Tone

Think of it this way: You speak in a different tone to a child than to your boss, and probably wouldn’t use the same tone at a sporting event that you’d use in an art gallery. Your tone also changes depending on the emotional state of the person you’re talking to. You wouldn’t talk the same way to someone who is overwhelmed or upset as you would to someone who’s excited or laughing. Hope communicates the same way.

Our voice doesn’t change, but our tone changes all the time.

Tone is audience specific 

Remember, students — past, present and future — are our primary focus, which means our secondary audiences are the various people that surround and support students: parents, faculty, staff and community members, many of whom are also donors.

Here are some general guidelines for each of our audiences:

Prospective students 

Be helpful, friendly and calm. They’re on a mission, and they’re looking for specific details. Answer their questions quickly and clearly. While they’re curious and at least moderately interested in learning more about Hope, they’re also skeptical and looking for reasons to rule the college out of their search. Some may be familiar with the college; others may have just heard about us for the first time. Emotionally, they’re likely experiencing an intense mix of anticipation and/or dread, and they may be uncertain about their futures, confused, or stressed about any or all aspects of applying to and enrolling in college.

Current students 

Be casual, clear and direct. They’re incredibly busy, have precious little brain space to spare for nonessential details and are using the site to accomplish something specific. Help them get the information they need and get on with their tasks. Most are primarily concerned with their studies and their social lives. Some are feeling confident and secure, while others are struggling or still settling into life at Hope.

Parents 

Be kind and reassuring. Whether they’re the parent of a prospective student or a current student, they’re concerned and a little anxious — about their child’s future, health, safety, opportunities, grades and more. Many are deeply invested in their child’s education (financially and emotionally) and want assurance that Hope is providing an enjoyable and valuable experience. Others are simply looking for ways to feel connected.

Alumni 

Be celebratory. Alumni are Hope insiders — former students who’ve invested significant time and money with the college and naturally feel a certain amount of loyalty and pride. Keep things light and shoot straight. Treat them like friends. Some of them feel some nostalgia; others, freshly graduated, may be feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Many, caught up in the demands of life, don’t think of Hope very often at all, and we want to engage them now that they’ve reconnected with a website visit.

Faculty & Staff 

Be clear and concise. Faculty and staff have a lot of details to manage and a lot riding on getting those details right. They need to feel confident. They’re using the site to help get things done and need things to be simple so they can focus on doing their jobs.

Prospective faculty & Staff 

Be transparent and professional. They’re evaluating everything about us to determine whether Hope would be a good work environment for them. Some will know Hope, Holland and West Michigan well, but others won’t. We need to be ourselves so they can make well-informed decisions.

Community members 

Be friendly and welcoming. These are our neighbors, and we want to continue to foster goodwill. Many are excited by the energy, culture and opportunities that Hope College brings to the community and are looking for ways to get involved on campus.

Tone is context aware 

The tone you use should also vary based on the context of what you’re writing — not just who you’re talking to, but where the conversation is taking place and how your audience may be feeling in this particular setting. This is really about empathy — putting yourself in your audience’s shoes.

Even if we know that our primary audience is, say, current students, we can’t use the same tone on every page. A current student browsing the calendar for something fun to do on a Thursday night is in a vastly different state of mind than a current student trying to pay her tuition bill or figure out if she’s going to be able to take the classes she needs to graduate on time.

Page by page, there is no substitute for taking the time to think about why someone might need the content you’re writing and how they’re likely to be feeling when they see it.

Here are a few examples to get you thinking about context:

Top-level landing pages

If our website were a house, the top-level landing pages are the foyers and entryways. People are trying to figure out where they are and where to go next to accomplish what they came for. On these pages, we’re hosts helping our guests feel at home and find what they need. Be welcoming and concise.

Information pages

Aim to be easily understood. People are on these pages to get answers, and they don’t want to read through a lot of dense text. Lead with your key message and and keep it concise so they can tell right away if they’re on the right page and if what they’re looking for is likely to be there. Break large amounts of text up into short paragraphs, organize content with clear headlines and cut anything that isn’t relevant to your audience.

Forms and transactional pages 

People are on these pages to get something done, and that something may be incredibly stressful to them — like applying for a job or paying a tuition bill. In either case, keep calm, ruthlessly cut unnecessary words and don’t over-explain.

Blogs 

People read blogs for fun — to learn and think or simply be entertained. They’re not in a hurry and may not have a specific agenda. Still, they won’t read what you write or think to come back if it isn’t interesting or useful. Reward their curiosity by treating them like insiders. The tone of your blog should be relaxed and casual, even if the subject matter is highly academic.

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