So, You Want To Sound ‘Friendly’? The Art Of Humanising Your Brand

Your business’ tone of voice is a reflection of the people steering your brand. If yours is a team that exudes warmth and friendliness, it’s essential to let that shine through in your content. 

But how do you craft friendly copy that not only resonates but also maintains a level of professionalism? We take a look…

When does being ‘friendly’ work?

A friendly tone of voice is relative and subjective. Getting it right means finding the authentic sweet spot that effectively captures your brand essence. 

While friendliness is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, there are some hallmarks you can rely on. Friendly writing is almost always conversational and relaxed, addressing people directly, embracing contractions, and ultimately upholding a ‘no-pressure’ style. The trick lies in ensuring your brand comes across as approachable without veering into the territory of being overly sweet. 

Otherwise, it gets pretty sickly pretty quickly. Overdoing the friendly approach can make you seem disingenuous or, in some instances, just plain weird. It can also portray you as untrustworthy, which is the opposite of what you’re looking to achieve.

A case study in customer-centric copy

Imagine you’re a hotel manager seeking additional info to process a hotel booking. A friendly tone could be:

“We just need a few more details to complete your booking. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about your reservation. Our team will be more than happy to help. We can’t wait to welcome you to Friendly Faces Retreat.”

It’s the perfect balance of warmth and professionalism, right? But there’s a fine line. Going overboard can make you seem insincere:

“Thank you so much for your booking! We’re so excited to have you at Friendly Faces Retreat! We just need your personal details now. Do you mind firing over your name, address, and bank account number? That would be perf!”

It’s instantly too much. Cloying and desperate. In fact, it even comes across like a potential scam. Friendliness isn’t about overwhelming your audience with excessive enthusiasm – it’s about forging a genuine connection. When your tone is authentic, it speaks directly to your audience – creating trust, credibility, and avoiding any red flags.

Entrust your conversational copy to MYC

Getting the hang of the friendly approach isn’t always a breeze, especially if your services fall on the less ‘fun’ side of things – like tax software or funeral plans. In fact, it can be especially challenging. Going overboard may imply a lack of authority, while voiding your content of all emotion risks losing visitors regardless of the necessity of your offerings.

But that doesn’t mean mastering a friendly tone of voice isn’t possible for your business. Crafting the perfect messaging across your marketing materials demands time, care, and a keen focus on the heart of your brand. Of course, not every business has the capacity or resources for carefully planned content marketing. But that’s where Making You Content comes in, guaranteeing you consistently present your brand in the right way.

Let us handle the complexities of crafting friendly copy so you can focus on what you do best. Get in touch.