Brand Voice
The Sound of Our Brand
Voice is the constant, distinctive personality that projects from our writing. It is consistent throughout every piece of content that we publish.
Our voice is tied to the words that we use to express our brand, but it's more about how we say something than what we say. It's reflected in the attitude, cadence and style of our written communications. Voice can be compared to a music group's overall sound. When you hear a song, you can identify the band based on its distinctive sound.
At East Texas A&M, our brand voice should reflect the university's brand personality. Brand personality refers to how our brand is personified with a set of human traits and characteristics. We have adopted a “hero” personality, which means we are brave, confident, strong and supportive. We also identify as “average Joes” who are friendly and helpful. Our brand voice should reflect these personality traits.
Personality Keywords that Influence Tone
When you write university-branded materials, consider the following words that reflect our brand’s personality. Doing so will help you adopt a tone that accurately reflects our university’s brand.
- DETERMINED: persistent, relentless, unwavering
- HEROIC: self-sacrificing, bold, protective
- BRAVE: courageous, selfless, fearless
- CONFIDENT: sure, decisive, optimistic
- PROUD: independent, dignified, uplifting
- DRIVEN: ambitious, goal-oriented, motivated
- COMPETITIVE: achiever, self-controlled, prepared
- STRONG: powerful, tough, sturdy
- SUPPORTIVE: invested, compassionate, encouraging
- DISCIPLINED: educated, self-controlled, prepared
- FOCUSED: undistracted, dedicated, alert
- AMBITIOUS: aspiring, seeking, hopeful
Writing with Purpose
While our writing needs to inform, assist and direct our readers, it serves an even greater purpose: to inspire and empower them. When people read our content, we want them to feel moved. We want to spark an emotion inside them that leads to action.
When you’re writing, refrain from:
bland or boring messages
unsupported claims
long-winded explanations
unrelatable descriptions
Be sure to:
incorporate emotive words in your writing when appropriate
plug in applicable data to support your statements
provide tangible resources for readers
offer real testimonies
Writing Best Practices
While an expansive vocabulary is a great quality, try to rein in complex words that make your writing seem unnatural and non-conversational.
We will laud Dr. Smith at next week’s commemorative ceremony for his allegiance to higher education.
We will honor Dr. Smith at next week’s ceremony for his dedication to higher education.
The audience is “you.” East Texas A&M is “we.” If you are publishing content on behalf of the university, refer to yourself as “we” instead of “I.” For example, you might be the only person physically writing the material at hand, but we, as a university, stand behind your message.
I want you to join our pride.
Students are encouraged to join our pride.
We want you to join our pride.
Your audience may be new to the university experience or may not be experts in your field. Phrase the information so that it is relatable and understandable.
To prepare for her teaching career, Jane studied TEKS.
To prepare for her teaching career, Jane studied the state’s standards for public education, known as TEKS.
In active voice, the subject performs the action stated by the verb. This results in a sentence that is more interesting and succinct.
The play was enjoyed by the guests.
The guests enjoyed the play.
Sometimes, lots of words can muddle the message you are trying to send. Use a “less is more” approach to clearly state your points.
If you arrive early before the performance is due to start, feel free to relax and enjoy the lakeside pavilion for a while before the performance begins at 9 p.m.
If you arrive early, feel free to relax in the lakeside pavilion until the performance begins at 9 p.m.
Don't write as casually as you would if you were texting a close friend, but do speak in a friendly and conversational way to your intended audience. Use correct grammar, yet sound approachable, friendly and down to earth.
If you are interested in attending East Texas A&M University, please attend a campus tour.
We want you to join our pride! Schedule an online tour and discover Lion life. We'll see you soon.
Heavy blocks of text can be overwhelming, hard to read and intimidating. Keep your audience engaged by using bullets and subheads for easy scanning.
To register for the event, please go to hwfj-art.com, click on the registration page, open the form, complete all required fields, then send your completed form to Jane Smith. To complete the registration form, you need your personal information, two forms of contact information, an emergency contact and your t-shirt size.
To register for the event:
- Go to hwfj-art.com
- Click on the registration page
- Complete the form
- Send the completed form to Jane Smith
To complete the form, you will need:
- Personal information
- Two forms of contact information
- An emergency contact
- Your t-shirt size
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Contact Us
- Office of Marketing and Communications
- 903.886.5128
- [email protected]
- Binnion Hall, 140
- 1500 Education Drive
- Commerce, TX 75428