Overview

Homebase voice and tone is the extension of our brand personality, setting how we communicate our message and connect with our target audience.

 

Voice

Straight-forward

Be direct

Get to the point and don’t hide behind unnecessary jargon. We are directive and action-oriented. We acknowledge stuff that’s hard, bad, or scary — and explain why they should care.

Be a guide

We are building for non-experts: Guide users by helping them focus on what’s important and what they need to do next. Provide guidance and expert advice in a way that’s clear and easy to understand.

• Keep our language simple and concise. Avoid extra adjectives, adverbs, and things like “...and more” or “etc.”
• Make our messages bold and clear.
• Avoid overly long sentences and paragraphs. Use lists when naming 2 or more items.
• Use directives and active voice. Put the most important thing first.
• Avoid tech-y jargon (“platform,” “features” “engineered”) and instead explain our product by how it benefits our customers.

Personable

Be real

We talk to people, not audiences. We’re not stiff: the ease of our language reflects the ease of our product. We love a good turn of phrase or a pun, but we’re not overly cutesy or try-hard.

Be empathetic

We use their names, their team’s names, and address their specific situations. Every small business owner believes their business, challenges, and market are unique (and to some extent they’re right). Don’t make them feel like they’re “one of many.”

• Speak conversationally and use the words our customers use.
• Speak directly to our customers. Use “you/your” (second person), not “they/their” (third person). 
• Refer to Homebase as “we”, not “it.” Also, as much as possible, avoid referring to us as “Homebase” since the user is already in the product.
• Use sentence case for everything, including titles and buttons.
• Focus on our customers pain points and needs, instead of on what we have to offer.
• Use puns as long as they feel natural and related to the context. The key message must be clear before the pun.

Tenacious

Bring a sense of action

We’re honest over aspirational, and celebrate the spirit to get through the hard, messy bits of every day. Our voice includes a sense of anticipation and forward movement that matches the grit and resilience of the hourly teams we serve.

• Be loud and assertive, but not obnoxious or pushy. Cut through the bulls**t.
• Infuse what we say with energy and movement.
• Use alliteration and short cadences to give the words rhythm.

Tone