The basics

I know this could be a bit confusing, so, first I want to explain the difference between voice and tone.

Think about your brand voice like a violin. It has a distinct sound, just like your personality and approach to patient care. It's the fingerprint of your communication.

You can use your unique 'voice' (like a violin) to play different 'genres' of communication, adapting your tone to resonate with different audiences.

Just as a violinist can play classical, jazz, or rock music, you can adjust your communication style while maintaining your authentic voice.

One message, two tones, four voices

Let's explore how the same message about flu prevention can be conveyed with the same tone (humorous or serious) but with different "voices" within that tone.

Humorous Tone:

• Voice 1: The Quirky Doc: "Flu season is upon us! 🤧 Don't let this pesky virus rain on your parade! ☔️ Get vaccinated and stay healthy! 💪" (Uses playful emojis and a slightly more informal tone)

• Voice 2: The Witty Physician: "Feeling under the weather? 🤒 Don't let the flu bug win! 🥊 Get vaccinated and stay ahead of the game! 🏅" (Uses a slightly more confident and witty tone with sports-related metaphors)

Serious Tone:

• Voice 1: The Concerned Caregiver: "Influenza can have significant health consequences. Protecting yourself and your loved ones through vaccination is crucial. Schedule your flu shot today." (Emphasizes the importance of vaccination with a compassionate and concerned tone)

• Voice 2: The Authoritative Expert: "Influenza poses a significant public health threat. Vaccination remains the most effective strategy for preventing infection and mitigating the severity of illness. Consult with your physician to ensure you are up-to-date on your vaccinations." (Emphasizes the scientific and authoritative aspect of vaccination)

Key Differences:

• Word choice and phrasing: Even within the same humorous or serious tone, the specific words and phrases used can vary significantly.

• Use of humor: The first humorous example uses playful emojis, while the second uses a more subtle wit.

• Emphasis: The first serious example emphasizes the importance of protecting loved ones, while the second emphasizes the public health threat.

• Overall style: The "Quirky Doc" voice is more casual and playful, while the "Authoritative Expert" voice is more formal and academic.

One message, one tone, two voices, two audiences

Let's explore how the two voices we discussed earlier ("Quirky Doc" and "Witty Physician") might approach a message for two different audiences while maintaining the overall humorous tone.

Message: Encouraging handwashing

1. Quirky Doc (Audience: Parents of young children)

• Focus: Appeals to parents' desire to make handwashing fun for their children.

• Tone: Playful, engaging, and uses superhero imagery to resonate with young children.

2. Witty Physician (Audience: College Students)

• Focus: Appeals to college students' desire for social life and avoiding illness.

• Tone: Uses witty and relatable language, referencing college parties and the importance of staying healthy to enjoy social activities.

Key Takeaways:

• Tailoring to the audience: The same humorous tone can be adapted to resonate with different audiences by using relevant language, imagery, and humor.

• Understanding audience interests: Understanding the audience's motivations and concerns is crucial for crafting effective and engaging messages.

Why do you need a brand voice

Brand voice and tone are crucial for doctors on social media as they help establish trust, credibility, and connection with patients. Here's why they are important:

1. Building Trust: A consistent and appropriate brand voice helps build trust with your audience. In healthcare, where sensitive and personal issues are often discussed, trust is paramount.

2. Differentiation: A unique brand voice sets you apart from other healthcare providers in a crowded digital landscape.

3. Humanizing Your Practice: An informal yet professional tone can help humanize your practice, making you more approachable to patients.

4. Consistency Across Platforms: A well-defined brand voice ensures consistency across all social media platforms, reinforcing your brand identity.

5. Reflecting Values: Your brand voice should reflect your practice's mission, vision, and values, helping patients understand what you stand for.

6. Enhancing Engagement: A well-crafted voice can drive engagement on social media, increasing the reach and impact of your content.

7. Demonstrating Expertise: A clear, authoritative yet empathetic tone can showcase your medical expertise while still being relatable to patients.

8. Navigating Sensitive Topics: In healthcare, the right tone is crucial when discussing sensitive health issues, helping patients feel comfortable and understood.

9. Standing Out from AI-Generated Content: As social media becomes saturated with AI-generated content, a strong, unique brand voice helps your content stand out as authentically human.

10. Attracting Your Target Audience: A brand voice tailored to your ideal patients can help attract the right audience to your practice.

Remember, your brand voice should be consistent across all platforms while adjusting slightly for each platform's unique environment. Regularly review and refine your brand voice to ensure it continues to resonate with your audience and reflect your evolving practice.

What elements compound the brand voice

The key elements that compound a brand voice include:

1. Character or Personality

• The distinct traits that define how your brand "sounds" and interacts with its audience.

Here are two sample messages about flu prevention, each with a distinct character or personality:

1. The Warm and Approachable Doctor:

"Flu season is upon us! 🤧 Let's protect ourselves and our loved ones. Here are some simple tips to prevent the flu: 🧼 Wash your hands frequently, 🤒 get vaccinated, and 🤧 cover your coughs and sneezes. Remember, staying healthy is a team effort! 🤝"

• Character/Personality: This message reflects a warm, approachable, and friendly tone. It uses emojis to add a personal touch and encourages a sense of community and shared responsibility.

2. The Authoritative Expert:

"Influenza prevention is crucial. 🤧 Implementing a proactive approach, including regular hand hygiene, annual vaccination, and respiratory etiquette, is essential for mitigating the spread of this infectious disease. 🤧"

• Character/Personality: This message conveys a more authoritative and professional tone. It uses medical terminology like "respiratory etiquette" and emphasizes the importance of a proactive approach.

Key Differences:

• Tone: The first message is more casual and friendly, while the second is more formal and authoritative.

• Language: The first message uses simpler language and emojis, while the second message incorporates more medical terminology.

• Focus: The first message emphasizes community and shared responsibility, while the second message focuses on the importance of a proactive approach.

2. Purpose

• The reason behind your communication and how it aligns with your brand's mission and values.

• This ensures your messaging consistently reflects your goals and resonates with your target audience.

In essence, the "Purpose" guides the communication. It ensures that every message, whether it's a social media post, website content, or patient interaction, reflects the practice's core values and ultimately helps achieve its mission of providing high-quality, compassionate dental care.

Example: Two pediatric clinics with different purposes send the same message.

Clinic 1 : A pediatric dental practice focused on creating a fun and welcoming environment for young patients.

Mission: To provide high-quality, compassionate dental care in a child-friendly setting, making dental visits a positive experience.

Values: Fun, compassion, education, trust.

Purpose in Action:

Communication Goal: To encourage parents to schedule their child's first dental appointment.

Purpose-Driven Message: "We believe every child deserves a happy and healthy smile! Schedule your child's first dental visit with us and let's make it a fun and memorable experience. Our team is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where your child will feel comfortable and excited about their dental health."

Key Elements:

Aligns with Mission: The message emphasizes creating a positive and welcoming experience, directly reflecting the practice's mission.

Reflects Values: It highlights "fun," "compassion," and a focus on the child's experience, aligning with the practice's stated values.

Connects with Audience: The message speaks directly to parents' concerns about their child's first dental visit and emphasizes the positive aspects of the experience.

Clinic 2: A pediatric dental practice focused on a calm and gentle approach to dental care.

Mission: To provide a stress-free and positive dental experience for children, fostering a lifelong love of oral health.

Values: Calmness, gentleness, trust, education.

Message for Parents:

"We understand that your child's first dental visit can be a big step. At Clinic 2, we prioritize a calm and gentle approach to ensure a positive experience for both you and your child. Our team is dedicated to creating a relaxed and welcoming environment where your child can feel safe and comfortable. Schedule a visit today and let us help your child build a healthy smile for life."

Key Elements:

Focus on Calmness and Gentleness: The message directly addresses parental concerns about their child's anxiety and emphasizes the practice's commitment to a calm and gentle approach.

Prioritizes Trust: The message highlights the practice's dedication to creating a safe and welcoming environment, building trust with parents.

Emphasizes Long-Term Benefits: The message focuses on fostering a "lifelong love of oral health," aligning with the practice's mission.

Professional and Reassuring Tone: The message maintains a professional and reassuring tone while still being approachable and welcoming to parents.

This message effectively communicates the unique brand voice and values of this particular pediatric dental practice, addressing the specific concerns and needs of parents while maintaining a consistent and authentic tone.

3. Tone

• The emotional inflection or attitude conveyed in your messaging, which adapts based on context or audience.

• While the voice remains consistent, tone can shift to be formal, casual, empathetic, or celebratory as needed.

4. Language

• The specific words, phrases, and stylistic choices that reflect your brand's personality.

• Includes vocabulary, jargon (or lack thereof), and sentence structure to ensure clarity and relatability.

5. Consistency

• Maintaining a uniform voice across all communication channels to reinforce brand identity and build trust.

• Consistency ensures that audiences recognize your brand regardless of the platform or content type[1][3].

6. Clarity

• Ensuring that your messaging is clear, concise, and easily understood by your target audience.

• Avoids confusion and helps establish authority in your field.

Outsider Point of View

Let’s put you as an information consumer, imagine you are at a health tech convention, and you are invited to know an outbreaking device that promises to change the world as we know it. Which of these two discourses resonates with you?

"This novel diagnostic modality leverages a deep convolutional neural network trained on a massive dataset of dermatoscopic images. The device utilizes advanced image recognition algorithms to perform automated lesion segmentation and feature extraction, including color, texture, and border analysis. By employing a multi-modal approach incorporating both convolutional and recurrent neural networks, the system achieves a remarkable 98% accuracy in classifying malignant melanomas, surpassing conventional diagnostic methods in terms of sensitivity and specificity."

VS

Take a picture and diagnose skin cancer with 98% of accuracy

I’d bet that the first one is more for an engineering convention and the second only communicates on the simplest way why a doctor would be interested on it.

7. Target Audience Alignment

• Tailoring the voice to resonate with the specific needs, preferences, and expectations of your audience.

• This involves understanding their demographics, values, and communication styles.

8. Adaptability

• While the core voice remains constant, it should be flexible enough to adapt to different platforms, audiences, or situations without losing its essence.

By combining these elements effectively, a brand voice becomes a powerful tool for creating meaningful connections with its audience while reinforcing the brand's identity and values.

What are some examples of successful brand voices in the healthcare industry

Several healthcare organizations have developed successful brand voices that resonate with their target audiences:

Aurora Health Care: Patient-Focused and Approachable

Aurora Health Care uses a voice that is:

• Easy and conversational

• Directed at the patient using "you" frequently

• Supportive and helpful

Their messaging makes patients feel that Aurora is on their side and wants to help, creating a sense of partnership in healthcare[1].

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center: Professional yet Accessible

This academic medical center has developed a voice that is:

• Factual and informative

• Easy to understand despite complex topics

• Humble while showcasing expertise

• Mobile-friendly with concise content

Their approach balances professionalism with approachability, making complex medical information accessible to patients[1].

Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children: Reassuring and Targeted

This children's hospital has crafted a voice that is:

• Directly addressing worried parents

• Reassuring and realistic

• Covering a range of childhood health topics

By understanding their audience of concerned parents, they've created a voice that provides comfort and practical information[1].

Bupa: Thought Leadership in Mental Health

Bupa, an international healthcare group, has positioned itself as a thought leader in mental health with a voice that is:

• Educational and informative

• Supportive of employee well-being

• Professional yet accessible

Their campaign successfully increased brand trust by offering valuable resources to employers and HR professionals[4].

These examples demonstrate how healthcare organizations can develop distinct brand voices that align with their values, expertise, and target audiences, helping them stand out in a competitive industry.

How can you know how do you sound?

"It's common for us to not be fully aware of our own unique voice and tone, as they are so ingrained in our communication style.

Here are some strategies to identify your personal voice and tone:

• Record Yourself: Make recordings of yourself speaking about different topics. Listen carefully and pay attention to:

  • Tone of voice: Is it high, low, soft, or loud?

  • Speed: Do you speak quickly or slowly?

  • Intonation: Do you raise or lower your voice to emphasize certain words?

  • Pauses: Do you use pauses strategically to emphasize ideas?

  • Vocabulary: Do you use specific words or phrases?

  • Expressions: Do you use facial expressions and gestures when you speak?

• Seek Feedback: Ask friends, family, or colleagues to describe your communication style. What adjectives would they use to describe your voice? What makes you stand out?

• Analyze Your Writing: Review your emails, text messages, and social media posts. Are there patterns in your expression? What kind of language do you use?

• Compare Your Style: Observe people you admire and whose communication style you like. What elements of their communication can you adapt to your own voice?

• Experiment: Don't be afraid to try different communication styles. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone can reveal new facets of your personality.

Some questions to help you reflect:

• How do you want people to remember you?

• What are your most important values?

• What message do you want to convey through your communication?

• What is your ideal tone of voice in different situations (professional, personal, etc.)?

Remember: Your voice is constantly evolving. As you grow and develop, so will your voice. The important thing is to be authentic and consistent with yourself.