You Need To Write Your Company, Not Just Build It

Let’s face it. The copy on your company’s site, press releases, and any additional materials could be improved. Copy is the most under appreciated element of design and more specifically of a company’s design.

It’s about writing the company, not just building the company.

Jason Fried, the co-founder of 37signals, stated that he would like teach a class on writing. He said,

I don’t care about the topic. I care about the editing. I care about the constant refinement and compression.

Furthermore he said,

I believe editing is an essential skill that is often overlooked and under appreciated. The future belongs to the best editors. Each step requires asking “What’s really important?” That’s the most important question you can ask yourself about anything.

Did you know that 37signals started from a list of 37 thoughts related to web design and related topics?

Forming Sticky Values

It is essential to form a manifesto of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. These are your sticky values and they are “sticky” because they should always be there in your head when trying to write your company.

Your established values should be included in your materials available to the public as well as your employees. It’s crucially important that everyone is on the same page. I’m not pushing that a company should be a cult, but I am pushing for a great, unified experience to be achieved.

Writing down established values will only help the process of building a company. Once you have your values written down (thinking them is not enough) you can begin to incorporate those values in everything you do. It’s engrained. It’s written down. We’re writing the company.

Express Personality

People need to know that deep down your company would say the things you say. That the words are true, and that the company believes them completely. A company needs to have a personality and the only way to truly portray that in very deep, yet literal binding sense is for it to be done through writing.

Words are powerful. They have the opportunity to show emotion, relationships, and opinions.

If you lack personality it is more than likely the people behind the company lack originality, creativity, or any passion. Do you think that company will last or do you even want to be part of that type of company?

Unless, of course, if the company is going for a very dry, straightforward personality.

The important thing is that you’re writing the company. Expressing personality in a company or brand is crucial to consistency and believability.

Understanding the Environment

An environment is how the company is positioned in reference to their product or service.

How does one stand out but also be understood by the consumers interested in their product?

For example: Apple is filled with many highly skilled engineers but they speak in a very simple and understandable way to their audience.

You must think about the environment you are in and be ready to communicate in a way that is understandable to them. But, in doing so, keep in mind the personality you’ve built and the sticky values you’ve formed.

Last Words

Finally, this is why the idea of a blog was truly created and beneficial to companies. It was a way to express the words of what the company or brand was about. To this day blogs are used to address the continuous struggle for proper image of how the brand is viewed by the people as well as the people amongst the brand.

If you don’t have a blog you create copy on your site, through your press releases, other physical materials, or through the words of your employees. Apple does a good job of this, because they don’t have a blog. I mean do they really need a blog? You don’t need a blog if you can portray the writing of your company in your existing material.

Writing is under-appreciated. It has the power to build a strong company. We’re writing a company.

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Do you know any examples of a “well-written” company? Please share them, and your thoughts/feedback, in the comments below!

Images courtesy of andymangold and 37signals.