Tone of Voice

Our Tone of Voice is all about the way we sound, speak and write.

Every word should work its best to make the world of work, work better. Getting the right words, in the right places, is how we keep Ben in the minds of work people everywhere.

In this section you’ll find everything you need to know to bring the Ben Voice to life. This is a starting point. There’s plenty of room to flex it. Dial it up and dial it down. See where it takes you.

The Ben Voice

Think of the Ben Voice like a circuit processing data from the world of work – transforming and transferring it into words that are full of Smarts and Sparks. Knowledgeable and expansive, ready to illuminate on all things benefits.

_1699974179509_1000x1000.png?alt=media&token=rgz14rwel5j)

Smarts

Writing with smarts is all about showing our expertise with empathy.

Be in the know

The world of work is dynamic. Always moving, always changing, So we keep up with it, never lagging behind. We’re always aware of what’s going on when it comes to benefits. We’re not afraid to get a little nosey.

Do
Stay connected to the world of work and benefits. We should know what is impacting our customers.

× Don’t
Speak too soon. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need before you write a word.

Meet people where they are

No two colleagues are the same. No two benefits will be used the same way. We like switching things up so we can meet people exactly where they are. We’re understanding of all the different needs our audience come with.

Do
Write with empathy. Show how benefits can be used in a variety of ways for all kinds of people and things.

× Don’t
Go too deep. We don’t want to assume a reader’s thoughts or feelings, especially when relating to more sensitive topics (e.g. pregnancy loss, life insurance).

Think out loud

Our audience can’t see all the incredible things we plan and think about in our heads. We’ve got to get it out in front of their eyes. So if there’s something great we’re thinking, planning or doing, don't be afraid to talk about it proudly. It makes it easy for them to know exactly what to expect.

Do
Centre the customer in everything we write. It’s important to anticipate their needs so we’re ready when they need us.

× Don’t
Make it all about us. If it’s not about how we’re improving benefits for our customers, it can stay in our heads.

Shed some light

We know a lot about benefits and the world of work. Our customers will often look to us for guidance, and we’ll always be ready and willing to share our knowledge. We’re transparent and open about any information they need to make the right choices.

Do
Make sure what we share and the guidance we give is always useful and relevant to the reader.

× Don’t
Over explain or over use industry jargon. We don’t want to patronise our readers.

Sparks

When we write with sparks we’re illuminating benefits with confidence.

Ignite and excite

Our words need to feel like they get things started. Bring energy to the page by keeping us in an active voice and ready to go. Engage readers by showing how life-changing benefits can be. Have fun with it. Don’t be afraid to play with a light pun or two.

Do
Find interesting and witty ways to show how our customers are using their benefits to inspire the world of work.

× Don’t
Be passive or try too hard to include humour.

Say it like you mean it

We’re confident about how benefits can change the world of work. And we know we have the right product and people to make it happen. So we sound like it. Everything we say is said with conviction. It reassures our audience and builds trust.

Do
Have conviction in what you say. No beating around the bush, our audience should be able to rely on our word and trust what we say.

× Don’t
Be pushy or short with the reader. Confidence is not about how sharply you can deliver the message.

Go wide

It’s our goal to reach the world of work in every corner of the world. That means showing the breadth of how far our benefits reach in the lives of our audience. Radiate with warmth and optimism about the possibilities of all the benefits Ben can bring you.

Do
Show how expansive Ben is. Both in benefits and in the people we partner with. But keep it grounded with relatable experiences.

× Don’t
Forget to bring it back to what’s happening here and now. We don’t want to be so wide we sound vague and lose the realness of using Ben.

Bring clarity

We want our writing to be accessible for our readers. Keep it short and concise. Use everyday words that are easy to understand. No waffling. No over explanations. We like our sparks quick and bright. So get to the point in the clearest and most useful way.

Do
Make it easy for our audience to understand what we’re saying. It should feel like a light switch moment every time they read our writing.

× Don’t
Get in the way of the message or cloud it with unnecessary words by trying to sound clever. Everyone appreciates simple, clean writing.

Employers vs. employees

The first thing to remember is every person we speak to is an employee.

But for context, when we talk about employers, we mean HR, finance officers, heads of people, culture or operations (the ones who are charged with making the decisions about employee benefits). These are the people we’re often selling to. By employees we mean everyone else in the world of work.

Employers and employees want different things. Identifying which one of those audiences we’re speaking to will help us craft the right message in the right place for the right people.

• Employers want ease, simplicity and flexibility.
• Employees want freedom and options.

At rare times they may cross over, but for the most part we focus on what’s most beneficial to each audience when writing.

You can’t talk about benefits without Ben

It’s in our name. Three things to remember when you’re writing about Ben:

Best practice

Note:

Straightforward and to the point but not without empathy. Our headline, while bold and direct, is not harsh or short with our reader. The double use of ‘Get’ builds a rhythm in the line that makes it feel more approachable and less salesy.

Note:

This is our key line. It sets the tone for who we are and the world we’re building. A confident descriptor of our ambition and global reach. This line brings our mission, vision and proposition together in a clear and direct statement. Anchored by our call to action “Switch us on” that shows our sparks and links back to our brand idea: Switch Life On.

Note:

We’re not afraid to exaggerate and have fun with our ‘Switch’ asset even in our writing. It makes the brand feel stronger and unmistakable. We find ways to push the copy without coming across cheesy or overdone – and always making sure we can tie it back to our Brand Idea. We pair that with a more functional line for the subcopy to make sure we don’t lose the importance of the message.

Note:

We can turn the sparks right up when it comes to marketing, OOH and social posts. The switch mechanism: ‘from’ – ‘to’ is a great way to bring our brand idea to life. It not only shows the expansiveness or how Ben elevates your benefits, but also the ability to switch it from the mundane benefits everyone knows and rarely uses to something more tailored and personal.

It also works on another level to show the breadth of things you can use Ben for in between ‘life insurance’ and ‘living now’. Just imagine what a reader can fill that space in between with. That’s the feeling we want to create. The possibilities are endless with Ben.

It speaks to both employers and employees. For employees it shows the flexibility and ease of the switch function with our ‘from’ – ‘to’ device. And for employees it’s all about the freedom and options they now have with their benefits.

Sign off with “Benefits that work for life”.

A big statement but also a true one. Emphasising our expansiveness and ambition to be the global go-to platform for all things benefits.

Note:

A double meaning that plays to our strengths. We’re talking about a benefit of using Ben whilst also pointing to a feature of our product all in four words. That’s the power of using the right words at the right time. The benefit of Ben is that you have an array of benefits to choose from. A feature of Ben is the ability to illuminate your benefits with just a switch. This word play brings all our smarts and sparks into a short, simple line.