Horses for courses
Why every university and college needs an original tone of voice
From Oxbridge institutions and Russell-Group red-bricks to the post-1992 trailblazers, UK universities are filled with academics who really know their stuff. However, writing content that will engage students and businesses demands a different approach to creating an academic masterpiece.
More and more higher education providers are discovering that choosing the right words has never been more important. That’s because projecting the right brand image in a competitive marketplace can make all the difference between filling courses and dropping them – or securing that all-important funding application.
Here are five top tips for planning a content strategy or writing a prospectus that speaks to your audience, not at them:
1. Know who you are
Are you deep into your heritage? Or proud to push the boundaries? Celebrated for your friendly undergraduate offering? Or focused on world-class research excellence? Every university has a unique personality that’s evolved around the institution, its people and location. Expressing what you stand for and the identity that brings those values alive is a crucial first step towards words that reflect that personality.
2. Understand your audiences
Perhaps you’re a popular first choice with students from your region? Or an international draw covering all corners of the globe? Many university communities are culturally diverse, with students whose first language may not be English, so need accessible, straightforward copywriting. And, just because you’re writing for a youth audience, doesn’t mean they’ll respond to ‘down with the kids’ phrases. Wherever possible, avoid ‘Dad cool’ copywriting.
3. Find your voice (and flex it)
It’s not enough just to tell everyone their writing should be (say) ‘punchy’, ‘purposeful’ and ‘professional’. You need to show them what good looks like through real-life before and after examples. And it’s important to illustrate how your voice will flex in different situations, for example dialling up and down for informative webpages, promotional emails, responsive social posts or attention-grabbing ad campaigns.
4. Get the message
What you say and how you say it are two different things. Agree your messaging first, involving academic teams closely if you need to. And establish a content writing workflow that will take into account both stakeholder wishes and those of any brand team whose job is to ensure consistency across the piece. Making process, scheduling and sign-off responsibilities clear from the start is crucial.
5. Train, listen, review, repeat
Establishing a tone of voice and copywriting process that works for your university isn’t a one-off exercise. It’s an ongoing project that requires good tone of voice training and communications for everyone who writes. Consider a system of ‘champions’ who can cascade the tone down through departments and teams. And regularly review your copywriting by asking audiences for their views. The proof of the pudding is in the reading – and of course your written content’s results.
If you’d like to know more, or share your own B Corp experience, please get in touch.
