Chapter 2
Style

“Style is primarily a matter of instinct.”

—Bill Blass

What’s your style? You should have a style that announces who you are, but sometimes in considering your audience or media, you may change your style somewhat. Overall, though, know who you are. Know yourself and your company and be who you are. That will make your announcements more memorable. As you take phrases from this book or construct your own, alter them as needed to fit your style. You might need to tailor a phrase—shorten it, add a few frills, or even stitch two together—to make it fit just right. It’s your image, your appearance. Suit yourself with the perfect phrase and wear it well!

Target Your Audience

Some businesses target specific audiences exclusively; many target different audiences for varying products and services, whether based on age, gender, income level, or any one of thousands of identifiers such as single mothers, hikers, dog lovers, etc. Whoever your audience, target your message. For instance, if you’re speaking mainly to high-level executives, you’ll use different language than you would use in targeting college students. As you construct your messages, consider your audience. If you can use different voices and announcements to target different markets, you’ll be more likely to capture attention within each group. More than ever, you can now send multiple announcements at little or no cost, so even mass marketing can be more targeted than ever before.

Know your market and, as always, remember to align the medium and the message to it. As you know, different audiences respond to different media. Some will get most of their information from print material such as newspapers, magazines, or mailers. Others will only read what is on their computer screen. Are you selling to people who have just about given up reading print material? To target college kids on Twitter, use Twitter language and reference points that interest them. You can send announcements about the same product through a mailing directed to seniors, but use language and examples that will speak to them and their needs, hopes, and dreams. Your task is not only to choose the message and language for your audience but also to select the medium that is most likely to get your audience’s attention.

Pinpoint Your Message

How can you make your announcement stand out? What’s the most important point in your message? If your announcement is about a new product, don’t emphasize that several other products are great, too. Focus on one strong, clear message. Keep it concise and to the point. You can always follow up or route people to more information about other products, but don’t overwhelm your audience. If the product is added to a particular line, of course that’s part of the message, but focus on where you want to draw your customers’ attention.

The same is true for internal announcements. We’ve all received e-mail that’s so long we save it for later and may or may not get back to it. It may seem that the more content you send the more informative your announcement is, but the opposite is usually true. Information overload is likely to cause reader shutdown. Keep e-mail announcements brief and to the point, and make the most important information stand out.

If you have a critical message to share, don’t add a “by the way” item. Focus on the change in health benefits, the holiday party, or the team-building workshop. State your purpose succinctly and follow with clear, concise points. If you have several topics on the same announcement, make sure to separate sections with clear, bold, descriptive headlines that make the message easy to scan or reference and, most important, will readily draw the eye to areas of the greatest interest or priority.

Get the Phrase Out!

If you have an announcement to make that deserves special attention, repeat it and send it in more than one way. For instance, if it’s an internal announcement, highlight it in the monthly newsletter and send out a special announcement as well. If you’re in a physical office environment, you can also post it on a wall; in a cyber office, post it where everyone will see it when checking in. A public announcement can be blasted out in a number of ways and should be sent through a number of channels. Though it may be best to target some external announcements to specific audiences, most should be shouted out as far and wide as you can.

When reaching out to clients and customers, you have more avenues available than ever before. Choose them and use them wisely. Beyond advertising and your own website, newsletter, or blog, as you explore new ways to reach out, continue to always be aware of your image. If the free service that offers to promote your business announcements is filled with pop-up ads and spams your prospects, that “free service” will be very costly to your business.

There are, however, many respectable free and low-cost ways to reach out that will enhance your image and visibility. Paid services should also be considered and budgeted for when appropriate to get your announcements out. As you construct your perfect phrases, they’ll go farther and reach new audiences if you think creatively about ways to reach out and be noticed.

Image Matters

Whether your announcement or invitation travels with a postage stamp or a mouse click, remember that any announcement you generate makes a statement about your company and, in a small business, you. Just as you pay attention to your appearance for a face-to-face meeting—even organize your desk a bit for that meeting in your office—your written material shouts “This is who I am!” Is your announcement simple, catchy, clear, and concise? Is your tone professional, inviting, and friendly?

Whatever medium you choose, make your announcement stand out. Take advantage, if you can, of white space, complementary colors, and eye-catching icons. If your announcement is text only and more than a single line or two, make your message stand out by keeping the text blocks brief, putting the most important information first, and closing with a punch. Even the most brilliant phrase will be ineffective if no one notices it. If you’re dealing with elements beyond text, such as formatting choices, did you select a font that was higher on readability or personality? Did you choose colors for contrast or subtlety?

What’s Your Style?

As you communicate regularly with staff and clients, your written style will emerge. Think about your overall style and how you choose to come across: authoritative, professional, caring, folksy, efficient (to name a few possibilities). The pace of a message is part of your style, too. Do you use short, punchy words and short sentences? Or even just fragments? Do you use more of a longhand, elegant approach? In some cases, your style will come naturally in the way that best reflects you and the image you wish to project. For an example of the wide variety of styles you can use, compare the following announcements: “Art show with snacks, music, and more!” and “We invite you to join us for an art exhibition featuring hors d’oeuvres and classical guitar.” Whichever style you choose, try to create a consistent personality for your company.