Are sure your brand is saying what it intends to say? Are you sure it’s saying what it needs to say? Why does your language matter so much? What you say tremendously affects the way people feel about you. That’s why.
Language direction is the key to emotional response guiding
Think about, let’s say, Netflix. How do you expect people feel when they think about Netflix? Or about Apple? Or about Facebook? When they consider Netflix they probably sense a safe environment, where everything is made for their calm entertainment. It’s like being in a relaxing, friendly room. We’re not talking about the fact that Netflix is, in fact an entertainment company. We’re talking about the fact that, when you decide to enter Netflix (aka getting yourself a subscription), you know exactly what will be required from you: sit, and watch. They won’t ask you for more money along the journey. You can browse, see, stop, replay. Amazon Prime Video, on the other hand, proposes “rent or buy” additional options (even if the subscription fee is lower). This means that, when you enter your Prime account, the variables are multiple: you could also incur in the very (always) painful experience of having to spend money. The Netflix user experience is based on comfort, thus is a closed system (Steve Jobs would have praised these guys).
And now, time for some SEO: copywriting, brand consultancy, strategy. Also: equity mapping, positioning, visual identity design, qualitative research.
Thank you guys, we really appreciate you bearing with us while we try to position our new-born website.
Going back to our business (I know what you’re thinking: “You’re undermining your own article’s user experience!” In fact I am. But I am continuously speaking with you, making you feel part of it, explaining what happens. And let you have a little laugh. I am making you, all users, active parts of this article. Because you are and will be active part in Remida’s success).
Ehm yes, so, going back to our business: how do people feel when they consider or buy Apple? They feel like touching an incredible story. They feel they are constructing their own future (remember the great “Think Different” commercials?). They feel a glimpse of Apple’s genius founder upon themselves (and that’s why even now, that Steve is painfully gone and that Apple’s products are a long shot far from what they used to be, even now their market shares hesitate to diminish).
What do people feel when they think about Microsoft? They feel nothing. That’s an utility product, not a brand. And probably, the very few users that perceive Microsoft indeed as a brand, have a not so positive this-thing’s-full-of-bugs opinion of it.
How do people feel about Facebook? Contrasted feelings: "yeah it used to be cool, but I am not sure I can trust it"… "I am totally sure I cannot trust it"… "Useful to find chicks to go out with in 2012 but now kinda useless"… And so on. That’s why dear Mark tried to change its name, but honestly I don’t believe it's going to be a successful try. (Mark, if you’re reading this, feel free to email me at lisa@remidastudio.com and you’ll be sure your email finds me extremely well).
We spoke widely about user experience, true, but what about language?
Of course, the language you use, your tone of voice and your copywriting style are the most direct forms of communication between you and your clients. Everything you do, the services you propose, the images you choose, literally everything builds up on how you make your clients feel. But nothing, nothing has a higher impact than the verbal manifestation directed towards them. Think about the iPhone’s presentation web pages: it’s all about you and what you can do with that “phone”. Or else, think about your latest phone billing: in the first case you feel like a pioneer who has just seized the most powerful weapon on earth. On the other hand, you just feel like a “vache à lait”, someone who exists only for giving “them” money. Think about a meeting: what you wear and how you move will certainly have an impact, but nothing is going to impact as much as what you have to say. It’s so simple it seems trivial. But again, think about your company website: do you dare to “tutoyer” the client? Or you do say “the company does this and that”? Do you use “we” while speaking about it? Will you say “thanks” or ask questions? How do you open an email? And how do you close it?
This is where it gets tricky. This is where a language direction comes handy. To map, guide, and unleash the potential of all your brand’s manifestations.
