Motivating people to take part in the neighbourly exchange through tone of voice
What is the tone of voice, and why is it important?
The tone of voice defines how we as a brand communicate with our users and potential users. In this chapter, you will learn what the tone of voice is, why it’s important and how we define our tone of voice at nebenan.de.
It reflects our brand personality and values and brings them to life. With a consistent tone of voice, we build trust and give our users the feeling that they know us. But while our brand personality and values stay the same, our tone of voice can vary slightly depending on the occasion and channel. For example, a text in our help centre might sound different to an ad copy.
What defines the tone of voice at nebean.de?
At nebenan.de, we want to empower our users to build local connections. We know that it takes effort to connect with people you don’t know yet. That’s why we speak like a compassionate motivator with our users. We aim to encourage everyone to make the most out of our product.
These are our 5 principles:
1. We are motivating
With our content, we aim to encourage our users to make the most of our product.
Do’s: use an enthusiastic tone where it’s appropriate, use strong verbs & positive voice (“do this” instead of “don’t do this”)
Don’t: avoid negative voice
2. We are lighthearted
Using nebenan.de should be a fun experience. Our tone of voice is lively and friendly, but not too playful or funny.
Dos: use an optimistic & warm tone
Don’ts: avoid writing too formal & nominal style; avoid sarcasm
3. We are straightforward/purposeful
With our communication, we always pursue a clear goal and get straight to the point. We confidently communicate relevant information in simple, clear and concise terms.
Dos: use clear messages & structure (write for scanning first, reading second), use short sentences, simple sentence structures & active voice
Don’ts: never distract from the essentials, avoid filler words, complex sentences, fluffy metaphors & passive voice
4. We are honest
The trust of our users is essential. We handle information transparently and stand by our values.
Dos: we take responsibility for our mistakes and stand by our words
Don’ts: avoid using too many superlatives
5. We are respectful
We always treat our users with respect and meet them at eye level. Put yourself in their shoes, and don’t patronise them. We stand up for tolerance and helpfulness.
Dos: use a polite, empathetic and cordial tone, communicate in a solution-oriented manner
Don’ts: avoid writing irreverent copy, don’t use a moralizing undertone, never be condescending or exclusive
Looking at the four dimensions of tone of voice, this is where we place nebenan.de:
Style tips
Neighborhoods are sensitive ecosystems, where people of many kinds come together. With our language, we want to include as many people as possible and treat every user seriously. When writing a text, keep in mind that we write for a diverse audience of readers who interact with our content in different ways.
Here are a few key elements:
We are on a first-name basis with our users (“du” instead of “Sie”). In a personal conversation, we may of course use the formal "you" if the other person wishes.
Use gendered language. You can find the guidelines on gendered language here in our wiki (in German). Example: Teilnehmende, Handwerker:innen
Avoid technical terms. Use familiar words instead (not all our users know, for example, what a “feed” is).
Avoid slang. Write plain German (exception: in user quotes if it adds to the story).
Preferably, use German words. We generally try to find terms in the national language instead of using buzzwordy anglicisms. To avoid excluding (older) people, we only use English words that are in the German dictionary (Duden). You can use English words that are in the German dictionary:
to bring more variety into your copy/avoid repetitions
to use words that have slightly different associations (for example, community vs. Gemeinschaft)
for features where there’s no good German term (for example, toggle vs. Regler)
for established terms around social networks (for example, likes, social media)
Examples: preferably use “Beitrag” instead of “post”, “Hilfe” instead of “support”
Focus on short, concise sentences. Delete filler words.
Emojis can be a fun way to add visual interest to your writing, but use them in moderation and deliberately:
max. 1 per headline/subject line/bullet point
don’t use emojis in paragraphs
use the yellow emojis (skin colour)
keep in mind that there are often different possible interpretations of emojis
Keep your button text (CTA) super short (2-3 words max)
Further rules regarding syntax & spelling can be found here in our wiki.
Brand words & phrases
nebenan.de is one word, the “.de” is part of the brand name and it is spelt with a lowercase n.
Deutschlands größtes soziales Netzwerk für Nachbar:innen Sozialunternehmen Nachbarschaftshilfe Hilfsbereitschaft Unterstützung Gemeinschaftsgefühl
zu Hause fühlen lokal vernetzen Nachbar:innen kennenlernen teilen tauschen helfen verschenken verleihen verabreden Gutes tun Nachbarschaft entdecken
online für offline direkt in deiner Nähe/nebenan unkompliziert kostenlos geschützter lokaler Raum
Bei nebenan.de vernetzen sich Menschen aus deiner Nähe/Umgebung
Finde Schnäppchen direkt in deiner Nähe
Werde Teil deiner lokalen Community/Gemeinschaft
Entdecke deine Nachbarschaft