Brand guide / Our story

icon-toneofvoiceTone of Voice

But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings.

The Techstep tone of voice

Our tone of voice can help make us the brand we want to be, showing the world we’re different from other mobile tech businesses. So getting the tone right and making sure it shines through in everything we do really matters.

This short guide is designed to help everyone who writes for Techstep to achieve the right tone of voice and keep it consistent.

We’re passionate about positive change

For us that means freeing people up to work in smarter ways, making them happier and more productive employees. Equally importantly, it’s about using and managing tech in ways that make work more sustainable for all our futures.

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Passionate

We’re passionate about what we do and we shouldn’t be afraid to let it show. Enthusiasm is always contagious when it’s genuine, so let’s bring our passion to the fore, communicating with energy, using active words. By being positive and confident in a marketplace that can be confusing, Techstep will feel like a breath of fresh air.

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Positive

What generally prevents organisations from adopting mobile technologies is fear of complexity. At Techstep we have the expertise to simplify complex challenges around integration, device management and software. With us, getting us to the standardised, robust solutions your business needs to grow and flourish is straightforward.

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We’re all about solutions not problems. Because we’re not cold and corporate but real human beings who care about delivering the very best for our customers. So when you write remember you’re really just a person talking to a person. Think of them as a friend and try to be natural.

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A Smarter Tone of Voice

Here’s a quick checklist you can use to make sure your writing fits the Techstep tone.

Passionate

  • Does it grab the reader’s attention?
  • Is it confident and inspiring?
  • Does it use simple, active words?

Positive

  • Is the focus on the reader and what’s in it for them?
  • Are we offering real solutions to their problems?
  • Is there a warm, upbeat attitude?

Direct

  • Is it easy to understand for a non-expert?
  • Is it clear and succinct?
  • Is it jargon-free?

Our tone of voice at a glance

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Guidance

A few handy tips to help you on your way…

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Be clear.

Avoid complex words and jargon. Let’s make everything as easy as possible to understand.

Go for short, simple words

They cut through much quicker and connect to deeper feelings; See, do, play, learn, love. Plus making things complicated just wouldn’t be the Techstep way.

Use the active voice

‘Everyone loves the freedom they get with Techstep’ (active voice) is much better than ‘The freedom they get with Techstep is loved by everyone’ (passive voice).
 

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Make it positive

Why say ‘no postage charge’ when you can say ‘free postage’? Positive is usually shorter too which is doubly better.

Not too many exclamation marks

Try to convey excitement through the words you use rather than punctuation. If you need an exclamation mark that’s fine but never more than one together!

Read it out loud

This is a great way to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Yes, you might feel a bit silly but not as silly as you will if your work goes out full of blunders.