Tonality Best Practices

Successful communication is more than what we say — it’s also how we say it. As such, maintaining our organizational tone of voice is essential in expressing our vision “Health for all. Hunger for none.”

 

Tone

We’re professional, relatable and empathetic. We value connecting with people and approaching them as peers. 

 

Voice

To successfully build connections with our audiences, our voice should be bold, inspiring and—above all—human.

Humor & Wit 

Humor & wit are very human components that can captivate and connect audiences, while still delivering a relevant message.

  • It makes our brand more authentic and human
  • It could be a useful tool to deliver a strong message
  • Funny content spreads 
  • Everybody likes to laugh
  • It shows that we don't take ourselves too seriously


Guidelines

As Bayer, we need to ensure that we always communicate in line with our values, especially when employing humor and wit in our interactions. As a general best practice, this includes avoiding: 

  • Stereotypes
  • Generalizations
  • Name-calling
  • Insults
  • Profanity


When to Use Humor & Wit? 

  • In response to a consumer who demonstrates a willingness through their posts or tags
  • As a means to break the ice, where relevant
  • To emphasize the importance of critical topics or relevant issues for our divisions
  • To empathize with human emotion 
  • As a strategic distancing tool for a PR crisis


Tonality By Channel 

 

voice

Tone

Be professional but relatable, using active voice and avoiding jargon. Encourage the exchange of ideas/thoughts. Employ empathetic language to help humanize our company. Speak to everyone as intellectual peers 

 

community engagement

Community Engagement

  • User Strategic hashtag use
  • Include calls-to-action
  • Notify followers of new content up to 1x per week
  • Option to test live streaming 

 

mentions

Mentions

Tag collaborators, partners or individuals mentioned in a specific post if he/she/they are active on LinkedIn. 

 

 

 

voice

Tone

  • Brevity is key
  • Not required to write in full sentences 
  • Opt for shorter but essential key words 
  • Use active, not passive voice 
  • Tone should be informative, helpful and direct, but never cold 
community engagement

Community Engagement

  • Strategic hashtag usage
  • Strategic calls-to-action 
  • Polls 
  • Engaging with trends and real-time content
  • Video responses 
mentions

Mentions

Tag collaborators, partners or individuals mentioned in specific post or story content if he/she/they are active on Twitter. 

 

 

 

voice

Tone

  • Use language that inspires and resonates with people
  • Match the tone of the copy with that of the image(s)

 

community engagement

Community Engagement

  • Strategic hashtag use
  • Strategic calls-to-action (if any)
  • Polls
  • Q&As
  • Quizzes 
mentions

Mentions

  • Add location where image was taken if/when possible
  • Tag individuals in images if/when possible

 

 

voice

Tone

  • Tone can be lighter, more friendly and more emotional than other channels. 
  • Leverage the opportunity to entertain; clearly express our vision and values in a way that connects with people on a personal level.

 

community engagement

Community Engagement

  • Video replies
  • Live streams 
  • Polls
  • Asking questions in post copy
  • Strategic calls-to-action 
  • Showcasing community guidelines
     
mentions

Mentions

Tag organizational collaborators mentioned in specific post or story/content, but do not tag individuals

 

 

 

voice

Tone

  • Be professional but relatable, using active voice and avoiding jargon 
  • Use empathetic language to help humanize the company
stop

 

Don't Use Humor and Wit

 

 

 

voice

Tone

  • Tone can be lighter, more friendly, personal and emotional 
  • Be professional but relatable, using active voice and avoiding jargon 
  • Use empathetic language to help humanize the company
stop

 

Don't Use Humor and Wit

 

 

 

voice

Tone

  • As this is an E-Mail inbox please use a formal tone, personalize messages and be professional, yet relatable 
  • Use active voice and avoid jargon 
  • Use empathetic language to help humanize the company 
stop

 

Don't Use Humor and Wit