Style Guide for Digital Copy

Transcription

1 Style Guide for Digital Copy Updated May 29, 2014

2 Table of Contents OVERVIEW Who should use this guide A note about mobile BRAND VOICE Introduction Be simple Be friendly Be knowledgeable Be active, not passive Be compassionate DIGITAL CONTENT BEST PRACTICES Put the most important information first Be brief Focus on the audience Include one clear call to action (CTA) Avoid absolutes Create chunks of content Set clear, specific expectations Be positive Be consistent Engage the audience Don t invent words Effective word choices PUNCTUATION Abbreviations and acronyms Ampersands Commas Contractions Hyphens, en-dashes and em-dashes Periods Quotation marks Spaces NUMBERS Age Dates Duration

3 Hours and times Money Phone numbers OTHER ELEMENTS OF STYLE 18 Capitalization 18 Headers 18 Buttons and Labels 18 Subject Lines 19 Links 19 Disclosures, citations and notations 19 Digital words 20 Names and salutations 20 Symbols 20 Underlining 21 Website 21 ERROR MESSAGING ONLINE SERVICE CONTENT Referring to MetLife s online services Alerts Buttons Dropdowns Error messages Expandable content Frequently asked questions Headers Labels Links Navigation Overlays Prompt text Tabs QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS GUIDE?

4 OVERVIEW This guide provides style standards for MetLife digital content. This includes MetLife.com, MetLife s online service sites, CMS-managed content, social media, and text messages. In this guide, you ll find: Best practices for writing for the web How to use the brand voice in digital MetLife punctuation standards Elements of style for digital content For any style of punctuation elements not covered here, please use the 2013 AP Stylebook. Who should use this guide Anyone who is creating and reviewing digital copy for MetLife should use this guide. This includes, but is not limited to, marketing teams, product teams, designers, content strategists, information architects, copywriters and vendors. A note about mobile Content for desktop, tablets and mobile should generally be consistent. However, content on mobile should be as short, to the point and streamlined as possible. We ve pointed out places in the guide where mobile content might differ from desktop content. Please note that this style guide is for digital content and should not be confused with the MetLife desktop and mobile design style guides, which should be used for design styling and layout elements. 4

5 BRAND VOICE Introduction The MetLife brand voice is our distinctive style of written communication, and plays a key role in strengthening our brand s identity by bringing the MetLife promise and personality to life. There are six attributes that constitute the MetLife personality. We are caring, motivating, optimistic, dependable, professional and inventive. These six personality attributes capture what the brand is, give our voice character, and make our communications more engaging and memorable. Below are some tips for writing in the MetLife brand voice and using our personality attributes to craft compelling, consistent copy. Be simple The MetLife brand voice is matter-of-fact and easy to understand. Try to use simple terms and avoid industry language or jargon wherever possible clear language helps create trust. While we re financial experts, our customers are not necessarily financial experts. Remember that our readers may not be comfortable with industry terms like in-force, asset allocation or EOBs. This is one of the most important elements in creating customer-centric content. Write this: Personal Excess Liability Insurance adds extra protection so you re covered in case of a lawsuit. Not this: Personal Excess Liability Insurance supplements your current coverage to help protect your assets from sky-high judgments. Write this: If someone covered by your insurance causes an accident that injures someone else, Bodily Injury coverage will pay for the injured person's related medical expenses and other damages. Not this: Bodily Injury Coverage pays when an insured person is legally liable for bodily injuries to others caused by your vehicle or your operation of most non-owned vehicles. 5

6 Be friendly The MetLife brand voice is caring, motivated and optimistic. When writing about the benefits of our products, be positive; avoid intimidating or negative messages and scare tactics. On the other hand, you should also avoid being too dramatic don t use too many exclamation points or gimmicky statements. Try to be conversational and upbeat, offering solutions instead of problems. Write this: Thanks for choosing MetLife! We appreciate your business. Not this: Thank you for selecting MetLife to provide for your life insurance needs. Be knowledgeable The MetLife personality is dependable and professional. When writing about products, it s okay to present detailed information, but in a way that breaks down complex ideas or features so that someone outside the insurance industry can understand. We should be a resource our customers can come to for helpful information. Write this: MetLife s variable universal life insurance policies can include an optional rider that guarantees your beneficiaries will receive a payout if you pay the required premiums. Not this: Our variable universal life insurance policies offer a rider, at an additional cost, that guarantees a minimum death benefit regardless of investment performance, for a set period you choose, as long as the guaranteed minimum premium requirements are met. Be active, not passive Choose the active voice where relevant and possible. The active voice is easier to read, clearer and friendlier. Write this: MetLife will process your claim. (Active) Not this: The claim will be processed. (Passive) Exception: Error messages often sound better in passive voice it can soften an unpleasant message. 6

7 Write this: Your password was entered incorrectly please try again Not this: You entered your password incorrectly please try again. Be compassionate Sometimes, we are communicating with our customers facing difficult events, like the death of a loved one or a medical emergency. We should be empathetic and caring, and always try to consider the customer s perspective. Write this: We re sorry for your loss. Once you re ready to make a claim, please call <number> and we will help you through the process. Not this: Following the death of the insured, call <number> to begin the claims process. For the complete Brand Voice Guidelines, please visit the MetLife Brand Center. DIGITAL CONTENT BEST PRACTICES Put the most important information first The first content on a page is most likely to be read. Readers may skim or skip subsequent paragraphs, so be sure to prioritize. Be brief Keep the content as short as possible people don t like to read a lot online. Don t take a print brochure and just convert it to digital. Print materials tend to be much longer and more detailed, while online users are looking for specific information. Too much content will cause users to leave the website in search of easier information elsewhere. Focus on the audience The user or customer should be the focus of the content. When writing, think about what your readers care about and their goals, and provide them with what they want. Try to avoid self-congratulatory content that focuses on MetLife s 7

8 reputation and accolades. Instead, write about the value we provide to our customers. Write this: We re here to help you 24/7 through , phone or chat. Not this: Our award-winning customer service is the best in the insurance industry. Include one clear call to action (CTA) Each piece of content should have one primary call to action. This should tell users what to do next. Links, buttons, or eye drawing elements are often best. Be sure it s clear what will happen when the user clicks. Will they see a quote, get a phone call, or sign up for text messages? Avoid absolutes Set realistic expectations and don t overpromise this is important for legal and compliance reasons, too. Write this: Life insurance can help protect your loved ones and provide some peace of mind. Not this: Life insurance protects your loved ones and gives you piece of mind never worry again! Create chunks of content Studies show online users scan content for information, instead of reading it word for word. To make sure that users read the content, you should: Create scannable chunks of copy by using lists or bullets Break up content using clear headers and subheaders Use promo boxes or in-line promos to help call out key messages Set clear, specific expectations Wherever possible, avoid vagueness so that users and customers know what to expect. This is important when you re trying to lead a user to a call to action, or when you re writing technical service messages. The clearer the message and instructions, the better. 8

9 Write this: We re doing maintenance on our system please try after 12 pm Sunday evening. Not this: Our system is temporarily unavailable. Try again later. Write this: Fill out the fields in the form below, then click Submit. You ll get an confirming that you ve submitted the form successfully within 10 minutes. Not this: Submit the form to complete the next step of the process and you ll be contacted later. Be positive People are more receptive to an encouraging message and it fits our brand personality, too. Write this: This temporary password is good for 10 days, so log in and change it now! Not this: WARNING: this temporary password expires in 10 days. You must change within 10 days. Be consistent Labels and language should be the same for all pieces of content. Use this guide to determine the MetLife style. If you re not sure, go for consistency within each piece of content. If you say charge your account in a piece of content, don t change it to withdraw funds or draft a payment later in the same piece. Consistency helps ensure users understand what is being discussed. Tense should also be consistent within each piece of content present tense is preferred. Engage the audience Using personal pronouns such as we and you engages your audience and is best in all but the most formal contexts. Write this: You will receive an with a link to your policy. 9

10 Not this: The insured will receive an with a link to the policy. Don t invent words Don t use feature names or internal references as verbs or proper nouns. Stick with real language that users would recognize anywhere. Write this: Would you like to make an automatic payment now? Not this: Would you like to AutoPay now? Write this: Thanks for switching to paperless statements! We re happy you re a MetLife customer. Not this: Thanks for choosing edelivery. We re happy to eserve you! Write this: We re sorry. We re unable to change your bank account information for the following payments. Not this: We apologize, but we are unable to Change Bank for the following payments. Effective word choices Use familiar, everyday words that users will understand. Write this: Give Find out Help Questions Enough Then By Because Start Is Postpone Although Not this: Accord Ascertain Assist Inquiries Adequate At that point in time By means of By reason of Commence Constitutes Defer Despite the fact that 10

11 Choose Spend To Because Money From now on Here Because of Probably Instead Because To If Ask Question About Change Require Unable Reject Uncertain Few Rarely Different Alike Get Address where you live Event By Because Limits Insured Paid to Yearly Elect Expend For the purpose of For the reason that Funds Henceforth Herein In accordance In all likelihood In lieu of In light of In order to In the event that Inquire Inquiry In regard to Modify Necessitate Not able Not accept Not certain Not many Not often Not the same Not unlike Obtain Occupancy Occurrence On the basis of Owing to the fact that Parameters Participant Payable to Per annum 11

12 People Doctor Part Before Buy According to Renew Pay, send Payment Payment Give, make Ask Law After Prove Allow Buy Enough Loss End How The person signing After For this reason For this reason So That Use Use Where If While About About Persons Physician Portion Prior to Purchase Pursuant to Reinstate Remit Remittance Remuneration Render Request Statute Subsequent Substantiate Permit Purchase Sufficient Surrender Terminate The manner in which The undersigned Thereafter Thereby Therefore Thus To the effect that Usage Utilize Wherefore Whether or not Whilst With reference to With regard to 12

13 PUNCTUATION Abbreviations and acronyms Generally, try to avoid abbreviations, particularly in headers, buttons and labels. When there are space or character limitations, it s okay to use very common abbreviations if necessary, but try not to use acronyms for product names or industry terms. Do not add periods to abbreviations. Write this: US mail, Mon to Fri Not this: U.S. mail, Mon. to Fri. Exception: Using the word etc. is fine. For this word, you include a period. Exception: It s fine to abbreviate states (NJ, NY, MO). Ampersands Use an ampersand when it s part of an organization or product name; for example, Li & Fung, or Accidental Death & Dismemberment. The rest of the time, spell out the word and. Exception: When you re trying to fit copy into tight character limits, like for a tweet or on mobile, the ampersand is acceptable in place of the word and. Commas MetLife does not use a serial or Oxford comma (comma before the and in a list). Commas should be used to keep sentences easy to read. Write this: This form requires your name, date of birth, address and telephone number. Not this: This form requires your name, date of birth, address, and telephone number. 13

14 Contractions It s perfectly acceptable to use contractions within MetLife digital content. In fact, the informality of contractions fits with MetLife s friendly tone of voice. Hyphens, en-dashes and em-dashes Hyphens are used to connect two words, usually adjectives, before a noun, such as full-time contractor. They re also used to connect parts of compound words, such as co-payment. Hyphens are different from em-dashes and en-dashes. MetLife style uses an emdash with a space on either side to indicate a break in thought in a sentence or to connect two ideas. Write this: (em-dash) We re sorry this username is unavailable. Not this: (en-dash) We re sorry this username is unavailable. Not this: (hyphen) We re sorry- this username is unavailable. Periods Writing is stronger and clearer if sentences are short. Often colons, semicolons and even commas should be replaced with periods. Do not connect complete statements with a comma. Periods should not be used: after headings, titles or subject matter for initials like HK, CN, US after captions that are not complete sentences after an ellipsis (...) in call to action links or buttons after bullet points that are not complete sentences Quotation marks To enclose the exact words of a writer or speaker, use double quotation marks. 14

15 Spaces Use only a single space between a period and the next capital letter. NUMBERS Numerals are preferred in online copy for easier reading, unless the number begins a sentence. Do not include decimals if a number is a whole number. A comma should be used to separate every three digits and approximate numbers should be written out. Phrases like thousands of people and millions of dollars should always be spelled out. Age When referring to age, it s appropriate to use the numbers instead of spelling them out. Use hyphens for year-olds or when talking about a range of ages. Example: Dates 7 to 14-year-olds the age group When writing a date out in copy, display the month, day, and year. Write this: July 1, Not this: July 1, 1 July 2014, July 1 st 2014 For spans of years, use an en-dash and omit the first two digits if the span covers the same decade ( ) If the span doesn t cover the same decade, write all the years out ( ) Write this: Not this: Write this:

16 Not this: In forms and fields, display the date as month/day/year, with no leading zeros. Example: February 1, 2009 should be displayed as 2/1/2009 Exception: In tables, bullets and numbered lists, graphs and figures, it s okay to use numbers and the % symbol (9% rather than nine percent, for example) if space is limited. Duration If you need to write out how a long a video or audio piece of content is, specify this as seconds; minutes and seconds; or hours, minutes and seconds. Example: :30 for 30 seconds 7:25 for 7 minutes, 25 seconds 30:00 for 30 minutes 59:00 for 59 minutes 2:00:00 for 2 hours Hours and times When space permits, write out the days of the week and include the minutes. There should be a space before am and pm. Am and pm should not be capitalized. Don t include periods, either. Use an en dash between days and times with spaces on either side. Example: Monday Friday, 9:00 am 5:30 pm, ET When there are space limitations, you may abbreviate the days of the week and the minutes, assuming that the time begins on the hour. If there are minutes in one time, the full hours should be written out so it s consistent. Example: Mon Sat, 9 am 5 pm, ET 16

17 Use ET, not EST. The default time zone displayed should be Eastern Time, unless displaying for a local audience in a different time zone. Money Display values using commas to separate every three digits, using a dollar symbol at the beginning of the value. Do not include cents when displaying monetary amounts, unless the amount isn t a whole number when possible, round. Do not include symbols like k or mm to refer to thousands or millions. Write this: $967 or $100,000 Not this: $ or $100, or $100k Ordinal numbers These should be spelled out if there are no space limitations. (First, second, third, not 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, etc.) Phone numbers Phone number should use the following formats: US: (include the 1, include hyphens before each set of numbers, no spaces). International: (add the plus sign, and the appropriate country code, and then use the acceptable local format. Typically, this doesn t include hyphens, but spaces instead). Vanity phone numbers (like METLIFE) should be used only when the audience may need to remember the phone number to call at a later time. Vanity numbers should never be used for mobile content. 17

18 OTHER ELEMENTS OF STYLE Capitalization There are two types of capitalization styles: title case and sentence case. In both cases, proper nouns are always capitalized. The first word of titles, headings, subtitles and subheadings should be capitalized as well. This Is Title Case the first letter is capitalized, except for prepositions and articles (a, the). Be sure to capitalize pronouns and all verbs, like Is and Can. A word with more than four letters should also be capitalized, even if it s a preposition. This is sentence case only the first letter is capitalized. Specific product names, as proper nouns, should be capitalized. However, when just writing about a type of product, like life insurance, do not use capitals. Write this: Promise Whole Life insurance Not this: Promise Whole life insurance Headers The MetLife website has its own style guide for headers which should be followed, as does the mobile website style guide. On MetLife.com, page headers and subheaders are title case, with no ending punctuation. On m.metlife.com, page headers should be in all caps, and subheaders are title case, with no ending punctuation. For pieces of content without a formal style guide, make sure the header styles are consistent and easy to follow. See also: MetLife Online Services, Headers on p.20 Buttons and Labels Use title case with no ending punctuation for buttons and labels. 18

19 Subject Lines Subject lines should be sentence case unless specific testing suggests otherwise. They should never be in all capital letters. Links Use sentence case with no ending punctuation for links Exception: If the link is a question, it should include a question mark. Write this: Forgot password? Not this: Forgot Password? Write this: View additional policy details Not this: View Additional Policy Details. Exception: Use title case if referring to a specific document in a link. Write this: Complete the Automatic Payment Setup form Not this: Complete the automatic payment setup form Disclosures, citations and notations Often for legal and compliance reasons, content needs to be qualified. It may be necessary to add an asterisk or footnote with disclosure copy. If there is only one notation in a piece of content, it s acceptable to use an asterisk. The asterisk should be at the end of the sentence or bullet to be explained in the corresponding footnote. If more than one notation must be made in a piece of content, numeric footnotes should be used instead of asterisks or Roman numerals. There should be no space between the last character and the notation, and the notation should be superscript. The notation should not be made until the end of the sentence. Try to avoid creating content that includes too many citations it can take away from the strength of the intended message. 19

20 Digital words Below are digital-specific words and the MetLife style for them. Write this: username website page enter re-enter Not this: user name Web-site Screen Type re-type Log in is a verb phrase; login is an adjective or noun. Example: Log in to your account. The login button is green. Names and salutations The first mention of a name should use the first name followed by the last name: John Doe, for example. Following this, use the person s title then last name: Mr. Doe, Dr. Smith. Exception: In content directed specifically to a customer, it s preferred to use the first name only. This is friendlier and fits with the MetLife tone of voice. For example, in , you could say Dear John instead of Dear Mr. Doe. Symbols Generally, symbols should be avoided, with a few notable exceptions covered elsewhere in this guide. The dollar sign should be used when discussing monetary amounts; asterisks are okay in the case of citations and notations; ampersands should only be used when there are character limitations or in product names. All other symbols, like the percentage symbol or using a forward slash, should be avoided unless there are space or character limitations. Instead, write out the appropriate words. 20

21 Write this: $45 per month Not this: $45/month Trademarks and copyrights are another exception sometimes it s necessary to include these. Typically, legal or compliance should provide guidance on this. Underlining Don t underline text for emphasis use italics or bold. In digital content, underlining implies a link. Website Our website should be spelled MetLife.com, not metlife.com or Metlife.com. There is no need to spell out or www just MetLife.com is enough. ERROR MESSAGING Writing error messages is slightly different from writing normal digital content. The basic rules for writing error messages are: Be apologetic, especially if the error is our fault. Remember, this is frustrating for the user, and it s okay to apologize for that frustration. Don t apologize for user error. Provide a next step or call to action whenever possible. Passive voice is ok. If the error was caused by the user, be as specific as possible about what went wrong. If the error was caused by our systems, apologize for the inconvenience and direct the user to customer service for assistance. No need to explain the error in detail. For error messages that appear because someone hasn t properly filled out a form or field, provide a very short message asking that they provide 21

22 an answer. This can be specific to the field or generic, but should be consistent for each form. Write this: Please enter a valid phone number. Not this: This error is generated because there is missing information in field A. Write this: We re sorry online payments are currently unavailable. Please try again in 24 hours. If you still can t make a payment, call Not this: Online payments not available at this time. Try again later. ONLINE SERVICE CONTENT MetLife has many online service platforms. While some are legacy systems that may follow different rules, newer online services should follow this style guide. In platforms that use both new and legacy systems, follow this style guide to refer to legacy content, as long as the customer can understand your meaning. Here are a few elements of style specifically for MetLife s online service content. For all other style decisions, refer to the rest of this guide. Referring to MetLife s online services When possible, refer to the online services offered by MetLife generically, not as belonging to a particular platform or being a separate part of the website. Note: MetOnline is an internal name and should not be used in communications to customers. Write this: MetLife s online services Not this: MetOnline, MetLife s Online Services, Servicing site Write this: Manage your MetLife accounts online. Not this: Manage your accounts using MetLife s Online Services 22

23 Alerts Global alert headings should be sentence case. They should include a call to action at the end of the alert. If the call to action is a link, it should be sentence case with no end punctuation (unless the link is within a paragraph). Buttons Buttons should be title case and not include ending punctuation. Dropdowns Dropdowns should be sentence case and not include ending punctuation. Exception: if a dropdown is a question, it should include a question mark. Error messages There are several types of error messages. Generally, error messages within online service platforms should follow the content rules outlined above in this guide. For error messages that are formatted as overlays, like a session timeout, there should be a short header, a main body message with full sentences, and a call to action. Whenever possible, try to make the header a full sentence, in sentence case, with no ending punctuation. Exception: if a header is a question, it should include a question mark. Write this: Your session has ended Not this: Session Ended A call to action should be formatted in sentence case. Unless it s a full sentence, it should not include ending punctuation. For error messages that appear because someone hasn t properly filled out a form or field, provide a very short message asking that they provide an answer. This can be specific to the field or generic, but should be consistent for each form. 23

24 See also: Error Messaging, page 18 Expandable content If accordions are used to show a piece of content and then have more available upon a click, use the language view and hide instead of expand collapse or more and less. Write this: View details / Hide details Not this: Open / Close or Expand / Collapse Frequently asked questions Questions in this section should be sentence case, and should always be written as questions. Answers should be written in complete sentences as paragraphs. Headers Whenever possible, try to make the header a full sentence, in sentence case, with no ending punctuation. Exception: If a header is a question, it should include a question mark. Instructions When referring to a button, link or icon that a user must click: Tell users where they can find the button, link, or icon if not immediately obvious, then tell them what to click. Use bold type for elements that user must go to or click Follow the capitalization used on the button or link that the user must click Use page not screen but avoid when possible Write this: 1. Go to My Documents 2. In the top-left corner of the page, click Delivery & Notification Preferences 24

25 3. Under My Delivery Preferences, indicate how you d like to receive communications from us. Labels See also Buttons, Tabs, Links in this section For field labels, in forms, hover help or data labels, use sentence case. Example: Write this: Premium payment due: Not this: Premium Payment Due: Links Links should be sentence case. They should not include ending punctuation unless they re included as part of a paragraph. Navigation Navigation should be title case, with no ending punctuation. Overlays Whenever possible, try to make the header a full sentence, in sentence case, with no ending punctuation. 25

26 Exception: if a header is a question, it should include a question mark. The main body copy should be full sentences. The call to action should be formatted in sentence case, and should not include ending punctuation unless it s a full sentence. Generally, there should be an option to cancel or go back this may need to be addressed in the copy, if it s not in the design. Write this: Your session has ended Not this: Session Ended Prompt text Prompt text (text in a field to help the user understand what they need to input) should be in sentence case, with no ending punctuation. Tabs Tab titles should be title case, with no ending punctuation. QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS GUIDE? Please reach out to the corporate Content Strategy team: Amanda Curtin Dori Cerulo Jennifer Hua [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 26