Creating a VISUAL identity is a very powerful tool for brand building. But what about creating a VERBAL identity? Words. What you say?
In a digital world, words matter, a lot. ‘Content management’ systems and the sophistication of online ‘search’ means you’re not hamstrung by regulations. Search engines are hungry for NEW words. Whether in blogs, press releases, letters, websites or everyday communications, you’ve got to say things, clearly.
Your ‘tone-of-voice’ works if ALL your team use the same one. The internet has democratised the written word and EVERYONE now has the ability to interact verbally. This can be great, but it flags-up a lot of negatives. It means that members of your team whose natural forte isn’t the written word, sort of HAVE to use it now.
People are bored with lots of jargon and formality and the speed of digital communications has led to a much more direct style of writing. Unfortunately, this directness has led to bad things happening. Poor grammar, the dreaded ‘Americanizms’ in spelling and ‘keypad’ shortcuts developing, ‘2 get the message thru’…
We’re not advocating education in grammar or changing the use of the English language, we’re advocating creativity. More creative writing is more effective writing and we focus on abilities, allowing good writers to be more confident and less confident writers to use some simple tips and hints, stuff they can take and use straight away. We’re aiming to simplify. Less words, not more words.
By creating stories, we look at brand building by writing effective press releases, managing communications for every kind of ‘end-user’ and ‘stakeholders’. Everything.
