Why should we Create a TOV guideline document?

Create a TOV guideline document

It’s time for you to start creating your TOV. Think about what your business does, and the personality that best represents it and you. Start by writing down your business’s values and personality and then think more about what these characteristics actually mean.

Thinking of opposites can help here. For example:

Witty NOT Slapstick
Friendly NOT Stand-offish
Human NOT Corporate

These are the most important elements of your personality to convey when writing social media content.

Once you have those written down, start to think about how you can convey these characteristic’s through your TOV – how can you apply this insight to your business’s personality on social media? Equally, what should you avoid doing?

We have some examples to illustrate this below:

Characteristic (value): Enthusiastic
Description: We’re enthusiastic and passionate about our products, and our customers enjoying them
Do: Show your thought leadership and what makes your product unique. Champion your products, and see yourself as a cheerleader for your industry.
Avoid: Being too formal, or not conveying enough excitement about your product

Characteristic (value): Knowledgeable
Description: We pride ourselves on knowing a lot about our industry, and what we offer
Do: Convey your authority on your subject through your TOV. Be honest and direct. Use clear language to simply explain your offering to your audience.
Avoid: Using overly complicated language – even though you understand it and it’s relevant to your product, it will alienate your audience

Characteristic (value): Fun
Description: For us, business is not “all work and no play”. Enjoyment plays a very big role.
Do: Add elements of fun and entertainment to your visual identity and how you showcase your products.
Avoid: Being too serious, but also, going too far and coming across as slapstick or unprofessional

Top tip: Try and create a short and focused list of a few key characteristics – this will make it easier to apply these insights to your business’s social media content.

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Digital Skills - Understand Audience

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Lesson 1 - How to Defining your target audience