Brand Voice and Tone

Who is Salient?

Salient’s personality is that of a well-established and respected advisor. We are extremely knowledgeable and experienced, but direct and to the point in our communications. We are forward-thinking problem solvers that are committed to improving your organization by empowering your team to make better decisions with the right information. We offer wisdom and guidance with class, leaving you feeling motivated and in control.

We are:

  • Formal but not pedantic
  • Professional but not unfriendly
  • Intellectual but not verbose
  • Confident but not patronizing
  • Wise but not cryptic
  • Sophisticated but not complicated

Core Values and Characteristics

  • Efficiency
  • Empowerment
  • Performance
  • Improvement
  • Intelligence
  • Transparency
  • Simplicity
  • Class

Writing Style

  • Formal and professional tone but still personable
  • Positive and empowering tone but not corny or gimmicky
  • Short, direct sentences – the simpler the better
  • Avoid using unnecessary words and complicated language
  • Address the audience as if you were mentoring or consulting them

Grammar & Word Choice

  • The audience is “you”
  • The company is “we”
  • Never refer to clients as “customers” – always use “clients”
  • Use contractions to keep it personable
  • Use the Oxford comma in a series for clarity
  • Don’t use abbreviated words
  • Headings and titles have all words capitalized
  • Bullet points and sentences have first word capitalized
  • Product names are capitalized
  • Acronyms: acronyms can be used without being defined if they are commonly known to our audience for that vertical (ex. DSD, ACO).
  • New acronyms must be introduced in parentheses after the first appearance of definition (ex. fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG))

Brand Connotations

  • First instance of introduction refer to the company as “Salient Management Company”
  • After, refer to the company as Salient
  • Written as Salient
  • Salient is always one word, capitalized
  • Can be used in the possessive form (“Salient’s technology”, “Salient’s systems”, etc.)

Textual Elements

  • Ampersand (&): to be used only in headings, subheadings, short bullet points, and social media posts. Not in quotes or long-form writing.
  • Bullet points are always standard circles.

 

Style in Collateral


Website

  • Short and concise
  • Calls to action
  • Pique interest for more information

 

Whitepapers

  • Slightly more academic, scholarly tone
  • More in-depth and detailed to position Salient as an industry thought leader
  • Including sourcing and citations

 

Brochures & Case Studies

  • Short, catchy titles
  • Includes more detail for positioning problem and Salient as solution
  • Less formal tone to pique interest

 

Email

  • Mass emails mimic web copy tone and include calls to action
  • Personal emails are short and direct but have a more colloquial, welcoming tone
  • Avoid lengthy descriptions or deluges of info – point them to other collateral

 

Social Media

  • Use simple language; avoid technical terms
  • Share relevant, trending stories for each vertical
  • Engage with clients and prospective clients with questions and advice
  • Keep the sense of instruction / mentorship

Sections to be added:

  • Glossary of terms
  • Inclusion and exclusion of terms
  • List of divisions
  • Products, applications, solutions
  • Appendix of registered / trademarked terms