Brand voice is what we say and how we say it, which covers content, message, tone and style.
Our brand voice should be consistent from department to department, as though one writer created all of our materials. When we write, we want to incorporate these elements:
- First person voice (we, our)
- Active voice (the subject is the doer of the act)
- Simple and direct; delete excess words
- Professional, but not too formal or technical (unless the audience or topic requires it)
- Sincere; tell stories whenever possible to connect with people on a personal level
- Conversational, “business casual”
- Approachable, friendly
- Collaborative; seek feedback, when appropriate
Our voice
Brand voice is what we say and how we say it, which covers content, message, tone and style.
Characteristics of our brand voice
As you write, keep these brand characteristics in mind:
- Energetic and optimistic: Be upbeat, enthusiastic, inspirational. Example words: Buckeye Spirit, lifechanging, inspiring
- Concise: Don’t add unnecessary details; use simple language.
o Instead of this: The team’s faculty advisor who oversaw their efforts was Old McDonald, the Director of Farm Services at the OSU Wexner Medical Center.
o Say this: Old McDonald Dial, director of Farm Services at the Wexner Medical Center, was the team’s faculty advisor. - Spark a conversation: Tell them something they don’t know, and include information that people can relate to and avoid words and phrases every hospital could say. Example words: Never before, first in the country, rare achievement
- Approachable: Helpful, customer service, friendly. Example words: Please, if you need more information, happy to assist
- Honest, authentic and transparent: Humble; prove with facts rather than bragging. Example words: Accomplishment, achieve, successfully, ability to offer
- Action-oriented: Leave the reader with the desire to do something or to take an action. Example words: For more information, read more, attend, call
- Compassionate: Patient, kind, relatable. Example words: Responsibility to help, duty to care for, opportunity to treat
- Conversational: Use common contractions. Examples: doesn’t, we’ll, won’t, wouldn’t. Don’t use “who’re” as a contraction for “who are.”