Whatever your attitude is towards AI, it’s here, and it’s not going anywhere.
As a Copywriter, there’s a lot of uncertainty over the future role that AI plays in writing, but as an agency, we know that you can never truly replace the empathic, human qualities of a person. That’s why our stance is to embrace AI, not for delivery, but as a tool that helps us create our very best work. I sat down with the lovely Katie at Dot Digital to speak in a webinar on that very topic. Catch up today and discover the top 10 takeaways below.
1. A strong set of tone of voice (TOV) guidelines is a non-negotiable for every brand
A TOV document should sit at the core of every message your brand sends. It’s a framework that guides anyone who represents your brand (not just Copywriters) on how to speak. Having it written down means everyone has access to a concrete direction with no room for misinterpretation or guessing, and that’s how you keep your voice consistent.
2. To make it strong, your tone of voice document should include both what your brand does say as well as what it doesn’t
When writing your TOV document, there are several things to consider. What does your brand stand for? What's its purpose? What makes it unique? What are the things your brand would say, and what are the things it wouldn’t? Don’t just focus on language, but also on punctuation and style. A good starting point is to establish a persona, aka a human-like representation of your brand that guides what you say and how you say it.
3. You should train AI to know your brand voice in the same way you would a new employee
The goal is for AI to become part of your team. So just like any new starter, you should start from scratch, assuming they’re unfamiliar with your brand and its voice. Take time for proper training, point out its mistakes, and teach it how to rectify them, encouraging its evolution to truly know your brand and channel its tone.
4. Consistent and authentic communication is the key to building trust
Consistency and authenticity are the two main ingredients for building customer connections. They help your brand become familiar, ultimately creating loyalty and nurturing those all-important long-term relationships. In fact, a 2024 study by Lucidpress suggests brands with consistent branding can see a 33% increase in revenue. This is why training both AI and human employees on the nuances of your brand voice is so important.
5. AI copy is only as good as the person writing the prompt and editing the output
We’ve already established the importance of human involvement with AI content. Those using it need to be as confident and well-versed in a brand’s voice, providing prompts and refinements to produce that consistent and authentic output. When reviewing and editing that output, try these two authenticity tests:
- Read your message out loud in the style of a second-hand car salesman. If it works, it still needs editing.
- Could a competitor or colleague post this same copy without editing? If yes, it needs to be more uniquely yours.
6. When writing or prompting AI, consider the desired destination for every single message
Whether it’s to buy a product or come to an event, every message has a destination in mind. Decide that destination before you write, then use it to guide your copy. When writing any message or prompting AI, keep in mind who the customer is and what you want them to think, feel, and do.
7. Take your customer on a journey, leading with benefits and remembering everyone is different
This is where segmentation comes into play. You might have different customer groups with different destinations in mind, so not every journey will be the same. Focus not just on benefits, but benefits of benefits, letting the customer know what’s in it for them. Yes, this product could save you time, but it’s the freedom of what they can do with that time that will be the real persuader.
8. Make every message feel like a 1-on-1 conversation
Life is bursting at the seams with marketing messages, and as an agency that operates largely in the email space, we know that inboxes are generally cluttered. That’s why it’s so important for your brand to make a customer feel seen and valued, to show you’re truly understanding their needs, and speaking to them on a human level. It’s how you build relationships that last – no one wants to feel like they’re on the end of a blanket campaign send.
9. See every messaging touchpoint as an opportunity to flex your brand voice
Your brand voice should guide you every step of the way. Whether it’s a headline on a website or the footer of a newsletter, every message should be written to reflect your brand’s personality. It’s how that voice becomes ingrained in the people who write for your brand, as well as customers on the other side of it.
10. Make your tone of voice doc stick with your team
For this to work, your team has to see its value. The easiest way to do this is to make the document as user-friendly and accessible as possible. Run a session to take people through it, and host a workshop to demonstrate how the doc goes hand in hand with AI usage. It doesn’t matter if they’re responsible for outward-facing creative or client email comms; the idea is that as people build confidence in adopting your voice, it eventually becomes a habit.
We think it’s safe to say that AI can’t replace a human, but it can be a helpful tool when given the right information, in this case, your TOV guidelines. Need a hand with crafting yours? Not sure how to approach training AI? We’re pretty well-versed on both, so drop a message, and we’d be happy to help.
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