UX writing is a great chance to show your brand’s personality. I know when I’ve used products where there is well written and humourous copy, I remember it and I’m likely to keep interacting with the product.
Define your brand’s voice
First things first, let’s define what we mean by “brand voice.” Your brand voice is:
- the personality and tone of your brand
- how you want your customers to perceive you
- what sets you apart from your competitors.
Are you a fun and quirky brand? Or are you more serious and professional? Whatever it is, your brand voice should be consistent across all of your communication channels.
And that’s where UX writing comes in. UX stands for user experience, and UX writing is all about creating a seamless and delightful experience for your users through the words you choose. It’s not just about making things sound pretty, though. Good UX writing can help guide your users through your website or app, reduce confusion, and ultimately increase conversions.
Creating a strong brand voice through UX writing
Here are 6 tips to help create a strong brand voice:
- Know your brand inside and out
Before you can start writing in your brand voice, you need to know what that voice sounds like. Spend some time getting to know your brand’s personality and values. What do you stand for? What sets you apart from your competitors? Once you have a solid understanding of your brand, you can start to develop a voice that’s true to who you are.
- Be consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to brand voice. You don’t want your customers to be confused by conflicting messages. Make sure your brand voice is consistent across all of your communication channels, from your website to your social media accounts to your email newsletters.
- Use language that resonates with your target audience
Your brand voice should speak to your target audience. If you’re a hip, young start-up targeting millennials, your brand voice might be more casual and irreverent. If you’re a law firm targeting high-net-worth individuals, your brand voice might be more formal and professional. Think about the language and tone that will resonate with your target audience.
- Inject some personality
Your brand voice should have some personality. Don’t be afraid to inject some humour or quirkiness into your writing (if it fits with your brand, of course). A little bit of personality can make your brand more memorable and engaging.
- Use clear, concise language
Clear, concise language is important in any writing but especially in UX writing. Your users don’t want to spend time trying to decipher what you’re trying to say. Keep your writing simple and straightforward.
- Test, test, test
Finally, test your brand voice. See how your users respond to your writing. Are they confused? Bored? Delighted? Use this feedback to refine your brand voice and make it even stronger.
Not enough people test their copy. As a writer you should be used to receiving both positive and negative feedback. Negative feedback is not always fun to receive but it’s a great opportunity to improve the user experience. Testing lets us know if our content resonates with our consumer. Keep iterating until you have something that works for your user.
Learn more
Find out:
- The role of UX writing in creating a seamless user experience
- The importance of consistence in UX writing