Tone of voice

Tone of voice defines the way we talk and write about Kentico. The ultimate goal is to think like a person, not like a corporation. We are professionals, but fun and human ones. That is exactly the difference between our cool approachable Mentor who is sitting by your side, guiding you, supporting you, and watching you grow and succeed with his help, and the distant arrogant Sage who just spills out the wisdom without actually showing you how to leverage it.

To help you better tune in to the tone of voice we chose for our Mentor, we put together these guidelines.

Our brand voice is:

1. Engaging, encouraging, and energetic, definitely not shallow

In Kentico, there is no place for empty marketing promises, clichés, and cheap copywriting tricks. The energy of our writing is in the flow of the text, its tone, and actionable emotionally charged words rather than too many exclamation points and overusing adjectives such as "awesome" or "cool".

Our people are enthusiastic and passionate about what we do even though we have been doing it since 2004. We love our work and our product, and so do our customers and partners. The desire to empower people to be successful is the sense of energy we want to incorporate into our tone of voice rather than formal professionalism and seriousness. We are professionals but we are still humans—no coldblooded Sages but heartfelt Mentors. Feel free to use a light sense of humor where it makes sense to freshen up the writing and to make it more engaging and easy to read.

We make the text engaging by showing that we truly understand the reader's situation, needs, and concerns. If you want to write like Kentico, you need to make sure that after reading your content, the reader knows exactly what their next step should be—what they need to do to use your advice in practice. Every text should have a very clear benefit—we show you how it can be done, enable you to replicate it, and encourage you to find your own way. You can do it!

Yes, we are knowledgeable professionals but that doesn't mean we belittle your experience and insights or that we feel superior and treat you like our subordinates. We are in this together and this sense of togetherness must be very visible in our writing. Being human has always been the core of everything we do in Kentico and it certainly doesn't change with the Mentor.

We love it when communication feels personal and real (while still being clear that we're a reputable organization) because the relationships we maintain with our clients, partners, and the whole community are long-term, mutually beneficial, and sincere. Customer intimacy is not just a buzzword we use but a philosophy we live & work by.

We hear you, we listen to you, we communicate. The reader should feel like this is a safe space and they can come back to us for advice any time they need. Make sure our clients and partners understand that it is okay not to know what to do, to make mistakes, and to come back for guidance. Our support is a huge part of our brand and we want everyone to know that, in Kentico, there is always space for learning, feedback, and discussion.

Write with kindness and avoid saying things like "everyone knows", "every good marketer knows". Rather encourage your readers to ask, discuss, and explore their potential. Appreciate people who want to grow and move forward. Never hesitate to praise someone for doing a good job or learning by mistakes.

When we share our knowledge, we always support it with data, statistics, research, and quotes (of our employees, clients, partners, peers, analysts, etc.). There is no knowledge without a proof point. We patiently explain what stands behind our expertise and what we've learned throughout the years while showing the reader that we understand their situation, and pain points, and offer advice and guidance rather than simply selling our product. Kentico is here for you even before you actually know that there is some digital experience platform you might (not) want to explore later.

Yes, we are knowledgeable professionals but that doesn't mean we express ourselves like we swallowed a Thesaurus. Avoid using too many expert words, terms, and abbreviations. When you use them, explain them clearly. Every piece of content you produce should feel like it was written by a person, for a person.

Don't think like a corporation and do not assume that everyone else knows what you know. You talk to a person on the other side of the screen/text so talk in a human way. It should feel as easygoing and lightweight as talking to that person face-to-face. You will achieve that by using short and punchy sentences, simple, commonly used words understandable even for non-native speakers, and by cutting out all the redundant words. Never send people somewhere else for information when you can just give it to them. Don't complicate things unnecessarily. Just be as clear as possible. 

We have to be clear in what we are saying to show not just our expertise and leadership, but also our trustworthiness and reliability. If you can explain something in a simple way then you truly understand it.

Do not inflate written content with words you don't need to say, to express what you need—cut out all empty marketing phrases, clichés, fillers... Use adjectives and adverbs sparingly as they steal clarity, punchiness, and flow from the text. If a sentence can be shorter, make it shorter!