Your tone of voice
The key to recognition and credibility
Let's be honest: There's a million and a trillion people in the world that do what you do.* Yes, I know that's the last thing you want to hear, but that's reality. There's lot of competition, so how do you stand out? How do you get the customers to choose you over your competitors?
You do two things:
- You stand out with a unique tone of voice
- You become easy to recognise
How? Scroll along with me.
*Unless you of course do something really unique. Something that not even Google has heard of before.
Stand out with your tone of voice
Your tone of voice is your business' voice, how your business communicate with the rest of the world.
My business' tone of voice, for example, is informal. I write how I talk, which is why I use expressions like "a million and a trillion," "easy peasy," and funny bundle names. I want it to be easy to read along. And for you to feel like you're having a chat with a friend (how else am I meant to make English grammar seem interesting?).
Of course, there are industries and situations where "easy peasy" doesn't belong. Industries where "straightforward" is more appropriate. But you could also ask yourself:
If all lawyers use the same formal, distanced tone of voice, how do you stand out?
"By saying 'easy peasy'" probably isn't the answer, but in a world of "straightforward," how does your business stand out?
Get recognised
One thing, though, is standing out with a cool tone of voice, another thing is being consistent. That you don't write one way Monday morning when you're tired because... Well, it's Monday... And another way Friday afternoon when you're a full stop from shutting down your computer.
Because consistency is the key to getting recognised. The key to your customers getting to know your tone of voice, your business. And once they are familiar with those? They'll start choosing you over your competitors.
Because they know you. They trust you.
Your guide to your business' tone of voice
The best way to avoid a tone of voice that's all over the place is to have an overview of your writing style. It's that simple.
It's called a style guide and basically, it's an overview of your business that ensures that everything you write is written in the same tone of voice, using the same words, in the same font style and colours.
And then it's your dictionary, so any time you're not quite sure which words to avoid and what the font style is called, you just go to your style guide and look it up.
In other words: It'll make your life 100 times easier because you no longer have to:
- flick through 15 Post-it notes to find the font style and colour codes
- waste your time scrolling through Google for spelling conventions and grammar rules og grammatikregler
- spend money on getting a proofreader to tell you what your style guide could have told you.
Cool, right?
Get your own guide
Done blending into the crowd? Stand out with a unique tone of voice and guide to your business.
A style guide includes, among other things:
- Tone of voice
- Spelling conventions
British or American English, artifact or artefact, etc. - Numbers & dates
One thousand, 1,000, or 1000, 1st of January, 1 January, or 01.01. - Abbreviations
E.g., i.e., and approx. or for example, that is, and approximately - Punctuation
Oxford comma, double quotation marks, hyphenation, etc. - Typography
Font, colours, headings, text, etc.
Besides from that you also get:
- An initial 30–60 minute chat about your needs and goals before we get started.
- A 30–60 minute follow-up to make sure that you understand that guide and are happy with it.
Price for a complete guide: 7,600 DKK ex. VAT (25%).
FAQs about style guides
What's needed to make a style guide?
30–60 minutes of your time and a selection of documents. Once I've got those, you can just sit back and relax.
How does it work?
We have a chat about your needs and goals, after which you send me the documents we've selected, and then I get to work, on analysing and putting together your business guide. A few days after you've received the final guide, I'll give you a phone to make sure that you're happy with it.
Who's making the guide?
Hi! I'm Anne-Kathrine. I'm the nerd from school. I have an MA in English with Creative Writing and an MSc in Cultural and Creative Communication, and to top it all off, I have an accreditation in English grammar and proofreading. I didn't exaggerate when I said I was the nerd from school.
How did I end up here? Stalk away here.
Missing an answer to a question?
Send it here!
Do you need a taster before you commit?
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Poe | Proof & Edit
English proofreading, copywriting & translations
CVR DK43254790