How To find Your Travel Brand’s ‘Voice’

(A Guide To Writing Relatable Web Copy)

I used to pay $22 for a haircut, even though the old barber shop just down the road charged just $18.

Both barbers provided pretty much the same quality of service and both were perfectly nice guys. So why forgo the cheaper option? I liked chatting to the pricier barber.

It wasn’t so much what the guy said, rather than how he said it: always upbeat, lively and pumped full of enough urban slang to fill an MTV pilot. The guy’s ‘voice’ connected with me and made the haircut experience worth an extra $4.

So how does this apply to your travel brand’s website? Well, if you use a written tone of voice that resonates with your audience they’ll like your business more. And that means when it comes time for them to book a tour, reserve a hotel room or purchase a flight ticket they’ll be far more likely to buy from you.

A company’s written voice is powerful stuff: it helps define the brand’s personality and can create an instant bond with the reader. When done well, it makes your audience realize that you “get them.”

This is especially important for tourism and travel-related businesses. No traveler wants to book a hotel room or go on a tour that will make them feel like an outsider. If the copy for your hip resort sounds like a 60-year-old accountant wrote it, some of your best prospects won’t bother clicking onto your amenities page.

So how do you craft copy that connects with your customers? Here’s what this article will show you:

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• How to define your travel brand’s written voice
• Four must-follow tips when deciding what your brand should sound like
• A writing cheat-sheet to help you get the tone of voice you want

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More knowledge for better customer relationships

Even if you’re glued to your CRM system, you’ll still need to dig a little deeper to find out exactly what type of language will resonate with your online customers.

First off, make sure you’re aware of exactly who your website is most likely to connect with. Perhaps you already know this, but just in case I provided a quick basic checklist for analyzing your target audience:

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• How old are they?
• Where are they from? (cities or small towns, for example)
• What do they want most from your product or service?
• How much money do they earn?
• What type of experiences do they prefer? (Voluntourism? Luxurious escapes?)

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Next, think of what kind of words your customers would use to describe your brand. Funky? Charming? Inspiring? Extreme? Check out review websites like Tripadvisor and read comments about your business. Or better yet, ask a few of your past patrons (even if just by e-mail) or have them complete a survey about your business.

You’ll likely find one or two adjectives that really stand out – keep them in mind while developing your tone of voice. This will help you write copy that reflects the experience your business provides.

Find language that connects with your audience

Once you have a solid understanding of who your core online customers are and how they see your brand, it’s time to start thinking about the type of language that they use.

Are they adrenalin-hungry daredevils? If so, make sure your written voice is packed with short sentences and super-strong verbs. Maybe they’re affluent jetsetters who love the finer things in life, in which case you’ll need to use much more elegant language.

Achieving the perfect voice for your brand’s copy isn’t easy. But if you’re up for the challenge, make sure you follow these four tips:

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• Don’t be boring. Write the way people talk and ditch all the jargon.
• Clarity is more important than having a distinct voice. What good is your website if people don’t understand what you’re saying?
• Don’t try to write for everyone. Tailor your written voice so it appeals to the audience most likely to use your services or buy your products. Think about the core 30-50%.
• Always use a consistent voice throughout your website. There may be situations where you will need to alter your tone (a blog post warning about a travel scam will be written with a more serious tone than your homepage, for example), but your website overall should sound consistent.

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A short cheat-sheet for developing your voice

To give you more of an edge when developing your brand’s written voice, I’ve provided a short cheat-sheet below. Every brand’s web copy should have its own personality, so this is by no means an all-encompassing list. But hopefully, it will give you some useful ideas to get started.

For brands that are all about luxury…

If your business is a high-end hotel, luxury tour company or travel agency that specializes in extravagance, you may want to develop a more elegant and refined tone of voice. A few tips for writing this style of copy:

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• Focus on more refined language (but don’t be flowery).
• Use longer, flowing sentences.
• Go easy on the contractions.
• Use phrases that suggest exclusivity. Make the reader feel as if the experience isn’t available to everyone.

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For brands that are cool & hip…

Do you handle marketing for a nightclub, funky resort or urban restaurant that all the cool kids are dying to get into? If so, you’ll want a voice that’s casual and ultra-hip (but without looking like you’re trying too hard). Try these tips when writing your copy:

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• Slip in some slang. If it suits your main audience, try adjectives like ‘killer,’ ‘sweet’ or even ‘kickass’.
• Use timeless pop culture references that won’t be stale in a few months.
• Add a little snark to your copy, but don’t go overboard. You don’t want to seem mean.
• Bend the grammar rules. Focus on writing exactly how your demographic talks.

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For brands built around dependability…

Do your clients rely on you for providing transportation services (I’m thinking airlines and charter buses)? Or perhaps, you’re a more family-focused travel brand. If so, you’ll need a very trustworthy and warm voice. Try these tips:

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• Avoid hyped or excited language. Keep command-focused verbs to a minimum.
• Ask questions to demonstrate you understand your prospects’ concerns or objections. (Worried you might miss your flight? No problem, our guides will wake you in the morning.)
• Use words and phrases that feel warm and friendly

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For brands that deliver excitement…

If your business provides adrenaline-pumping adventure tours, runs a roller coaster or caters to those who love extreme sports, then you’ll need a fast-paced, exciting voice. Try these tips:

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• Avoid adverbs that end in –ly. They’ll slow the pace of your copy down.
• Focus on strong, verb-driven imperative sentences (Plunge into the waves…)
• Always opt for action-focused adjectives that suggest power or speed.
• Set a quick pace with your copy

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This is just for starters

So now that you have an idea of the basics, experiment a little. Mix it up to find the exact voice that fits your brand. Maybe you run a swanky nightclub and want your copy to sound hip but lavish. If you provide fishing tours, perhaps your itineraries should have an exciting yet dependable voice. Or maybe your voice doesn’t fit any of the above styles. Perhaps it’s romantic or charming or even high-tech nerdy.

No matter what kind of voice you decide to use, just make sure your copy speaks your customers’ language and doesn’t sound forced. Pull it off and your website will be a much more powerful marketing tool.

If you have a quick question about getting your tourism business’ tone of voice just right, feel free to send me an e-mail at dustin@jetcopywriting.com or leave a comment below. You can also click here for a free website copywriting consultation.

— By Dustin Walker

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