7 books for B2B writers, editors and readers
Doug Kessler | January 10th, 2023
Tone of voice is still, flabbergastingly, the most under-exploited power behind great B2B brands.
Pretty much every category of every market has a company that rose to the top not by saying new things but by saying things in a fresh, distinctive way.
From MailChimp to Marketing Profs, Slack to Xero, Drift to Box to Hubspot, Typeform, Wistia… (the list goes on and… actually it doesn’t go on for that long at all).
They all speak to the world with a warm, clear, simple voice. Some are charming and funny. Others just straight and bullshit-free. But they all use voice to send a confident, authentic mojo into the world that acts on humans like magnets act on iron filings and… fridges and stuff.
That’s why it’s still utterly shocking to me that so few B2B brands invest time and energy on their voice. (Wake up and smell the coffee, CMOs).
But behind—and arguably deeper than—voice is something just as important and never discussed: stance.
To understand the power of stance, you need to trace back the power of voice to its roots.
A great brand voice works because it signals trustworthiness. It does that by suggesting authenticity: the sense that a person or brand or company really is what it claims to be; really means what it says; really has nothing to hide.
A strong brand voice also works because it signals a ‘who’ instead of a ‘what’. A person instead of an organization. It sounds and feels different from the standard marketing-speak or business jargon or tech-talk that have marked the ‘business-to-buyer’ interaction for the past century or so.
In a standard business marketing context, an authentic voice can deliver a series of tiny surprises that add up to a sense that ‘these people might be for real when they say they have my interests at heart’.
A distinctive personality, underpinned by authenticity, leads to likeability and trust. Voice can do all that. But not all on its own.
Because voice is at its most authentic when it’s consistent with action. And that’s where stance comes in.
(We could just call it ‘behavior’ but ‘stance’ suggests a tight pairing with voice; a twin sibling. And that’s how we want marketers to think about it).
While strong brands say things differently, the very best brands also do different things.
Things that demonstrate the company’s beliefs and values instead of just claiming them.
Things that put the needs of a community (a horizontal market, a vertical industry, a discipline, a society…) before the short-term goals of the company.
Things that prove what voice can only suggest.
Words are good.
Words matter.
But actions eat words for breakfast. (And both together? Unstoppable.)
As consumers of marketing, we’re all a lot more skeptical than we used to be. Brands that paint themselves green or dip their toes into hot social issues are increasingly being called out for hypocrisy then publicly flogged by the Intermob.
So if you use a kooky, playful voice as a cover for a sneaky, venal business, it will backfire. That’s voicewashing. (Ooh, I like that).
And if you make soothing, calming sounds about your ‘concern’ for childhood obesity while selling a billion cans of sugar-water a day, people will see you for what you are (“Taste the feeling!” my red, dynamic-ribboned arse.)
When brands use voice as a veneer, they collectively act to undermine the power of voice itself. To make people suspicious of the very attractiveness of an apparently authentic voice.
But when brands use voice to express authentic values, then stance comes in to show that it’s okay to trust that feeling. That this isn’t just voicewashing.
Just as stance works to reinforce trust, it also works to support those signals of distinctiveness every brand wants.
If you do the exact same things that everyone else does, then voice may be your only chance to differentiate (a chance that you squander at your peril).
But if you do remarkable things, it matters less how you talk about them. Voice will still play an important role in everything you say, but stance will put a body to that voice.
Sometimes stance is about investing in something that may never move any of your KPI dials and revenue meters:
Or your stance might be about giving back:
Stance is also about doing things that contribute to your market not just your brand:
Stance is often like that, thinking long-term instead of always acting for revenue today:
It’s also simply about practicing what you preach, in public:
BTW, experimentation in public is a great stance for tech companies:
Tone of Voice is worth every bit of the time, energy and resources you can put into it. But as you think about voice, pull the camera back and take a wider view.
Look at the things your marketing team and your company are actually doing not just at how you’re speaking.
If you can put the two together… I pity your competitors.
(Not really: screw the uptight, corporate clones. They get what they deserve).
Got any examples of companies using stance to walk the talk? Drop me a comment or an email ([email protected]). I’d love to hear about it.
Kendra Futcher, Writing & Thinking | March 5th, 2019
Yes, completely agree. And LOVE ‘voicewashing’! Merck are a great example of a brand/business backing up TOV with stance. Curiosity is a big part of their brand and they really live/work it.
Doug Kessler | March 11th, 2019
Thanks, Kendra! I’m seeing more and more voicewashing out there.
The traditionally beleaguered brands (tobacco, fast food, soft drinks, oil) are well trained in it but it’s happening in B2B too.
Will look out for the Merck work.