Have you ever looked at a website, or travel blog and thought, “Wow, I love how they describe themselves – I wish I could do that for my business!”
Your travel blog can have a voice too: one that oozes personality, matches your brand, attracts customers and ultimately increases sales. It just takes a bit of planning and thinking.
Follow these steps, and you’ll nail your tone of voice in no time.
Introducing Laura Beckett
Laura is a good friend and is the skilful copywriter who has written some of the fabulous words on my website and my brochures. Laura is based in Cheshire and offers clear, brand-driven copywriting for ambitious, small businesses and bigger brands. She writes blogs, websites, emails, press releases and marketing materials for small businesses– even style guides!
Think about your brand values
Before you write anything - your travel blog, website, emails, brochures, and socials, think about what your business stands for. Consider the drivers behind what you do and what’s important to you. Think about what you want to tell people – your potential customers.
Say your business finds unique, adrenaline filled holiday experiences for super-adventurous people. You don’t just find any old holiday – you're a niche brand that creates tailored holidays for thrill seekers, not the everyday package holiday.
Weave these values into your blog posts to make you pop out from the crowd, and attract your ideal customers.
Understand the why
You set up your business for a reason, so make sure your customers know about it.
Do you offer up close wildlife holidays?
Or trips for foodies to Italy?
Most people launch a business because they love what they do, and want to use their knowledge and skills to help others. When you know your reasons, pepper them in your travel blog so customers get what you’re about.
Nail personality
Don’t try to be something you’re not. And don’t copy other people. By all means, take ‘heavy inspiration’ from other websites, but if their personality and style doesn’t match your values - or you (you’re the face behind the business, after all) then stay clear.
You may love the funny personality of a competitor, or the bold confidence of another – but forcing yourself to be something you’re not will make writing your blog hard.
Humour conveys fun, but used in the wrong way it risks portraying you as silly. Adopting a formal personality shows professionalism, but can make you appear rigid. It’s about finding a balance that’s right for you.
Think about the type of customers you’re trying to attract, their personalities and interests, then develop a personality to match. You want to write in your customers’ language. Use writing that flows, rather than a style that feels unnatural.
Consider vocab
As a freelance copywriter, it’s part of my job to write in different tones of voice for a variety of clients, and use their preferred words.
Write a list of words you’d use to describe your business, and a list of no-no's. Prefer ‘happy’ over joyful?
Hate describing yourself as ‘a travel professional?’
Can’t stand calling your business ‘a holiday provider?’
Be clear from the get-go the words you love, and the ones for the scrap heap.
Develop a style guide
A style guide is simply a document that outlines preferred words, phrases and tone.
If you employ other people to write your travel blog, like a copywriter, having a handy guide to refer to means that everyone is on the same page.
I’ve often read blog posts written in a completely different style to the website and social posts: it’s jarring and confusing. Write in a consistent way across all platforms, and customers get to know you.
Good luck!
Thanks Laura for such an insightful look at finding the right tone of voice for your travel blog. Don’t forget to check out Laura's website for all of your copywriting needs - www.quietlyloud.co.uk.
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