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![Byron White, ideaLaunch
Chief Idea Officer
Twitter: @ByronWhite
Byron[at]ideaLaunch.com âThe only marketing
Phone: 617-227-8800 x 201
left is content
marketing.â
Seth Godin
Free 101 Content Marketing Tips Book
PDF Version Visit ideaLaunch.com/101](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/20120726-webinar-style-guide-byronwhite-130205125221-phpapp01/75/Writing-Tone-Style-49-2048.jpg)
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Writing Tone & Style
This document summarizes a webinar about developing an effective writing style for content marketing. It discusses defining your brand position, understanding your target audience, establishing guidelines for tone of voice, adhering to requirements, and focusing on performance goals. It also introduces a Writing Style Wizard tool to help create a writing style guide that aligns content with your brand and gets everyone on the same page. The guide should define style parameters and drive goals while inspiring creativity.
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Writing Tone & Style
- 1. How to BringYour Brand To Life with Writing Style Content Marketing Webinar V33 Byron White Special Guests Chief Idea Officer Mike Roberts, President Spyfu ideaLaunch.com Casey Joseph, Casey Joseph Marketing @ByronWhite Boston, MA 617-227-8800
- 2. What is Developing Your Writing Style Content Marketing? Writing Style Wizard
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- 4. Itâs the artof listening to your customersâ wants and needs Search Box Social Media Web Analytics Keyword Popularity Customer Service Questionnaires Geo-Targeting
- 5. And the scienceof delivering it to them in a compelling way Articles Blogs Books eBooks RSS Feeds Printed Books Newsletters Videos Web Widgets
- 6. Itâs catching customersorbiting at high speeds Applet Desktop Events Information Portals Mobile Podcasts RSS Feeds Social Networks Video Portals
- 7. With information theywant and need Downloads Deals Geo-Targeted Offers Interest-Targeted Offers Send to Friend Re-Tweet Likes Loves Repeat Visitation
- 8. Itâs testing campaignsto learn what works best A/B Testing Multivariate Testing Eye Track Testing Segmentation Testing Geo Target Testing Usability Testing Content Testing
- 9. And finding themost efficient path to engagement and sales Score Engagement Qualify Lead Evaluate Intent Induce Trial Motivate Purchase Get the Sale Correlate Assets to Sale
- 10. Content Marketing isa Process and Workflow
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- 12. What is writingstyle? ⢠You can think of writing style as the personality expressed in writing. ⢠Draws on different elements like⌠⢠Tone of voice ⢠Use of punctuation ⢠Word choice ⢠Sentence length ⢠Abstract vs concrete imagery ⢠Develop a Writing Style Guide that becomes the framework for writing assignments ⢠Style Guides are typically developed by creative team members, content strategists and brand specialists. ⢠Style Guides are used by writers and employees as the gateway to communication and delivery of the brand promise.
- 13. Your writing styleneeds to⌠1.) Align with your Brand Position 2.) Aim at a Target Audience 3.) Offer a consistent Tone of Voice 4.) Adhere to Requirements, Specifications and Restrictions 5.) Deliver on Performance Goals
- 14. In the next20 minutes, Iâm going to⌠-- Walk you through those 5 steps -- Show you how writing style can bring your brand to life -- Give you a link to a new Writing Style Wizard that will: -- Save you lots of time -- Get your writers and team members on the same page -- Help achieve your quality and performance goals
- 15. 1.) Brand Position ⢠Well-identified, concise, articulate summary of the key factors that define your brand. ⢠Who are we? Company background. ⢠How are we different? Competitive distinction. ⢠What are our goals? Short- and long-term plans. ⢠How do we define ourselves? Our Mantra. ⢠How do we execute our Brand Position. Channel distribution.
- 16. Sample Brand Positions ⢠Recognition Aviva ⢠Celebrate Something Kayem Franks ⢠Expect Great Things Kohl ⢠Save Babies March of Dimes ⢠Think IBM ⢠Gourmet Fast Food Panera Bread
- 17. Sample Brand Position Webring prosperity and piece of mind to customers. And recognize customers as individuals, listening to their needs and circumstances The following words and phrases define who we areâŚ. ⢠Empathy ⢠Recognition ⢠Caring ⢠Customer Focused ⢠Listening ⢠Pro-Active
- 18. Cross Channel Distributionof Brand Position Content Asset Portfolio Employee Communication ⢠Articles ⢠Phone Greeting ⢠Blog Posts ⢠Email Correspondence ⢠Brochures ⢠Internal Memos ⢠Infographics ⢠Training Collateral ⢠Newsletters ⢠Sales Strategy ⢠Podcasts ⢠Employee Surveys ⢠Press Releases ⢠Slide Decks ⢠Social Media ⢠Surveys ⢠Webinars ⢠Workbooks ⢠Video
- 19. Brand Position Execution ⢠Answering the Phone How can I help you today? VS How may I direct your call? ⢠Email Correspondence Hi Byron VS To Whom it May Concern I will contact you soon VS Let me know if you need additional support ⢠Selling Strategy Our products are simply the best VS What is most important to you?
- 20. 2.) Target Audience ⢠Define your target audience in 500 words or less ⢠What are their circumstances? ⢠What are their wants and needs?
- 21. Theyâre Readers, notCustomers ⢠What do you know about your customers and readers? ⢠Source of Traffic ⢠Online Navigation pattern ⢠Most Popular Web Pages, Downloads or Content ⢠Number of readers or subscribers ⢠What motivates your customers? ⢠Incentives ⢠Offers ⢠Results
- 22. Reader Proficiency Level Helps to avoid talking up or down to readers, prospects and customers.
- 23. Reader Mindset Help get under the skin of the target audience so you can engage them.
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- 26. 3.) Writing Style Elements of Writing Style Roots of Writing Style ⢠Brand Values ⢠Language ⢠Diction ⢠Psychology ⢠Use of Punctuation ⢠Culture ⢠Syntax ⢠Metrics ⢠Word Choice ⢠Paragraph Length ⢠Abstract vs Concrete Imagery ⢠Industry Jargon
- 27. Sample Writing StyleSummary The tone of voice for all our copy should be: ⢠Clear and easy to follow: Keep things brief, and to-the-point. Use crisp language. Introduce the point, strip out the complication and lengthy clause. ⢠Engaging and surprising: Write with warm language as if you are talking to a friend. Bring a smile with clever use of ideas, analogies, aphorisms, quotations, current events, celebrity references or other ideas that might engage readers. ⢠Upbeat and encouraging. Speak to readers interest, goals and challenges. Use active voice and forward-looking statements. Present solutions to problems in a positive, informative manner.
- 28. Writing Styles Journalistic Headliner Broadcast Soft Sell Consultant Blog Academic Tech Wired Publicist Legal Simple Storytelling Social Melodramatic Objective Informal Groupie
- 29. Blog Writing Styles Insight Ambition Challenger Piggyback Life Brand Promotional Wingflap Announcement Link Video Photo Evangelist List Survey Thematic Guest Interview Event Live Response
- 30. Writing Style Barometer Straightforward Style Like Less Like More As quickly as possible Pronto In an emergency situation In a pinch Learn expert techniques Get the scoop Inspiring Like Less Like More Apply decoration Jazz up Proper Organization Ducks lined up Have a party Gather friends and family
- 31. Tone of Voice ⢠The most âfunâ and the most âdifficultâ to master ⢠Personality expressed in writing ⢠Changes with different content assets ⢠Changes with stages of the sales funnel ⢠Must embody your brand position ⢠Your Story ⢠Your Mission ⢠Your Goals
- 32. Weighting Tone ofVoice Authority Informative Academic Friendly Static Dramatic Straight Forward Compelling To the Point Animated Feed the Brain Touch the Hart Active Passive Personal Objective
- 33. Personal Tone ofVoice Simon Cowell No-nonsense approach, blunt statements, keen insight with opinions Randy Jackson Everyoneâs friend, soft-sell approach, supportive insight, nice guy. Paula Abdul Warm, bubbly, never predictable, caring, motherly, heartfelt insight
- 34. 4.) Requirements ⢠Brand Values ⢠Target Audience ⢠Voice and Tone ⢠Punctuation and Syntax ⢠Industry Jargon ⢠Style Selection ⢠Legal Requirements
- 35. 5.) Deliver onPerformance Goals
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- 41. Sales Influenced byContent Assets
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- 43. The Writing StyleWizard
- 44. Writing Style Guide ⢠Defines the fixed parameters of assignments ⢠Provides a strategy that can be agreed upon by all ⢠Contains all the relevant information in a single place ⢠Establishes the drivers for performance goals ⢠Gets writers, creative team members and employees on the same page
- 45. What form cana Writing Style Guide take? ⢠Simple 2 or 3 Page Form ⢠Branding Guide Addendum ⢠Whiteboard ⢠Task List Who should be involved in creating it? ⢠Marketing Team ⢠Writer ⢠Designer ⢠Content Strategist: Someone that understand the real context that the work will exist ⢠Customer Service: Someone inside the mind of the reader or customer engaging with the work Who should use it? ⢠Writers, Editors, Designer and Employees
- 46. A Writing StyleGuide is notâŚ. ⢠Appropriate or necessary for simple content projects or assignments. ⢠A long summary of how great your company, products and/or services are and why they are better than the competition. ⢠An all-for-one document that applies to all your creative projects
- 47. Some rules forWriting Style Guides ⢠Every angle is different: Creative, Marketing, Customer ⢠Briefs can be organic, collaborative and inspirational, not overly directional, limiting or persuasive ⢠Try and write the brief for a creative writer, not your marketing manager ⢠Donât express the hype, or believe the hype. Find deeper roots that speak to the needs of the reader or consumer, not marketing gibbon ⢠Have a consistent theme to the entire brief ⢠Let the personality of the consumer or reader shine through ⢠Use evocative, unexpected language that inspires creativity
- 48. The Writing StyleWizard WriterAccess.com/style-guide-wizard
- 49. Byron White, ideaLaunch ChiefIdea Officer Twitter: @ByronWhite Byron[at]ideaLaunch.com âThe only marketing Phone: 617-227-8800 x 201 left is content marketing.â Seth Godin Free 101 Content Marketing Tips Book PDF Version Visit ideaLaunch.com/101