Give your organization a face
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 7:01 am
The form of address that suits your brand
The choice for you or jij in the communication with the target group is a crucial part of designing and using your tone of voice . Many internet professionals think that it is best to say je and jij – at least online – but that is a bit too simplistic. Moreover, it is not a question of right or wrong. It is about what best suits the image and what is most effective for the organization. The opinion and wishes of the target group naturally play an important role in this, but there are more factors. If you answer the questions below, you will arrive at a well-considered choice.
1. Who are you?
There it is again: your brand identity. This is at the top when it comes to designing your tone of voice and therefore also when choosing between you and jij. Is your organization hip and flashy? Then it is hospital email address list easy. Do not continue with question 2, but just say je and jij on your website and in all your other expressions. And can you already say that your brand is very exclusive and posh or very businesslike and formal? Then you do not have to answer the rest of the questions, but you neatly say u everywhere.
With most brands or organizations, it is more nuanced. They are not always very dynamic, but also not extremely conservative all the time. It is somewhere in between. Sometimes it leans more to one side, sometimes to the other. How do you choose then? It helps to give your organization a 'face'. And of course that face also includes a voice. Think of someone who speaks on behalf of the company. This could be the director or another important figure within the organization, but you can also choose a celebrity or create a persona, just like you do for your target group.
A persona for your brand
This persona is therefore a personification of the brand, just as a buyer persona is a fictional representative of your target group. You know what he (or she) looks like, what background he has, what books he reads, how old he is and what he finds important. If you have a good and complete picture of that, you also know what his voice sounds like, what words he uses and what sounds more natural: you or jij. Such a brand persona is especially a powerful tool if you communicate with different writers or departments on behalf of the same brand. If everyone has the same character in mind while writing, it is much easier to all use the same tone of voice.
The choice for you or jij in the communication with the target group is a crucial part of designing and using your tone of voice . Many internet professionals think that it is best to say je and jij – at least online – but that is a bit too simplistic. Moreover, it is not a question of right or wrong. It is about what best suits the image and what is most effective for the organization. The opinion and wishes of the target group naturally play an important role in this, but there are more factors. If you answer the questions below, you will arrive at a well-considered choice.
1. Who are you?
There it is again: your brand identity. This is at the top when it comes to designing your tone of voice and therefore also when choosing between you and jij. Is your organization hip and flashy? Then it is hospital email address list easy. Do not continue with question 2, but just say je and jij on your website and in all your other expressions. And can you already say that your brand is very exclusive and posh or very businesslike and formal? Then you do not have to answer the rest of the questions, but you neatly say u everywhere.
With most brands or organizations, it is more nuanced. They are not always very dynamic, but also not extremely conservative all the time. It is somewhere in between. Sometimes it leans more to one side, sometimes to the other. How do you choose then? It helps to give your organization a 'face'. And of course that face also includes a voice. Think of someone who speaks on behalf of the company. This could be the director or another important figure within the organization, but you can also choose a celebrity or create a persona, just like you do for your target group.
A persona for your brand
This persona is therefore a personification of the brand, just as a buyer persona is a fictional representative of your target group. You know what he (or she) looks like, what background he has, what books he reads, how old he is and what he finds important. If you have a good and complete picture of that, you also know what his voice sounds like, what words he uses and what sounds more natural: you or jij. Such a brand persona is especially a powerful tool if you communicate with different writers or departments on behalf of the same brand. If everyone has the same character in mind while writing, it is much easier to all use the same tone of voice.