writing tone & style
TRANSCRIPT
How to Bring Your Brand To Life with
Writing Style
Boston, MA
617-227-8800
Byron White
Chief Idea Officer
ideaLaunch.com
@ByronWhite
Special Guests
Mike Roberts, President Spyfu
Casey Joseph, Casey Joseph Marketing
Content Marketing Webinar V33
It’s the art of listening to your customers’ wants and needs
Search Box
Social Media
Web Analytics
Keyword Popularity
Customer Service
Questionnaires
Geo-Targeting
And the science of delivering it to them in a compelling way
Articles
Blogs
Books
eBooks
RSS Feeds
Printed Books
Newsletters
Videos
Web
Widgets
It’s catching customers orbiting at high speeds
Applet
Desktop
Events
Information Portals
Mobile
Podcasts
RSS Feeds
Social Networks
Video Portals
With information they want and need
Downloads
Deals
Geo-Targeted Offers
Interest-Targeted Offers
Send to Friend
Re-Tweet
Likes
Loves
Repeat Visitation
It’s testing campaigns to learn what works best
A/B Testing
Multivariate Testing
Eye Track Testing
Segmentation Testing
Geo Target Testing
Usability Testing
Content Testing
And finding the most efficient path to engagement and sales
Score Engagement
Qualify Lead
Evaluate Intent
Induce Trial
Motivate Purchase
Get the Sale
Correlate Assets to Sale
What is writing style?
• You can think of writing style as the personality expressed in writing.
• Draws on different elements like…
• Tone of voice
• Use of punctuation
• Word choice
• Sentence length
• Abstract vs concrete imagery
• Develop a Writing Style Guide that becomes the framework for writing assignments
• Style Guides are typically developed by creative team members, content strategists and brand specialists.
• Style Guides are used by writers and employees as the gateway to communication and delivery of the brand promise.
Your writing style needs to…
1.) Align with your Brand Position
2.) Aim at a Target Audience
3.) Offer a consistent Tone of Voice
4.) Adhere to Requirements, Specifications and Restrictions
5.) Deliver on Performance Goals
In the next 20 minutes, I’m going to…
-- Walk you through those 5 steps
-- Show you how writing style can bring your brand to life
-- Give you a link to a new Writing Style Wizard that will:
-- Save you lots of time
-- Get your writers and team members on the same page
-- Help achieve your quality and performance goals
1.) Brand Position
• Well-identified, concise, articulate summary of the key factors that define your brand.
• Who are we? Company background.
• How are we different? Competitive distinction.
• What are our goals? Short- and long-term plans.
• How do we define ourselves? Our Mantra.
• How do we execute our Brand Position. Channel distribution.
Sample Brand Positions
• Recognition Aviva
• Celebrate Something Kayem Franks
• Expect Great Things Kohl
• Save Babies March of Dimes
• Think IBM
• Gourmet Fast Food Panera Bread
Sample Brand Position
The following words and phrases define who we are….
• Empathy
• Recognition
• Caring
• Customer Focused
• Listening
• Pro-Active
We bring prosperity and piece of mind to customers. And recognize customers
as individuals, listening to their needs and circumstances
Cross Channel Distribution of Brand Position
Content Asset Portfolio
• Articles
• Blog Posts
• Brochures
• Infographics
• Newsletters
• Podcasts
• Press Releases
• Slide Decks
• Social Media
• Surveys
• Webinars
• Workbooks
• Video
Employee Communication
• Phone Greeting
• Email Correspondence
• Internal Memos
• Training Collateral
• Sales Strategy
• Employee Surveys
Brand Position Execution
• Answering the Phone
How can I help you today? VS How may I direct your call?
• Email Correspondence
Hi Byron VS To Whom it May Concern
I will contact you soon VS Let me know if you need additional support
• Selling Strategy
Our products are simply the best VS What is most important to you?
2.) Target Audience
• Define your target audience in 500 words or less
• What are their circumstances?
• What are their wants and needs?
They’re Readers, not Customers
• What do you know about your customers and readers?
• Source of Traffic
• Online Navigation pattern
• Most Popular Web Pages, Downloads or Content
• Number of readers or subscribers
• What motivates your customers?
• Incentives
• Offers
• Results
Reader Proficiency Level
Helps to avoid talking up or down to readers, prospects and
customers.
Reader Mindset
Help get under the skin of the target
audience so you can engage them.
3.) Writing Style
Elements of Writing Style
• Brand Values
• Diction
• Use of Punctuation
• Syntax
• Word Choice
• Paragraph Length
• Abstract vs Concrete Imagery
• Industry Jargon
Roots of Writing Style
• Language
• Psychology
• Culture
• Metrics
Sample Writing Style Summary
The tone of voice for all our copy should be:
• Clear and easy to follow: Keep things brief, and to-the-point. Use crisp language. Introduce the point, strip out the complication and lengthy clause.
• Engaging and surprising: Write with warm language as if you are talking to a friend. Bring a smile with clever use of ideas, analogies, aphorisms, quotations, current events, celebrity references or other ideas that might engage readers.
• Upbeat and encouraging. Speak to readers interest, goals and challenges. Use active voice and forward-looking statements. Present solutions to problems in a positive, informative manner.
Writing Styles
Journalistic Headliner
Broadcast Soft Sell
Consultant Blog
Academic Tech
Wired Publicist
Legal Simple
Storytelling Social
Melodramatic Objective
Informal Groupie
Blog Writing Styles
Insight Ambition
Challenger Piggyback
Life Brand
Promotional Wingflap
Announcement Link
Video Photo
Evangelist List
Survey Thematic
Guest Interview
Event Live
Response
Writing Style Barometer
Like Less Like More
As quickly as possible Pronto
In an emergency situation In a pinch
Learn expert techniques Get the scoop
Straightforward Style
Like Less Like More
Apply decoration Jazz up
Proper Organization Ducks lined up
Have a party Gather friends and family
Inspiring
Tone of Voice
• The most “fun” and the most “difficult” to master
• Personality expressed in writing
• Changes with different content assets
• Changes with stages of the sales funnel
• Must embody your brand position
• Your Story
• Your Mission
• Your Goals
Weighting Tone of Voice
Authority Informative
Academic Friendly
Static Dramatic
Straight Forward Compelling
To the Point Animated
Feed the Brain Touch the Hart
Active Passive
Personal Objective
Personal Tone of Voice
Simon Cowell
No-nonsense approach, blunt statements, keen insight with opinions
Randy Jackson
Everyone’s friend, soft-sell approach, supportive insight, nice guy.
Paula Abdul
Warm, bubbly, never predictable, caring, motherly, heartfelt insight
4.) Requirements
• Brand Values
• Target Audience
• Voice and Tone
• Punctuation and Syntax
• Industry Jargon
• Style Selection
• Legal Requirements
Writing Style Guide
• Defines the fixed parameters of assignments
• Provides a strategy that can be agreed upon by all
• Contains all the relevant information in a single place
• Establishes the drivers for performance goals
• Gets writers, creative team members and employees on the same page
What form can a Writing Style Guide take?
• Simple 2 or 3 Page Form
• Branding Guide Addendum
• Whiteboard
• Task List
Who should be involved in creating it?
• Marketing Team
• Writer
• Designer
• Content Strategist: Someone that understand the real context that the work will exist
• Customer Service: Someone inside the mind of the reader or customer engaging with the work
Who should use it?
• Writers, Editors, Designer and Employees
A Writing Style Guide is not….
• Appropriate or necessary for simple content projects or assignments.
• A long summary of how great your company, products and/or services are and why they are better than the competition.
• An all-for-one document that applies to all your creative projects
Some rules for Writing Style Guides
• Every angle is different: Creative, Marketing, Customer
• Briefs can be organic, collaborative and inspirational, not overly directional, limiting or persuasive
• Try and write the brief for a creative writer, not your marketing manager
• Don’t express the hype, or believe the hype. Find deeper roots that speak to the needs of the reader or consumer, not marketing gibbon
• Have a consistent theme to the entire brief
• Let the personality of the consumer or reader shine through
• Use evocative, unexpected language that inspires creativity
“The only marketing
left is content
marketing.”
Seth Godin
Byron White, ideaLaunch
Chief Idea Officer
Twitter: @ByronWhite
Byron[at]ideaLaunch.com
Phone: 617-227-8800 x 201
Free 101 Content Marketing Tips Book
PDF Version Visit ideaLaunch.com/101