The BrandExtract voice
Building a strong brand requires consistency in how we use our logo, color palette, typography, photography and every other visual element. The way we use language is just as important. In fact, think of our voice as yet another BE brand element.
We know that every BEer is an individual with a distinct personal style. We love that. It’s great to work in a place where we are free to express ourselves. Still, when communicating as BrandExtract, there are some guidelines we should follow to ensure our company messages are clear, cohesive and authentic.
Goals and Principles
When putting hands to keyboard, always keep the BE mission in mind – We inspire people to create, transform and grow. Thus, your communications should feel alive. They should educate, empower and incite action. Here are some ways to achieve this.
Write to relate
Write the same way you would talk to a familiar business colleague. Speak directly to the reader by using personal pronouns such as you, we and us. While writing, picture yourself delivering your message with a confident smile. In certain communications, a bit of playfulness may be appropriate, as long as you don’t step over into silly territory.
Use exclamation points sparingly. If you want to convey excitement, the words you choose in the sentence should do the job without needing the effusive punctuation.
So, what about emojis? (We knew you were going to ask.) There’s no denying that emojis have become ubiquitous in personal communications like emails, texts and chats. Even for us grown ups. In general, avoid using them with clients. But if your client contact loves using emojis, then feel free to reciprocate to build a closer bond. But let them break out the smiley face first.
Write to include
Always strive to make a personal connection to the reader in your communications. This means knowing your audience as much as possible. And in those cases when you don’t know everything about your audience, be careful about making assumptions in your writing. In even the smallest of word choices, bias can creep in.
One big example is gender bias. Avoid using gendered pronouns in common reference, especially when speaking of a profession. In fact, it’s best to structure your sentences to avoid pronouns altogether. For example:
"When a new CEO takes over, he usually has to address company culture first."
"Addressing company culture is usually job number one for an incoming CEO."
When you write anything representing BrandExtract, check it, edit it, then check it again. Take extra care to be cognizant of the potential impact of your words. We want to ensure every person we connect with feels seen, valued, respected and welcome.
Voice and Tone
Words have personalities. The words we choose in BrandExtract communications should always reflect our company’s individuality and distinct way of approaching the world. Think about it this way: If BrandExtract was a human, what would that person sound like? Well, a good place to start is our mission and values – the things we believe in – the things that set us apart from all others.
The BrandExtract Difference
Above all else, our communications must inspire belief. That means they must build trust by simultaneously exuding three traits. Our communications must be:
Smart
Our messaging should feel like a conversation among well-informed, well-spoken professionals. Our words must radiate expertise and leadership, but we don’t want to come across as overly formal or technical. We also want to be approachable. Don’t try to impress with big words and jargon, but don’t go too far in the other direction either by using slang and flippant language.
Here are some examples to help you find the right balance:
“Access tons of Tweet deets like @mentions and siq search results with BrandExtract’s social listening tools.”
“Analyze the sentiment of your Tweets with intentional, automated search queries using BrandExtract’s suite of enterprise listening capabilities.”
“Our social listening tools give you deeper insight into consumer sentiment on Twitter.”
Confident
When anyone reads our messaging, it should be clear that we know our stuff. Our communications should be assertive, clear and concise. Just be careful not to cross the line from confident into cocky. Look at your words carefully and make sure they’re not coming off as pretentious, arrogant or boastful. Keep your focus on the reader’s needs and interests and you will strike the right tone. Examples:
“We did it again. Yet another world-class responsive website for our customers.”
“We hope you’ll find our latest release helpful.”
“We heard your requests and are happy to announce new tools to help you.”
Compassionate
While our communications must be smart and confident, we should never lose sight of one of our core values: Act with heart. People are reading our messages because they need something – they have information gaps to fill and problems to solve. Our words should show that we feel their pain and we’re here to help them find solutions. The reader should feel the respect and empathy coming through in your words. Strive to connect on a personal level, without being overly familiar, apologetic or aggressive. Like this:
“Hold your horses will ya? We’re doing our best to get it back up and running.”
“We are so unbelievably sorry about this. Glitches are completely unacceptable.”
“It looks like we’re experiencing a temporary glitch. Please know we’re doing everything in our power to get the platform back up and running. Thanks for your patience.”
Our Communications Style
BrandExtract communications should be clear, credible, straightforward, optimistic and energized. These traits are why we employ the journalistic style as outlined in the Associated Press Stylebook. AP Style strikes the modern and progressive tone that exemplifies BrandExtract. When it doubt, consult the AP Stylebook itself, but here are a few common examples that come up often:
No Serial Commas:
We do not use a serial comma (also known as an Oxford comma) before the conjunction (and, or, etc.) when writing out a series of objects.
“BrandExtract inspires people to create, transform, and grow.”
“BrandExtract offers deep expertise in strategy, branding, marketing and digital.”
Numbers:
Write out numbers zero through nine. After that switch to numerals, 10, 12, 48, etc. Never begin a sentence with a numeral, including a year.
The Dreaded Trailing S:
The following words never end with an “s”: Toward, Forward, Backward, Upward, Downward.
That vs. Which:
These two sentence connectors are commonly misused. Use “that” with no comma when the rest of the sentence is vital to understanding the first part of the sentence. Use “which” with a preceding comma when you are adding to the original thought.
A brand assessment that utilizes data science provides clear insights.
We conducted a brand assessment, which showed us a clear path forward.
They vs. It:
Do not use “they” as a pronoun for a singular inanimate object, such as a company. Either restructure the sentence or use “it.”
When Millar hired BrandExtract, they were having an identity crisis.
When Millar hired BrandExtract, it was having an identity crisis.
When the leaders at Millar hired BrandExtract, they knew the company was having an identity crisis.
The Non Sequitur:
When you have multiple points to make in a piece of writing, resist the urge to connect unrelated points in the same sentence.
With more than 50 employees, BrandExtract helps its clients uncover new opportunities.
Born and raised in Vietnam, Nadia Tran is a true creative force.
