{"id":7434,"date":"2020-05-13T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T05:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2025-08-26T10:28:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T08:28:12","slug":"what-is-cognitive-dissonance-from-a-copywriting-point-of-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/content-marketing-blog\/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-from-a-copywriting-point-of-view\/","title":{"rendered":"What is cognitive dissonance from a copywriting point of view?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DSM<\/div><\/div>

There are factors which can result in your audience scrolling away from your post or clicking your blog closed.\u00a0 One of those factors is cognitive dissonance, which if not managed, can cost you money and time.\u00a0 We take a look at what it is, and how we can mitigate its effect.<\/p>\n

Cognitive dissonance defined<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cognitive dissonance is a psychological<\/a> concept that deals with the idea of being caught in a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviours.\u00a0 It often causes mental discomfort.\u00a0 An example is a smoker cognisant of the fact that cigarettes cause cancer.\u00a0 Incongruence in your copy can create a sense of cognitive dissonance.\u00a0 It is therefore essential to take the necessary steps to create cohesion in your copy.\u00a0 To avoid cognitive dissonance, consider the following:<\/p>\n

Determine your brand voice and tone<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Defining your brand voice and tone provides direction to people creating copy for your business.\u00a0 It helps them to accurately represent the vision of your brand.\u00a0 The voice of your brand is the personality of your brand shown through writing.\u00a0 \u00a0It must communicate what your brand represents to the desired target market<\/a>.\u00a0 It is unchanged, compared to brand tone.\u00a0 Brand tone is how something is said.\u00a0 It portrays values using a particular style e.g. warm or formal. It changes to suit the need of a particular campaign.\u00a0 Some steps to determine a brand voice and tone as well as ensure it is consistently communicated:<\/p>\n

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  1. Establish a strong idea of who your audience is.<\/li>\n
  2. Collect examples of copy that represents your brand as inspiration.<\/li>\n
  3. Highlight three words that you want to be identified with your brand. How you would like your target audience to describe you?<\/li>\n
  4. Create a brand voice chart. Review this over time and make changes as needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>