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Tone of Voice on Social Media: A Guide to Getting it Right

Thursday 30th January 2025

Blog Author Beth Perrin by Beth Perrin

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The tone of voice you choose to give your brand will form a huge part of its overall identity, both online and offline. Casual, formal, funny, serious, informative or straightforward - the style of language you use throughout your social media content, ads, customer service and community interactions has the power to make your business memorable and unique, and can make it clear who your target demographic is.

In a survey conducted by digital marketing platform Adzooma, 57.5% of participants agreed that they’re more likely to buy from brands with strong personalities, while 51.2% of them said they have purchased from a company because of the way it spoke online, demonstrating how impactful your brand voice can really be.

On the other hand, employing the wrong tone of voice might deter your desired audience, make your content feel awkward and inappropriate, or even damage your reputation. Adzooma’s research found that 55.7% of people have unfollowed a brand due to the way it speaks online, which shows why it’s essential to establish a suitable tone before engaging online, and make sure everyone who interacts on behalf of your brand is on the same page.

 

Research Your Target Audience

Understanding the dynamics of your target audience will allow you to begin establishing a tone of voice that will meet their expectations and preferences.

• Start by researching your desired audience and analysing demographic data such as their age, gender, income, location, occupation and education level.

• Identify their needs and pain points- what challenges, problems or desires do they have?

• Work out where they spend their time online. This will help you choose the right social media channels to effectively reach and engage with them, and find out how they prefer to interact with each other.

Don’t forget to take a look at your competitors’ social media pages too. What kind of language are they using in their marketing messages? How are they interacting with their own followers, and how is this being received?

 
 

Vocabulary Choices

Decide whether you want to use simple language that everyone can understand, industry-specific jargon, or meme phrases and pop culture references. Using technical terms might be appropriate if you’re a B2B business or you’re in the financial, tech, science or software world - but two thirds of consumers find it off putting when brands use overly complicated language, so you’ll want to avoid this if you’re aiming to appeal to a broader audience.

48% of customers are open to brands using slang, so don’t be afraid to incorporate some colloquialisms if this suits your business. Subway often incorporates trending words and phrases into its content in order to appeal to its predominantly young audience, and to show that the brand has its finger on the pulse of what’s currently popular on social media.

 

 
 

Spelling & Grammatical Choices

Gen Z in particular is known for not using capital letters or punctuation when interacting online, believing that full stops can be perceived as overly assertive, harsh or even aggressive in casual conversations, which could be something to consider if this is your target audience.

Keeping all of your copy in lowercase and avoiding punctuation, like in the example below from Oreo, can give your content a chatty, carefree feel - as if you’re simply sharing a quick, spontaneous thought or texting a friend rather than posting a formal piece of content that’s been meticulously planned beforehand.

 

 

However, it’s important to tread carefully when using non-standard spellings or grammar in your content. The incorrect application of 'there', 'their', and 'they're' and 'your' vs 'you're' was rated a pet peeve by 65% of consumers, so if you’re planning to spell some words unconventionally or omit some grammatical features for comedic or casual effect, make sure it’s clear that this is an intentional branding choice rather than a genuine mistake.

 
 

Emoji Usage

Emojis can add a fun element to your communications and highlight your company’s personality - that’s why 54% of consumers are open to brands using them. However, using too many or using them in formal situations can come across as spammy or inappropriate. When assembling your TOV guide, it’s a good idea to outline which types of emojis you are happy for your team to use, which ones they should avoid, and how many should be used in each post or interaction.

Travel brand TUI uses emojis such as the desert island (🏝️), beach umbrella (​​🏖️), plane (✈️) and globe (🌎) to get their followers in the holiday mood and give their content a friendly tone, typically including two to five emojis per post. However, when responding to customer service requests or complaints, fewer or no emojis are used in order to reflect the more serious nature of these conversations.

 

 
 

Formality Level

Is your brand chatty, comedic and witty, or serious and down-to-earth? The level of formality you choose to adopt can say a lot about your business and who it’s targeted towards. A formal tone of voice is often better suited to older audiences and can convey a direct and authoritative image, which is why it’s usually seen in industries that demand high levels of trust and expertise, such as finance and healthcare. On the other hand, an informal voice will give your communications a more lighthearted feel, making it a great choice for fast food brands, family restaurants and attractions, casual clothing brands and more.

Due to its focus on luxury goods and high-end fashion, Dior uses a calm and sophisticated voice throughout its content, using standard punctuation and capitalisation, and steering clear of exclamation marks, emojis and informal spellings. This helps the brand portray a mature and refined image, and solidifies its position as a confident leader in its industry.

 

 
 

Consistency is Key

77% of consumers expect brands to maintain the same style across different communication channels, so no matter what tone of voice you choose to implement, it’s essential to apply it throughout all of your messaging - both online and offline. This means that a clear and recognisable voice should be seen not just on your social media pages, but also on your website, email newsletter, printed materials and audio/visual advertising. Using a mixture of different tones can be confusing for your audience and can make your marketing efforts feel disjointed, resulting in a lack of harmony and weakening your overall brand identity.

Despite this, it’s also important to know when to dial things up or down. Meme-speak, witty jokes and emojis might be appropriate when promoting your latest product or participating in a viral trend, but you’ll need to backseat these when dealing with a serious complaint from an unhappy customer in order to avoid causing further frustration.

 
 

Summary

Your brand’s tone of voice is a highly significant part of its online image, which is why it’s so important to get it right. The way you choose to write your content and interact with your followers and fans can indicate your brand’s personality and attract prospective customers who belong to your target audience, making it a powerful tool within your marketing strategy. When assembling your TOV guidelines, make sure to consider the factors we’ve outlined today and don’t forget to share them with the rest of your team to guarantee consistency throughout all of your communications.

Which brand’s tone of voice stands out to you the most? Find us on X @3sixfivepro to let us know your favourites and why you think they work so well.


 
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