Language guidelines

Voice

We write:

Honest optimists Our voice is straightforward and positive. We don’t sugarcoat, but always have our sights on what works well and are determined to get there.

Curious humans Our voice is thoughtful, communicating a shared understanding of a client’s situation. We speak in a way that communicates we are ready to listen; we sound easy, calm, intelligent, and empathetic.

Experienced professionals We’ve been doing this a long time and have learned a lot of lessons. Our voice is both wise and smart, conveying a sense of competence, relevance, and trustworthiness.

Brand tones and values

Good writing isn’t always cut and dry. Like the words we choose, how we write affects our brand voice. Keep the following guidelines in mind when you are writing. And most importantly, be consistent. Our brand tones and values guide the important decisions: who we partner with, where our money goes, what services we provide. They also inform our tone of voice. Use them on the website, social media, and marketing to increase audience connection. Empathetic + Honest We question everything, listen carefully, and respond thoughtfully.

Creative + Decisive We think expansively and make the tough choices to create clarity.

Dissatisfied + Improving We notice what’s broken and we fix it.

About statement

The about statement is a short, straightforward, and memorable answer to a common question: “what do you do?” Use it for a quick introduction in speech or print.

Option 1:

We lead professional service firms through the brand transformations that create meaningful distinction.

Option 2:

We are a tight-knit team of experts focused on elevating your professional services brand from the sea of similar-looking service providers.

Elevator pitch

The elevator pitch is meant to make a connection. It’s a memorable introduction to Bullhorn — what we do/what we are, why we do it, and why it matters. Use the elevator pitch to start a conversation with a potential client, partner, etc.

Option 1:

Professional services rely on expertise and trust. But the markets are crowded. Bullhorn is a tight-knit team of experts focused on elevating your brand from the sea of similar-looking companies. Our culture-first approach works because your expertise lives within your people. We will highlight what makes you unique without alienating the clients that got you here.

Option 2:

Bullhorn is a tight-knit team of experts who partner with professional services firms to build confident brands. Our culture-first process elevates your brand from the rest, clarifying your position in a crowded industry. We will work together to generate a new name, create a brand identity, build a website, or launch a brand so that your firm stands out and builds trust.

Long pitch

Our process combines strategic positioning with implementation, such as naming, brand design, and brand delivery. We don't hand you a brand book and disappear. We understand partner dynamics, regulatory constraints, and the long sales cycles that define professional services.

We understand because we have been there. We are a professional services firm who have honed our process through hundreds of successful engagements. There is no B-team. We are a tight-knit team of experts who see opportunities where there are challenges.

We do this work because professional services firms are in a time of disruption. We know how important these companies are to cities, neighborhoods, and families, and we want you to succeed.

Headlines

Where curiosity and professionalism meet

Our team of experts

Our people are our expertise

Expertise lives in your culture

This is what expertise looks like

When we say brand experts, this is who we mean

A writer, a designer, and a project manager walk into a workshop

Enter the empathetic experts

Our people who also happen to be experts

This is who will get you there

The professional optimists

The experts behind the transformation

Our process

The Bullhorn Way: How we build confident brands

This transformational branding process enables our clients to show their expertise and build trust. We deliver distinguished brands that demand premium pricing, attract top-tier talent and clients.

Define

We assess challenges and articulate brand foundations. ‍• Scope • Workshop • Landscape research • Interviews • Surveys

Result: Clarity on your brand's purpose, challenges, and opportunities.

You will understand the problem you solve and who you solve it for. You understand your culture and your position within your industry.

Design

We prepare your brand identity for marketing. • Name • Logo • Language • Illustration/photo style • Brand guidelines

Result: A brand that builds trust and demonstrates expertise.

You have an intentionally designed identity (a name, visual identity, and verbal identity). Your brand system reflects your culture and differentiates you from your competitors.

Deliver

We create scalable marketing that accomplishes strategic objectives. ‍• Launch planning • Website • Marketing asset creation • Photography/videography • Brand launch

Result: A confident, distinguished brand

Your brand is deployed across key marketing assets and channels. Your brand shows how your company solves problems for your customers.

Offerings language

Scope A foundational process that involves a workshop and a pre-workshop survey to define a client's branding challenge, resulting in a detailed scope of work and associated fees.

Workshop We investigate your core values, strategic goals, unique characteristics, and other relevant factors through customized workshops, thought exercises, and interviews.

Landscape research We do a deep analysis of your competition and other relevant organizations, evaluating their language, design, and user experience to identify what's working and what isn't.

Interviews We conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders to gain additional insight and perspective about your business and your brand.

Surveys We create user-friendly surveys to gain additional insight and perspective from a large internal team or customer base about your business and your brand.

Brand positioning Our strategic process of creating a unique identity and message for your brand in the mind of your target audience, differentiating you from competitors.

Name We rename successful companies, clarify naming architecture, and name new companies and products.

Logo A recognizable and distinctive graphic symbol, stylized name, or unique device used to identify an organization and its brand.

Language New foundational language that may include core values, about statement, elevator pitch, voice guidelines, headline set, and your story/history

Illustration/photo style Consistent visuals build trust. We will help determine the photography or illustration style that best conveys your culture and your brand.

Brand guidelines A comprehensive set of rules that define a brand's visual and verbal identity, outlining everything from its history and values to how its logo and key messages should be used.

Launch planning The strategic process of organizing ideas and tactics to bring a new brand or campaign to market, considering timing, budget, and the most effective communication channels.

Website A website is your most important marketing asset and extension of your brand. We will explore your website needs and design and develop a site that is on brand and on strategy.

Marketing asset creation Based on the launch plan, we will design designated marketing collateral that effectively communicates your brand to your target audiences.

Photography/videography We will manage and art direct a partner photographer and/or videographer on a designated number of on-site shoots and will provide you with final images to be used for future marketing needs. Partner photographer and videographer fees will be quoted, approved, and then billed in addition to the total fee.

Brand launch We will design and articulate your brand identity through comprehensive brand guidelines, a launch checklist, and communications plan

Writing style

Contractions Contractions help our writing feel friendly and conversational. Use them like you do in everyday speech.

Exclamation points Exclamation points can be effective when used sparingly. But they can also feel unprofessional and over-excited. Use them primarily in response to comments on social media.

Headlines Capitalize only the first letter of headlines. Use a period if the headline is a complete sentence.

Oxford comma To avoid ambiguity, use the Oxford comma before the last item in a list.

Vocabulary

About statement A concise, clear description of your brand; the what.

Audience profiles Demographic and psychological profiles of a brand’s target audience: who is buying, and why?

Bios Staff member biography copy. Ranges from short functional pieces to longer brand-building pieces

Brand The perception of an organization.

Branding Identity, marketing, or communications.

Brand guidelines A set of rules that explain how a brand works. Guidelines typically include visual identity, verbal identity, personality, and core values. Sometimes referred to as a brand manual, brand standards, style guide, or brand book.

Brand positioning statement The definition of your brand’s niche: what you do, for who, and what makes you different.

Brand promise What people can expect every time they interact with your brand.

Brand triangle A representational framework that answers fundamental questions about a brand and its positioning. It moves from the more specific, tangible at the bottom to higher order concerns at the top. Can include features and benefits, skills, truths, personality, values, and brand essence.

Case studies Real-life work examples written to demonstrate how a brand has approached a challenge or project in the past. A template includes a step-by-step outline with examples.

Core values Core values are an organization’s compass. A core value is something that makes an organization distinct. It is something the organization wouldn’t abandon for financial benefit. They can’t be manufactured, they can be uncovered.

Elevator pitch A short, memorable pitch that may include your brand’s what, how, or — most importantly — why.

foundational language Any language that is widely and flexibly used to introduce an organization. Can include tagline, about statement, mission statement, elevator pitch, etc.

Headlines In the context of language deliverables, headlines are starting points that speak to a brand’s values, mission, or offerings.

History The historical neighborhood/community story of a brand or project. Contextualizes what a brand is doing within a broader narrative.

Logo A recognizable and distinctive graphic design, stylized name, unique symbol, or other device for identifying an organization. A logo is commonly a combination of a symbol and a logotype.

Logotype The typographic element in a logo. Normally constructed from the business’s name set in a consistent typographic style.

Mission A declaration of your organization's purpose and how you will achieve it.

Name explainer The story behind the brand or product name. Can include internal talking points and/or external messaging.

Press release An official statement provided to news media. It is concise, straightforward, and compelling. The first line should tell you everything you need to know, followed by supporting information. Typically contains one quote from source, ending with the elevator pitch/about statement.

Social strategy or guidelines Brand voice as applied to social media. Includes content category suggestions, copy style and voice, and examples. Does not include content calendar or specific posts.

Story Historical and personal context of an organization. Builds connection with audience through specific, evocative details.

Style guide A guide to the mechanics of on-brand writing.

Symbol The simple form in a logo. Normally constructed from shapes, illustrations, or abstract graphics. Sometimes referred to as the mark.

Tagline A short statement, sentence, or phrase that summarizes the brand in offering or intention.

Verbal identity Foundational language, lexicon recommendations, voice, and tone.

Visual identity The foundational visual materials necessary for building a brand. Often a logo, typography, and colors.

Voice guidelines A how-to guide for writing in a brand’s voice in terms of copy style and tone (with examples)

Web copy Brand voice applied to all web content.