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Bringing an Authentic Executive Voice to Your Communications

@frame_nation

linkedin.com/in/susanneframe

Susanne Frame

Director, Global Content ExperienceScotiabank Digital Factory

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How I got here – from employee communications to all types of content

Book publishing Trade magazine Employee

communications

Digital content

strategy, frameworks

and style

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Brand Belonging – a new study from IBM iX

Download the report

Listen to the podcast

Learn more about Brand Belonging

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This was my childhood

A little Dawson’s Creek Some Breakfast Club My social media

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This is our world now

The average consumer

is exposed to

10,000brand messages per

day.

Attention spans have dropped from 12 to

8 SECONDS over

the last 15 years.

Consumers switchbetween screens up

to

21 TIMESper hour.

40% of

18–24 year olds share they’ve

NEVER FELT AN EMOTIONAL

CONNECTIONwith a brand or

business.

55% of consumers

would

PAY MOREfor a better customer

experience.

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Building belonging works

But brands can build that sense of belonging.

And the ones who are doing this are seeing results.

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Cultivating Brand Belonging has a significant business impact. 3

The study showed top Brand Belonging performers grew revenue over six years at

Xthe rate of lower-performing brands.

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Brand Belonging is predictive of sales and growth

2%PER YEAR.

1Increasing Brand Belonging can grow revenue up to

0%1Top-performing brands gained market share of up to

OVER A THREE-YEAR PERIOD.

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And predictive of other key marketing measures

8%HIGHER RATE

Top-performing brands have an

in purchase funnel conversion.

9%

Top-performing brands are

MORE LIKELYto be recommended than lower performing brands.

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Who’s doing this well?

1

Apple

2

Amazon

3

PBS

4

Disney

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Chevrolet

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AmazonPrime

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USAA

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Ford

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Harley-Davidson

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Honda

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Tesla

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Marriott

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Subaru

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AARP

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Toyota

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REI

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Google

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Netflix

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Lego

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Lincoln

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Sabra

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Facebook

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Jeep

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Airbnb

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Hilton

The top 25 Belonging Brands

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Brands are creating belonging through six traits

Activated Purpose

Compelling Relationship

Empathic Innovation

Trustworthy Excitement

Everyday Enrichment

Empowered Community

Brands are creating

belonging through six

traits

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Brand Belonging is for employees, too

You can’t build a brand without your biggest advocates.

Your employees

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How can an executive make me feel like I belong?

Provide the bigger

picture

Help me understand

why we’re going in a

certain direction –

drop the jargon and be

clear!

Be a real person and

speak like a human –

not like the

corporation

Give me confidence in

our business

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Don’t just accentuate

the positive – where

did we go wrong?

Get to know me Tell me some stories

about your life

Earn my trust

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Have a real

conversation with me

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The fragmented world of employee communications

How do you help employees feel like they belong?

That’s if you can reach me.

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Here’s the one major problem today

Subject line: 1Q Performance Results

Earlier today, Janet King, Senior Vice President, posted a video blog on our intranet – her point of view on front office transformation and the role of collaboration. Now, Janet and her leadership team want to hear your ideas on how we unlock new growth and become the most essential provider of high-value services to these new client decision makers.

Why would I read this? When I’d rather read this.

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Executive communications need a voice to stand out

Our performance in the quarter continued to show progress.

To be considered for promotion, you need to complete the validation package.

As part of his role, Dave will lead the creation of a new client-focused program that will broadly leverage the power of our team.

Our differentiation in the marketplace is becoming clear.

These are just a few examples of how we are uniquely positioned to help clients realize their growth agendas.

Without a distinct voice in your communications, everything will sound the same.

Does this sound familiar?

Our topic for today

HOW TO CREATE EXECUTIVE COMMUNICAITONS THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO READ (EASY!)

AND THEN GET YOUR EXECUTIVE ON BOARD WITH YOUR APPROACH (NOT SO EASY!)

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VOICE AND TONE IS THE NEW LOOK AND FEEL*

*I can’t remember where I saw this on Google, but I agree with it. BIG TIME!

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STEP 1Identify your executive’s brand

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Your voice creates/reflects the personality of your brand

We are a technology company that offers:• Blockchain• Cloud• Cognitive and quantum computing• IT Infrastructure• Internet of Things• Research• Security

We put smart to work – we are:• Agile• Creative• Design-led• Digital• Human• Inclusive• Modern

Who are you? Who do you want to be?

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Voice gives you an identity

Without a defined voice, your content can be…

SAFE

B O R I N G

BLAND

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

FORGETTABLE

Which #cloud strategy you adopt – and how you implement it – can be a deciding factor in accelerating business results.

We had a great time at #WOBINYC! Let's continue the conversation and reimagine your business together.

Ushering in the era of #QuantumComputingand the possibilities in store.

Join us today to learn how #AI helps shoppers find the perfect product or service.

Go, go, go! #MondayMotivation

The biggest offender? Corporate accounts on Twitter

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Voice helps you stand out

With a defined voice, your content can be…

BOLD

C O N F I D E N T

ADDICTIVE

DISTINCT

MEMORABLE

I am living for this @RGA Twitter account!

Find out more about this guy in No Country

for ‘Cool Dads’: Meet the Man Behind

R/GA’s Twitter Account

Let’s find out –Who is your boss?!

Before you can write like a boss…

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Design Thinking helps us develop empathy for our users and understand their emotion and pain points.

When we understand our user, executive or audience, we can create great content.

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Your tools for today

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Let’s warm up!

Take two minutes to design a bridge.

Take two minutes to design a better wayfor people to enjoy getting from one side to

the other.

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Exercise 1: Empathy Maps (15 minutes)

Empathy maps help us understand the perspective of our users – and build empathy for them.

Before writing for an executive, it’s good to see communications from their perspective – not just ours.

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Executive empathy mapping

DOES

THINKS

FEELS

What’s your

executive saying?

What’s your

executive doing?

What’s your

executive thinking?

What’s your

executive feeling?

Joan Maplewood

COO, Donuts International

DOES

THINKSSAYS

FEELS

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Executive empathy mapping

DOES

THINKS

FEELSJoan Maplewood

COO, Donuts International

DOES

THINKSSAYS

FEELS

What do they say or need to say to others? How do they speak?

QuotesWhat do they think about the situation? What is their world view?

Expectations & Reactions

What do they do to get their job done?

ActionsHow does this person feel about their job?

Values

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The DisruptorConfident and exciting with

a long list of goals to

accomplish. He’s here to lead

the revolution and become

famous while he’s at it.

The Nice GuyMild-mannered and low-key.

His steady hand steers the

ship but not everyone knows

who the captain is.

The Old School Tough and demanding because

her rise to the top was a long

series of overcoming obstacles

and proving herself ten times

a day.

Let’s work on three executive personas

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Playbacks and discussion (5 minutes for each persona)

Have someone in your group walk us through the main ideas and insights

from your persona.

What does a great voice sound like?

Time to start writing the story!

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STEP 2Find inspiration in both writing and design

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Voice is not just for text – it also influences design

Elegant, clean, modern, understated Fun, playful, warm, community-focused

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Voice should reflect your brand, values and purpose

These guys nailed it with clear, plain language and beautiful,

clean design!

Read more about the team behind the brand! Wealthsimple Is

Aiming For U.S. Millennial Investors With Creativity And No BS

Don’t read your in-flight magazine? You do when you fly Porter!

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Your voice should be everywhere – from your lip balm to your chatbot

Glossier’s voice is consistent across everything they create – their website, product descriptions,

email confirmations – every detail is covered.

Shipping box Back of their lip balm Website and customer emails

“I am genuinely interested in what executives have to say, and then get bored quickly when I realize it’s not in their

voice.”

One of my teammates on the struggle with employee and executive communications at IBM (and this guy is a highly

engaged employee!)

Voice gives your content authenticity

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Voice keeps everyone readingThe greatest struggle for any corporate communicator? Getting people’s attention – these days, it’s truly a fight

for employees’ time.

Subject line: Share the news - Shifting focus from maintenance to innovation Subject line: Look What Hatched! Northern iXposure 2016 Year in Review

Zzzz…zzzz…wake me when this generic content is over.

Now that’s a newsletter with a bold, confident voice!

How do you identify your executive voice?

(or, for some of us, give it an upgrade?)

Identifying/re-inventing your voice

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Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts.

A durable voice takes time!

You have to train it, test it and put in practice

every day.

No pain, no gain!

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Check out the competition – or companies you just like

See what’s going on across all platforms – websites, LinkedIn content, mobile apps,

Instagram stories, Twitter, etc.

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Listen to your employees, readers and customers

Is another department doing some cool stuff? Save it and study it! See how they’re trying to communicate to their teams.

What are employees talking about on Slack? And what’s the tone of voice that gets the most engagement?

Comb through the comments on your intranet or website to hear how people are talking. Is there something that’s worked in the past? Keep track of examples that connect with your readers.

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Look for other content you enjoy

Anything from The Ringer, but in particular, the Jam Session podcastwith Amanda Dobbins and Juliet Litman. House of Carbs is also solid!

Use Instagram to help you practice your one-liners! @beigecardigan and @mytherapistsays always have some excellent memes.

Just trust me on this one. The new S.W.A.T. does a good job in creating suspense. The Flash is a close second!

I’m also a big fan of email newsletters from Big Spaceship, InVision, Klick Health, Boagworld, Daphne-Gray Grant, Copyblogger and Chatbots Magazine.

Branch out! My inspiration for good content comes from a variety of sources) – advertising, podcasts, bloggers, YouTubers, social content from my friends and a lot of TV. As Hondo says, stay liquid!

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Jeff Bezos Satya Nadella The Queen!

Check out other executives you admire

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Pay attention to your leadership team

They think I’m just taking selfies for the newsletter, but I’m secretly taking notes on our mobile strategy.

Office parties are the perfect time to catch up with our Salesforce leader and the latest client success stories!

It’s the holidays! No better time to talk about the ROI of social media than with my communications mentor, Catherine.

Warning: employee communications is a 24/7 job. I’m always listening for the most interesting story angle. See below!

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Chose one of our three executive personas

and edit or make suggestions on how you

might approach this piece differently.

Exercise 2: Let’s write? Nah. Let’s edit! (15 minutes)

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What persona did you choose? And what’s your

approach to their content?

Bonus points! What’s your pitch to the executive to

adopt this new approach and style?

Let’s hear your ideas! (15 minutes)

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The big reveal! (Not really…)

Those personas are from the executives I wrote for in the last couple of years. Here’s how I won them over (and got

people to read their messages).

The Disruptor The Nice Guy The Old School

Short sentences with controversial statements that got him noticed: “we need to be bolder, we need to move

much, much faster.” He loved it and it achieved the results he

wanted.

He was all about the team –never himself. I just decided that people should know the

kind of smart yet selfless leader he is. This content had

a bold vision, but was still warm and funny.

Kept it formal, focused and to the point. I also increased the frequency to help build more visibility for her. Big

win? Sneaking in a couple of contractions!

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STEP 3Now write your way to a distinct executive voice

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My two non-scientific approaches – ease in or go for it!

Take this approach if…

• you’re in a more conservative industry (insurance,

government, academia, etc.)

• previous content has been pretty formal

• your audience is external clients

Take this approach if…

• you’re in a creative industry – or a company that

wants to transform itself and its image (like IBM!)

• you’re communicating to employees

• you’re writing for yourself – blogs and any updates

on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter

EASE INGO

FOR IT!

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I went for the “ease in” approach

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But got bolder with each issue

If your executive asks why you’re doing this kind of content, just tell them offering a variety of content

is similar to any print newspaper or magazine. Works every time!

Pro tip! If you want to try something fun, mix it in with your business content.

And start to write your business stories in a more casual, conversational voice.

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In the meantime, I was practicing my voice

Look for safe ways to exercise your developing voice. Trying writing internal blogs just for you – not your executive.

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I also practiced my own voice on social media

Even on LinkedIn, you should add personality

to your content. Many companies are way too

conservative with their content. You want me

to read it? Go for it!

Mix up your content on Twitter. It shouldn’t just be

a firehose of whitepapers and quarterly reports

written in a wooden voice.

Instagram is a great place to

show the people and

personality of your organization.

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Look for ways to add fun, life and personality to your subject

Stuck for content? Throw in something from Anchorman. 60% of the time, it works every time!

Adjust the voice to your content, audience and context.

Your voice should be flexible

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Keep it clear with any technical documentation

For any quick reference guides or

technical documentation, I keep the

writing as straight-forward and concise as

possible.

I’ll still use:

• contractions to keep it warm and

conversational

• “you” and “your”

But my main goal is to convey the

information as quickly and clearly as

possible.

For error messages, write the clearest

instructions possible first. Then go back

and see where you can warm up/play

with the text.

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Mobile and web menu items – go for clear over cute or clever

Lululemon adds in personality in other areas of their home page, but keeps the top menu items easy to understand and navigate. Don’t frustrate your users or make them struggle with simple tasks, like

finding the home page or purchasing an item.

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Messages to the user? Make it feel personal!

The Saks receipt is straight-forward, but impersonal. This is a missed opportunity to connect with your customer or reader!

Tarte Cosmetics understands how to integrate a consistent voice into their messages – even an email order confirmation.

Subject line: SAKS FIFTH AVENUE Receipt for Transaction XXXX Subject line: Susanne, your order has shipped...get excited!

If you’re not sure, test the content with your audience.

Take the time to test it out

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Does it sound good to you? Of course it does! But it doesn’t matter

Your User ≠

YouYour momYour daughterYour clientYour project managerYour management teamYour CEO

One of usability’s most hard-earned lessons is

that you are not the user.”

Jakob Nielsen

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HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD TEST YOUR VOICE

Check out this new loyalty program campaign –

I think they missed the mark on their tone.

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I’m never in the mood for a little legal

I take my loyalty points very seriously! I’m

actually worried about these two programs

coming together, so I was surprised at the off-

the cuff tone when talking about my money.

I do like the subtitle here and the straight-

forward FAQs about the program. It’s a nice mix

of conversational and tone and details about

what’s ahead.

No thanks and never! When it comes to legal

content, keep it direct and as plain as possible. Now

I don’t feel like Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws

are taking me seriously.

The new PC Optimum points announcement

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I just want to enter my star codes, man!

Don’t wish me “good hunting” below the search bar when all the links to enter my star codes take me here.

Always consider how your users feel at this moment. They’re probably going to be frustrated because they can’t find the page. And I’m not taking the time to hunt around your site.

Now is not the time for weak jokes.

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Ways to test your content

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Either hire an external third-

party to run these for you or

invite your employees or

customers to your office for

an hour.

Focus Groups

2

Ask your customers or

employees through email if

they’d be willing to take a survey

about your content – show them

examples of your content and

ask them for feedback.

Surveys

3

You can either do this in person

or over the phone. Prepare a list

of questions and give it to the

person before the interview so

they have time to think about

their answers.

Interviews

Create a style guide and keep track of content

that works!

Start documenting your style

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My favourite style guides

MailChimp Content Style Guide Yahoo! Style Guide (content no longer available online, but you can still buy the

print edition for only $23 on Amazon!)

Microcopy: The Complete Guide

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What to cover in your style guide if you create your own

Error messages

Spelling,

grammar and

punctuation

SEOButton text

Concrete

examples of

voice and tone

Writing for

accessibility or

mobile

(including push

notifications)

Chatbot/voice

UI text

Additional

guides you

follow, such as

CP or AP Style

Include guidance

on:

I may be casual with my language, but I keep my spelling, grammar and punctuation as close to perfect as possible.Most importantly, keep your style guide short!

I’ve seen (and written) many comms plans and style guides that just collect dust on a shelf.

STEP 4Collect and evaluate feedback to sharpen your vision

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Analyze your data, present your findings and get sign-off on your approach

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Explain your findings in one sentence –how are people

asking you to communicate with

them?

Compare your research findings with what you see in your corporate culture –

are they compatible?

What do people from all levels of the

organization tell you verbally and in

writing?

Talk about statistical feedback – what do pulse surveys tell

you?

Are there any other ways you can find out if people are reading, paying attention and taking action because

of the story?

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First, we applied a consistent voice in all of our communication

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Next, we applied it beyond internal communications

Screenshots from #mobilize – a tablet app for IBM employees that consolidates all of our mobile client references and thought leadership

Our goal – make the content and design informative as Wired, as stylish as Details and something that employees would choose to read on a Friday night

Winner of the Ragan 2015 Content Marketing Award for Best Mobile Website or App

Some of our feedback

• “Outstanding! A great app which shows we can be both smart and cool!”

• “Fantastic experience – brought together all clients, description, products. Love it.”

• “By far the best app we have. Highly relevant and embodies the new design and culture we are going to market with. Please please continue to build on this platform for future comms, case studies and client briefings platforms.”

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Next, we applied it beyond internal communications

Fun, relevant, contemporary topics

Creative, unexpected ways to highlight the personality and expertise of our team

Inspired by pop culture

Distinct voice, tone, style and personality

Equal emphasis on both writing and design

Custom design where possible – not just stock images

Screenshots from #mobilize, our global email newsletter to employees selling and delivering mobile work at IBM; winner of Ragan 2015 Employee

Communications Award for Best Electronic Newsletter

“I’m a year into my role and every day I learn that it’s about culture. Culture over everything.”

– Puvi Sinna, Digital Experience Leader and Partner, IBM iX

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What we learned today

Let’s recap

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Key takeaways

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Set a goal

pick the best traits in

your executive and

emphasize those

Explore

look everywhere for

inspiration in both

writing and design

Practice

write, rinse and

repeat (you’ll get

cleaner prose!)

Validate

always improve your

content the way a

good editor would

Write like it matters

because it does!

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Bringing an Authentic Executive Voice to Your Communications

@frame_nation

linkedin.com/in/susanneframe

Susanne Frame

Director, Global Content ExperienceScotiabank Digital Factory