Shaping a written 'tone of voice' - part three

n my previous post I discussed some of the things about your writing that can have an effect on the tone of voice. Now let’s take things a step further, with five more things that can be considered.

Choosing your words

As you write, you are constantly making choices about the words you use.

(Or: while you communicate, you are continually deciding upon vocabulary options.)

In many cases, the choice you make will determine the level of formality or informality of what you write. Will you use currently or now? Will you use collaborate or work together? Will you use positive feedback or great response?

An example often mentioned (so hey, I’ll do it too) is that MailChimp tells its staff to write ‘So sorry for the hassle’ rather than ‘We apologise for the delay’. Even in a small sentence, it’s clear that using sorry and hassle rather than apologise and delay changes the tone of voice and, as a result, gives the reader a very different perception of the company.

A tip for improving as a writer in general, and for fine-tuning your written tone of voice, is to use a thesaurus again and again as you write. Look at the alternative words available, try out different combinations and see which words best suit your message and your brand.

Spelling

Hang on a minute, surely there are no options about spelling. There is just one correct way to spell, right?

Well, no. There isn’t a central authority for spelling in the English language. Dictionary publishers make their own decisions about spelling and that can lead to some interesting dilemmas.

Most professional writers will use all right and consider alright a very informal spelling. Indeed, the folks at Oxford Dictionaries say that ‘alright is still regarded as being unacceptable in formal writing’.

But they also say: ‘There is no logical reason for insisting that all right should be written as two words rather than as alright, when other single-word forms such as altogether have long been accepted.’

Sometimes this lack of clarity over spelling has an effect on tone of voice. Using u instead of you would horrify my lawyer clients. But it might be just right - in places - for a young B2C brand. And I predict that one day even the Oxford English Dictionary will accept it: in fact it already lists u as an informal alternative to you.

Slang

One of the problems with slang is that it might be perfectly normal to some people and completely meaningless to others. The MTV website says that 'Geordie Shore features people getting mortal'. Do you know what that means?

You must keep sight of who the audience is when you are writing, and consider how that affects your use of slang. If you don’t know your audience very well, try to consult with someone who does if you want to use slang.

I often write content aimed at IT experts, but I’m not an IT specialist. So if I use some slang to add informality and colour to a piece I check with some techies that the slang has an authentic ring to it.

Grammar ‘rules’

I have put ‘rules’ in inverted commas because many of the things we are told are rules are in fact not rules at all. And yes, that does mean the ‘rule’ that you can’t start a sentence with and.

Sometimes sticking to ‘correct’ grammar adds an unwelcome level of formality to writing. You might know when to use whom rather than who but if using whom makes your writing sound stuffy, do you really want to use it?

(By the way, I cover grammar and grammar myths on my Copywriting Skills Development Programme.)

Objective vs subjective

The use of subjectivity can play a big role in giving your writing (and therefore your organisation) a personality. So if your chosen tone of voice is all about having a brand personality, it’s something to consider.

Here are two approaches to describing a sofa:

This two-seater sofa has an especially soft fabric that you will love.

We love the fabric on this sofa. In fact, we wish our clothes could be this soft!

The second version has a strong personal opinion and in doing so adds some personality to the communication. If you are struggling to get a personality across, have a go at using some subjectivity in your writing: it may be just what you need.

In summary…

I hope that across these posts on tone of voice you have a good list of some of the variables to consider. There are hundreds or thousands of other articles, blogs and guides out there on the subject too, so invest some time in further reading if this is a topic of particular interest.

Shaping a written 'tone of voice' - part two

In my last post, I started to look at the written ‘tone of voice’. Although I shared a process for getting agreement on a tone of voice, I didn’t get into what actually influences this: what is it about your writing that affects the tone of voice?

Let me start by being pretty blunt: much of the brand guidelines I have seen are very poor when it comes to tone of voice guidance. They often say things like ‘write in an engaging way’ and ‘write as you speak’ and leave it at that.

What we writers really need is a much clearer steer on an organisation’s tone of voice. So let’s look at some of the specific choices you can make that will change the tone of voice of your writing. I’ll look at five things in this edition, and there will be more next time.

Contractions

Using don’t instead of do not may not sound like a big deal, but in a piece of writing of 500 words there could be several opportunities for contractions. If you use contractions every time you will generally have a softer, more personal tone than if you don’t.

Here is a before and after example:

Before (no contractions): Volunteers find that it is not difficult to get a lot from the experience and they are often involved in fun activities. Please do not worry about being left alone as we have made sure you will get lots of support.

After (with contractions): Volunteers find that it’s not difficult to get a lot from the experience and they’re often involved in fun activities. Please don’t worry about being left alone as we’ve made sure you’ll get lots of support.

I suppose sometimes a case could be made for not using contractions, but personally my default position is that contractions are fine – and they rarely, if ever, make writing look sloppy or unprofessional, which is a concern that some people have.

Cutting down on words

Turning a 150-word piece into a 100-word piece often softens a tone of voice because it often includes taking out phrases that sound stuffy and formal in favour of shorter equivalents. If you use due to the fact that instead of because, or at the present time instead of now you will end up with something that has a harder, more formal feel than the shorter alternatives.

Using ‘you’

Some organisations never want to use the word you, preferring instead to say our clients and the like. Generally, using you will soften the tone of voice. But watch out, because it can be overdone and writing often needs a blend of the two approaches.

Jargon

Jargon has its place in peer-to-peer communication. If I am sending an email to colleagues involved in search engine optimisation I will write SEO. It would in fact look very odd to spell out the full phrase.

But too often, people write for customers or other stakeholders who won’t get the jargon. When we do this, we can make our writing (and our organisation) appear elitist and unfriendly.

Just look at this sentence intended for parents of 14-16 year-old children:
The activity delivers aspects of work related learning and helps to develop and evidence key skills and enterprise capability.

The word evidence is not normally used in that way. I suspect that enterprise capability is a term that the organisation writing the sentence uses a lot, but it’s not something that every reader will understand straight away, or even at all.

Passive vs active voice

Although there’s nothing wrong with using the passive voice, in general it seems that the passive voice makes our writing more approachable:

Passive voice: Innovative products and services are offered by our company.

Active voice: Our company offers innovative products and services.


More next time...

I’ve started with five fairly obvious influences on tone of voice. Next time, I’ll get deeper into the subject and draw on examples from organisations with varying approaches.

Shaping a written 'tone of voice' - part one

There is no shortage of discussion online about the importance of a brand’s tone of voice. Google will bring you some excellent articles and I won't go through all the issues here.

But what strikes me is that some of the branding gurus make it all sound much more complicated than it needs to be. Most of my clients have tackled the issue as they go along, fine-tuning the stuff they write (or I write) when needed to remain consistent and appropriate.

Sometimes however it is important to revisit the style of what’s being written. Lots of things could prompt this. One that springs to mind is that there might be inconsistent styles after a merger of two businesses. Another is a move to a different media (such as an app or new style of advertising), while a move to a new market could also be the driver.

Whatever the case, when a review is needed you can spend hours or even days in workshops talking about the brand’s values and personality. Creative techniques can be used to decide whether your brand is like a grumpy old cat or a funny little puppy. (You know the sort of workshop I mean, right?)

That approach might work really well, and I’m not dismissing it out of hand. But in my experience, and for B2B companies in particular, it doesn’t have to be such a big deal.

A quick and painless way to revisit tone of voice

Recently a client asked me to create content for the company's first app. This was a good time to revisit the tone of voice, both for the business as a whole and specifically for the app content.

I simply took a piece of writing already approved from a messaging and technical accuracy point of view and edited it into three versions. Version one was was the way the organisation usually writes. Version two tried to jazz things up a little. Version three took things a bit further.

This is a B2B company in a fairly straight laced industry, so even version three wasn’t particularly wild. But there were clear differences between each version.

We organised a 30-minute meeting with the marketing manager, marketing communications manager, sales director and managing director. That was all it took for everyone to have their say on which bits of the three versions they felt were suitable for representing the brand.

From there, it was a straightforward matter of creating a single version that now acts as a reference when we write new materials.

As for the specific techniques I used for changing the words and tone of voice…that’s what I’ll look at soon...

Five ways to bring your B2B copy to life

Last month my mini series on B2B copywriting continued with a promise of some tips for bringing potentially uninspiring subject matter to life, so here it is. I start with the foundation for writing more engaging B2B content, and then look at four approaches you can take.

1. Know the subject. (I mean, REALLY know the subject.)

This is where it all starts. You have to know your subject matter inside out. Usually, that involves talking to the experts. You need to be great at asking the right questions and at listening hard to the answers. You need to be able to get along with people who would rather be doing something else than talking to some idiot from the marketing department.

It’s only when you talk to the experts – the people who know the product well, for example – that you’ll get to the really good stuff. The details about the situation that will get readers to sit up and take notice. Being a good copywriter is at least 50% about being good at going out and finding the good stuff, even if people in the business don’t think it’s there.

And if at all possible, try to experience the subject matter yourself. If I am writing about a new type of exercise bike I want to ride it for a while and try all its settings and features. I need to experience it in a way that works for me, so I can write with authority and confidence about it. A few years ago I wrote about a new type of very expensive pillow, so the client gave me one and I slept on it for a week before starting on the copy.

2. Tell a story

You’ve heard this one a thousand times already, but that’s because it’s a good one. Usually there’s a story to be told. A beginning, middle and end that can guide the reader through what you want them to know.

For a new product, the beginning might be that someone spotted an opportunity to help businesses improve efficiency. The middle might be years of product development. The end might be the launch. That’s the basic framework, but within each element there will likely be plenty of meat to put on the bones: the detail that fleshes out the story.

3. Get personal

Most people like people. We like reading about them. We like their story. So if there’s a person who features in the subject matter, see if you can focus on them.

On a simple level, an interview with a qualified expert on a subject is generally going to be a more attractive proposition than a general guide to the subject.

Compare these teasers:

Option one: ‘Read our five-point guide to getting the best car insurance deal.’ 

Option two: ‘Veteran insurance claims assessor Tom Upton shares 30 years’ experience on the must-have features of car insurance.’

But see if you can go one step further and really bring out the personal story. Has Tom met people who lost a lot through choosing the wrong insurance? Is Tom part of an initiative to improve road safety standards?

4. Focus on one thing

Imagine for a moment that a journalist is faced with the task of writing a story about someone who has just renovated and sold a house for a big profit. The actual story will involve many different things. There’s the financial side, right down to what mortgage arrangement they had, their previous experience, the suppliers and tradespeople they used, how they juggled family and work commitments, the local market conditions, and so it goes on.

So guess what journalists do? They look into all the detail and pull out one especially unusual or interesting facet of the story, and focus on that. It could be that the project took just two weeks, or that the developer was 18 years old, or that builders found a rare fossil in the floor. This is bread and butter stuff for journalists. They are always looking for an angle to bring subject matter to life.

It’s an approach that you can take in your B2B writing to. What angle should you go for? Of course it should be one that will resonate with the people you are aiming the piece at. One question to ask is: what is the biggest problem that this product/service/project solves for people? If you can find an angle based around that problem, and its solution, you are on a winner.

5. Be reader-specific

One challenge with B2B copy is that it might be read by several types of person in an organisation. If I’m writing something about a new piece of sales software it might be read by the sale director, sales manager, sales people, head of IT, finance manager and so on.

Covering all the bases in a single piece can be tricky. But if I commit to writing pieces aimed squarely at a single type of person, I can make it much more interesting. So how about a suite of pieces, with each one clearly labelled as being for a specific audience? Or if it has to be one piece, let’s break it into chunks and use clear subheadings so everyone knows which bit is for them.

So the next time you write B2B copy, try some new techniques for bringing it to life. No matter how dull the subject matter might be at first, if you dig deep, get to understand the people behind the subject and look hard for an angle, you can liven up the message.