Plain-speak and personality in business copywriting

Recent years have seen a lot of change around how businesses express their written voice. Due in part to everyday language evolving, but also reflecting societal change. 

Partners in law firms stopped wearing ties years ago and there is a more casual dress code among many corporate teams. Changing times have also seen a gradual shift to less formal language across business communications. The need for brevity brought about by the digital age has also had an influence.

 Of course, the fundamentals of grammar will always be important, but so is ‘how’ an organisation’s message is conveyed. While the days of using ‘whilst and wherefore’ to sound ‘professional’ are gone there can still be a tendency to fall back on bland ‘business speak’ clichés and unnecessarily formal language.

 I’m definitely a champion of the more ‘plain-speak’ approach. Likewise, giving ourselves permission to break a few rules if it serves a purpose. It’s not uncommon to see sentences or even paragraphs starting with ‘and, but or because’ these days. Likewise, the use of short, snappy sentences is more common.

 When it comes down to it, ensuring copy expresses the appropriate ‘brand personality’ and is easily understood is as important as rigidly adhering to the grammar textbook. Striking the right balance to ensure effective communication is the important thing.

A case in point

Several years ago I led a project for one of the better known law firms to develop an organisational Purpose (also used as a strapline) along with a concise Brand Story and a supporting set of Values. We also developed Written Tone of Voice Guidelines. This provided the framework for internal and external communications, and more differentiated marketing. It also underpinned the firm’s EVP (employer value proposition) work, both in attracting good people and for focusing its already healthy internal culture. The project was a success and delivered results that surprised the in-house cynics (there were a few to start with).

 During the process I facilitated workshops with the board, partners and other staff. We began these with a simple exercise that was both a bit of fun and a catalyst for the discussions that followed. On screen I showed the About Us text taken from their website and those of five competitors. This copy was presented as plain text. Names were removed, as were logos, colours and brand graphics.

 While there were some well-informed guesses, no one in any of the meetings was able to identify which competitor was which. Scarily, almost no one could confirm which About Us story was from their own website.

Why?

Because they all said the same thing, wrapped in standard clichés and long winded, overly formal business speak. Each firm claimed to be among the biggest, oldest and most professional, whatever professional means in this context. All of them trumpeted the fact they offered some of the most experienced legal specialists in the country (go figure). The only real differentiator was that some could claim specific sector expertise.

This combination of no unique messaging wrapped in dull, vanilla copy expressed zilch personality. It certainly didn’t reflect the enthusiasm, character or personality of the people in the meetings.

So what’s my point?

We can all tell when a magazine feature, news article or book (whether it’s online or not) is engaging - we don’t get bored and stop reading. Obviously the content and story are at the heart of this. In the example above, defining the firm’s unique  purpose and ‘brand story’ gave them a potent differentiator given the competitive landscape at the time. But ‘how’ it was written and how all other communications were written from that point forward was also key.

For any company large or small this can encompass everything from the website to an annual report. From a recruitment ad or PowerPoint sales deck to the client Christmas card. All communication touchpoints matter. Just as the copy across them should reflect how you want your brand to be perceived. In this context ‘brand’ means your reputation not what your logo or homepage looks like.

Maybe it’s time have a look at your current written communications. Do they project the right personality? Are they overly formal, bland or dry? Are they engaging and easy to read?

If not, perhaps you should lift the bonnet and do some fine tuning.

Forthwithly.