sexist copywriting._  

_Here you will find examples of phrases to be avoided in communication if you don’t want to sound sexist, and also suggestions on how to make your copy more gender-inclusive._  

Sexism often goes hand in hand with transphobia. That’s why our  guide includes recommendations for more gender-neutral communication (for English and other languages). 

Of course, every single example is backed up by an explanation because we at Textok take our words seriously.  

1. Decide whether gender is really relevant 
2. “Pink is for girls, chrome is for boys?” 
3. Make neutral pronouns your default choice 
4. For non-English writers: passive vs plural 
5. Be sensitive when asking people about their pronouns 
6. Sexist humour is never OK 
7. Be diverse with gender roles in your storytelling 
8. Use more inclusive forms of popular expressions 
9. Be clear about where you stand 

### Decide whether gender is really relevant

Although we do not argue with the reality of brand targeting, we are convinced  that attracting one particular group of customers should not be achieved by  excluding all the others.  

We think any brand will benefit significantly from inclusive copy, as this will  mean appealing to more customers.  

That’s why we recommend always asking yourself whether it is essential to  label your customer persona as “her” or “him” and whether it is really important  to use gender-specific terms instead of neutral ones.

![Aletrnatives for gender-specific terms](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_08_at_16_19_41_85bf5ad42b.png)

### “Pink is for girls, chrome is for boys?”
Of course, the requirements may vary from brand to brand. However, there is  no need to make your copy gender-specific simply because it is for a product  that is conventionally associated with just men or women.

Men deserve beauty products that take gentle care of their skin; women  deserve powerful and durable tools to fix things around the house. Viewing,  buying or liking a product should not feel like barging into the wrong public  bathroom.  

There are many ways to convey the product’s benefits without gendering your  prospective audience. Your customers’ personal qualities — like kindness,  sensitivity, bravery or endurance — have no gender. 

The same goes for their  preferences for “delicate floral fragrances” or “sturdy chrome exteriors”. It  always makes more sense to focus on the particulars — either the benefits of  your product or service or the specifics of the problem they are addressing.

![Avoid gender-specific terms](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_08_at_16_20_44_f3b87bb2c5.png)

### Make neutral pronouns your default choice

Our stand on gender is pretty simple: everyone has a right to their own gender  identity. In most cases, we imply that the same piece of copy will be read by male, female and non-binary people. That’s why we will use the neutral “they”  whenever possible.

![Say "they" instead of "he" or "she"](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_08_at_16_21_48_80702e0ab5.png)

### For non-English writers: passive vs plural 

The singular “they” has gained a truly neutral status in English, having gone  from a linguistic innovation to a scholarly standard. However, not all languages  have neutral pronouns that their users agree upon. 

So what is a writer to do  when they want to avoid gendered narrative, but there are no neutral pronouns  in their language? 

Sometimes when non-English writers aim for a gender-neutral narrative, they  use the passive voice, e.g. “accounts can be created using your email” instead  of “the client can create an account using his email”.  

We, however, would advise against this practice. In most languages, the  passive voice is a form reserved for legal and academic texts. It, therefore,  will sound out of place in your copy unless you are deliberately going for a  rigid bureaucratic tone.  

Instead, we advise using the plural form (“clients can use their emails to  create new accounts”). We know this solution isn’t perfect, as plural forms are  gendered in many languages, too. 

However, when you use the plural in your  writing (clients), the reader will probably picture a multitude of clients of all  genders, not an abstract male client, as it would be in the case of a singular  noun. 

_(If there are no neutral pronouns in your language)_
![Neutral pronoun alternatives using plural](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_08_at_16_22_52_f974459515.png)

### Be sensitive when asking people about their  pronouns

As societies and individuals across the globe are becoming more aware of  transgender and non-binary identities, the question “What are your pronouns?”  is going mainstream. 

However, asking this question directly can often do more harm than good. Not  all transgender or non-binary people are comfortable with bringing up gender  issues with a stranger, especially when the conversation is taking place in an  environment which isn’t known to be trans- and non-binary-friendly. 

However, when meeting someone, it is always a good idea to politely enquire  how your counterpart identifies. 

Instead of asking someone point-blank about  their pronouns, you can enquire in a more general manner how they would  like you to refer to them. 

This will allow your vis-a-vis to clarify their pronouns for you if they feel the need to do so.

![Anti-sexism Tone of Voice tips](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_54_36_6bf0ba4e48.png)

### Sexist humour is never OK

Paradoxically, making a joke is one of the most serious decisions in copywriting. Between individuals, humour comes naturally as a part of the conversation. The  dynamics of brand communication are very different.  

When you are a brand in a competitive environment, you are talking to a large  group of individuals who are constantly re-evaluating their relationship with  you. 

They can choose to support you, leave you for another brand or even  throw your company into the epicentre of a media storm. 

That’s why we strongly recommend against using sarcastic or downright  mean humour in your copy. Besides, when it comes to sexist jokes — they are  not funny not only because they are offensive but because they are also trite. 

“Female logic” and “man flu” — we’ve heard it so many times. “My husband’s  face when I tell him I have nothing to wear”, “my wife’s face when I say I’ll be  in my garage” — we’ve scrolled past memes like this a million times, and your  customers will most likely do the same. 

You may think we are discouraging you from using humour in your copy —  quite the opposite. But please do not insult your audience or their intelligence. 

### Be diverse with gender roles in your storytelling 

When you use storytelling in your writing, we encourage you to make your  stories more diverse by attributing activities associated with one gender to  characters of another gender. Feel free to use non-binary characters too!

![Break sexist patterns in your texts](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_54_46_beda9f4c3c.png)

### Don’t rush to invent new terms 
Stereotypes can be hard to get rid of, and many occupations historically  reserved exclusively for men or women still carry gendered names.  

However, when you want to use a gender-neutral name for occupation, we  invite you to think (or Google) before you invent a new term like “police person”.  

In most cases, you will find that a gender-neutral term has already been coined  and adopted.

![A list of alternatives for anti-sexist tone of voice](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_54_59_625c665fbe.png)

As mentioned above, politely enquiring how your counterpart identifies is  always a good idea when meeting someone.

![Anti-sexism Tone of Voice tips](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_54_36_6bf0ba4e48.png)

### Use more inclusive forms of popular expressions
When you are in the writing business, you know the importance of idioms. They help us convey feelings and ideas, add imagery to our writing and are a great way to show off your erudition.

However, as language has been with us since time immemorial, many  expressions we use also carry the stain of historical injustice.  
So whenever you are thinking of using an idiomatic expression, try to use an  inclusive form.

![Example for the Anti-sexism Tone of Voice Manual ](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_55_33_8495141c54.png)

### Be clear where you stand

Now, when a large part of the world population has accepted the sad truth of  discrimination, we are trying to right this global wrong. However, there is no  way of telling how it should be done.  

Do you use “Latinxs” or “people of Hispanic origin”? What about much-debated terms like “menstruating persons” or “people with uteruses”? On the one hand, these sound more trans-friendly than “female-bodied”; on the other hand, they reduce people’s essence to a bodily function. 

While every brand is different and so we cannot provide a recipe that works for everyone, we are sure that consistency is the key. You may run with an entirely gender-neutral or gendered approach. 

You may  embrace the recently created suffixes and terms in your language or decide  to communicate inclusivity with more conventional means. 

Whatever you choose, your aim as a brand is to retain and grow your supportive  audience. By switching between several approaches, you will alienate the  audience who supported you initially and earn even more distrust in the eyes  of those who did not like you in the first place. 

Clear communication guidelines, backed up by practical examples, will not  only save you time and effort; they will also help you keep your integrity and  build a mutually rewarding relationship with your customers and partners.

![Be specific in your inclusive communications requirements](https://content.textok.com/uploads/Screenshot_2023_06_09_at_12_55_40_bba5a67977.png)


_We hope that you found our guide useful. Textok is always happy to  be of help. Register a free Textok account to experience how we help brands  and copywriters create better content!_


Inclusive language examples and guidelines

large_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.14.png

medium_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.14.png

small_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.14.png

thumbnail_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.14.png

Gender inclusive communications guide.png

Anti-sexism Tone of Voice Manual

_Language conventions exist for a reason — without a common standard for grammar, style and punctuation, we wouldn't be able to communicate so clearly with each other. So, we're forever grateful to those trusty digital assistants which help us express our ideas in writing._ 

_But are these aids helpful in every aspect? Are they as useful to brands and companies as they are for individuals? Can they even affect our writing in a negative way? And if so, how can we change that?_




In this blog, we’re going to talk about how editing aids affect your individual style and how Textok works to take your writing to a new level.    
What other writing aids don’t do 

As [we’ve already written](https://www.textok.com/resources/blog-posts/why-we-invented-textok-exploring-the-need-for-more-than-writing-aids), writing aids are becoming smarter every year. Today they’re not only able to detect bad grammar and spelling — they also detect such errors as unclear syntax and redundancy. 

What’s more, some modern writing aids can even adjust your tone to make you sound more scholarly or business-like. 

Thanks to such features, these apps will make your writing neater, more coherent and more consistent with your purposes — whether you’re working on a business presentation, a letter, an article or an academic paper. 

What they won’t do for you is help your personal writing style to stand out from the crowd. In fact, these apps will do just the opposite! 

Because they’re focused on evening out stylistic and grammatical inconsistencies, they treat all texts the same and bring them to one single standard that is built into these apps and which guides everything they do.

### What Textok does

Textok has a completely new editing principle at its core. It’s focused on fine-tuning your writing in accordance with your chosen tone of voice (ToV) — so that you sound like no-one else (in the best way possible). 

This powerful language engine was developed specifically for brand writers and managers, as it’s essential for a brand to speak in a unique voice that will be heard and recognized by customers. 

### Consistency matters

Besides helping you write clearly and maintain your unique voice while doing so, Textok has one more objective: to make sure that your tone is consistent throughout all your brand content. 

The importance of consistency in brand communication can’t be overstated. For example, when you’re writing for a construction company which needs to sound no-nonsense and business-like (but not too uptight), it’s easy to fall into a formal detached tone from time to time. 

And vice-versa, when you're writing an annual report for a local community development project, you want to avoid a hint of commercialism in your text — because in this case, you definitely don’t want to sound like you’re trying to sell something.  

Usually, inconsistencies are monitored by managers manually — which means tons of painstakingly repetitive work. Textok is built to save that time and energy — a tone of voice, once defined, is then tracked automatically. 

### More than 80 parameters for ultra-fine tuning

So how does Textok help writers with their style, tone and consistency? It’s an AI-based software trained to analyse texts based on three main characteristics: syntax, emotionality and vocabulary. 

Yes, Textok has been taught to detect emotions in your text as you write, and can prompt a range of words and phrases to use to maintain the same emotional tone throughout your text.

But since Textok is only a helpful assistant, and you are the creator, it is wholly up to you to set the tone for your campaign or brand as a whole. 

There are more than 80 parameters (probably many more now, when you're reading it) for doing so, each clearly labelled and explained. Some of them are matched in pairs of antonyms to help you make clear decisions about your tone of voice. 

For example, you can choose between sounding formal or informal, assertive or humble, approachable or sophisticated.  

These parameters cover every possible aspect of writing, from text flow (sentence length and phrasing) to substance (choice of words, presence, absence and dosage of particular emotions).

You can set up the structure for your texts (headlines and subheadings, lists, etc.), define the appropriate number of complex words per text, make sure you always (or never) address your clients directly in the second person and much, much more! 

A brand’s unique tone results from a particular combination of these parameters — just like a person's characteristic way of speaking is not just defined by their choice of words, but also by how they approach the phrasing of a sentence and how they retain or express their emotions. 

When you finish setting up your tone of voice, you'll have a complete guide that you can easily pass on to any copywriter you choose— just as all your designers follow your brand book of visual communication. 

And you don’t have to be the one who makes sure that every completed text complies with the tone of voice — from now on, Textok will do that gatekeeping job for you. 

### Pre-tuned ToVs? Done!

Puh … don't have the time or energy to go through dozens of parameters? We get it - we've been there! For those who just want to quickly select a few settings and let Textok do the rest, there are two options: 

The first is to pick from several pre-defined tone of voice guides, ranging from a strictly formal style to a cocky, self-assured and straightforward narrative spiced with mild profanity. 

And if you want to sound soft and empathic — there’s a pre-defined tone of voice guide for that as well.

### Prefer to paint in broad strokes? We’ve got you!

The second option is to paint in broad strokes instead of manually tuning tens of parameters. Just select some general directions for your project for example, “writing in simple sentences using simple words”, and then pass the ball on to Textok, which will make all further necessary decisions regarding your project's texts.

All “broad strokes” come with an explanatory description so that you know what rules will be applied to your copy. 

Whether you prefer to go with the fine-tuning or the broad-stroke strategy, you can be sure about the result. Like a knowledgeable editor and proofreader, Textok will take care of every detail to make your text 100% consistent with the tone of voice that you’ve selected.

Register a free Textok account and see for yourself!


Tone of voice development tips and insights

large_FineTuning your TOV.jpeg

medium_FineTuning your TOV.jpeg

small_FineTuning your TOV.jpeg

thumbnail_FineTuning your TOV.jpeg

FineTuning your TOV.jpeg

Fine-tuning Your Tone of Voice: how Textok makes your brand's voice stand out

large_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.35.png

medium_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.35.png

small_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.35.png

thumbnail_Screenshot 2023-09-27 at 16.21.35.png

Tone of voice guidelines_remplate.png

An Explicit Step by Step Tone of Voice Guide for Corporate Communication