Regardless of whether you’re a doctor or a disability care provider, your number one goal is to provide the best care possible. You want your patient or client to trust you so you can provide the care and attention they need.
Part of building that trust is making sure your communication is clear and consistent. That communication takes place in many ways. In a consultation of course or over the phone when they’re booking an appointment. It can also take place through writing on your website, patient information materials, emails and social media.
How that communication sounds is called tone of voice. Here I explain the importance of tone of voice in healthcare marketing and some of my top tips for getting it right.
What is tone of voice?
Your tone of voice, or brand voice, is how your business sounds. It should represent what your business stands for and how you want to be perceived by the world.
Do you want to be formal or casual? Do you want to be funny or serious? Do you want to be respectful or Irreverent, enthusiastic or matter-of-fact?
You can see tone of voice everywhere you go. Look at these three examples of tone of voice.
There is enthusiastic Virgin Australia’s tone as they encourage you to explore the world: “The Hunter Valley Wine Country is the place to celebrate you. It’s the perfect destination to indulge yourself and enjoy life’s little luxuries.”
The inspiring tone of Nike as they talk about the Australian kit for the Women’s World Cup: “The Australian National Football Team Kit celebrates Australia’s diverse community. The colours and patterns embody the bright future of football, and the inner pride mark ‘For All’ represents the coming together of all Australians, cheering from the stands.”
The caring and matter-of-fact tone of UNICEF as they appeal with you to donate to their Ukraine fund. “The war has been devastating for families. UNICEF and partners are on the ground providing support for those in need.
They all sound different, target different audiences types and get different reactions.
Why is tone of voice important in healthcare marketing?
In healthcare marketing, it’s important to have an appropriate tone of voice. People are often dealing with sensitive and personal issues, which means that the way you communicate with them is especially important. They want to feel like they can trust you and the way you talk to them can help establish that trust.
A warm and empathetic tone can help patients feel more comfortable with your brand and you. A cold or clinical tone can feel distant and off-putting. However you also need to share your knowledge and help your audience while showing you care. It’s a fine balance.
So how can you build a strong yet caring tone of voice?
1. Know your audience
Even healthcare audiences are going to have different audiences.
For example, are you writing to older people or are you writing to teens?
Are you writing for people who are dealing with a difficult diagnosis?
Are you trying to improve life for people with a disability or health condition?
Does your audience need comfort or do they need to be inspired?
You need to understand who your audience is and what they care about. Spend time researching them and working out their needs, concerns, and values. Use this information to create messaging that speaks directly to them.
2. Be empathetic
When it comes to healthcare marketing, empathy is key. Use language that shows you understand the challenges your audience is facing and that you’re there to help.
However there can be variations here too. You might use gentler language for a person who is undergoing IVF or has recently had a diagnosis of cancer.
However if the topic is about something that is less stressful, like a fracture or a common cold, you may not need to be so gentle.
Regardless of the topic, you could avoid language that feels dismissive or condescending as this can be a major turnoff.
3. Be clear and concise
You also need to make sure you are concise in your messaging. Your audience needs to know what you’re talking about.
Healthcare can be complex and confusing so your language needs to be easy to understand. If you can, avoid jargon, acronyms or technical terms that patients may not be familiar with.
If you need to include some terminology, never assume your audience knows what you’re talking about. Make sure you spell it out as you go and maybe even include a glossary.
4. Be consistent
It’s also important to be consistent in your marketing. From the first phone call to patient information sheets to blogs on your website, you want to make sure you sound similar. This consistency helps build trust with your audience and creates a strong brand identity. Contrasting tones can cause confusion and even damage your reputation.
This is another reason why it’s important to build a tone of voice guidelines. Good guidelines have examples of how you want to sound and examples of how you don’t want to sound. It will highlight language that you should never use in your marketing and how you want people feel when they read your words.
It means anyone who joins your organisation will be able to understand what tone of voice you’re trying to achieve and easily adapt.
5. Test and refine
Although it’s important to be consistent, it’s equally important to test refine your voice over time to make sure it’s working.
Pay attention to how your audience reacts to your messaging. Use that feedback to refine your approach. By constantly improving your tone, you can create messaging that will continue to resonate with your target audience.
Need some help working out your tone of voice? I love working with healthcare organisations on how to define a tone of voice and how you can use it in your messaging.
Get in touch with me for a chat and we can talk about your next step.