Why have a tone of voice?

In the course of our work, Equal Experts has plenty of opportunities to speak for itself. We write for a variety of channels, including our website, official social media channels, RFPs, presentations and more.

We have a Tone of Voice to ensure that we write in a consistent way across all these spaces – one that’s in keeping with our brand and our values.

What’s in a name?

Both aspects must come through in our writing – both in the content of what we say, and the language we choose to express it.

Making Software. Better.

Equal Experts’ proposition summarises what we’re here to do, and it tees up two key areas our writing needs to focus on:

• Better software – we highlight what better software actually means, for our clients and their customers
• Better processes – the way we go about making and delivering our software

When you’re writing something for Equal Experts, consider whether you’re addressing either (or both) of these points.

If you’re not? Reconsider what you’re writing.

So what is our tone of voice?

Equal Experts is…

• Authoritative
• Friendly
• Confident
• Straightforward
• Purposeful

Authoritative

Expertise is in our name, so we need to make sure we show it. We don’t make claims about what we’ve done without backing them up.

Always demonstrate the necessary detail (while taking care not to overdo it). Our content should feel like it has real meaning, just like our work.

Because our work achieves tangible results, we take the time to share what those results are whenever we can. We care about our work, and we take pride in it.

Friendly

Equal Experts is a friendly place, and we speak to the world in the same way; we’re not afraid to show our human side.

This means we write to external audiences in much the same way we’d speak among ourselves – relaxed, approachable, collegiate.

It also means gentle humour is welcome, when it naturally presents itself, is appropriate, and will be widely understood. Just remember we’re dealing with computers, not comedy.

Confident

We’re confident in our work – so much so, we’ve often been content to let it do the talking for us. Now it’s time to write about what we’ve been up to, we want to be clear about what we’ve achieved.

There’s no need to over-egg our claims; labour the point too much and we risk an unwanted whiff of arrogance. Better to engage our audience and leave them wanting more – with an easy way to continue the conversation – than anxiously over-explain ourselves.

Straightforward

Software development may not always be straightforward, but we are. We don’t muddy our message with terminology our audience is unlikely to understand, nor do we rely on acronyms and buzzwords without stopping to think about what we’re really trying to say.

At times, our writing will be intended for a highly technical audience, in which case we’re able to cover specialist topics in more depth. Be especially sure to talk to your audience on an equal footing when writing this kind of content – and if you’re unsure of any technical elements you’re writing about, be sure to run it past an expert (the company’s full of them, after all).

Purposeful

Equal Experts has a clear purpose – we exist to make better software. This sense of purpose should carry through into everything we do, including our writing. Before you start, always think about what point you’re really trying to make.

Once writing, get to the point. There’s room for a little colour – we’re friendly, remember – but too much preamble will not help your audience.

To keep your reader engaged, keep written content short and scannable. While the ideal length will change depending on the content at hand (and your intended audience), let’s not outstay