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Tone and Voice

The following guidelines were developed to outline the general tone and voice of Siemon-generated material and are provided here as a reference to Siemon partners when developing content in which the Siemon company, its products or its services are referenced.  We encourage all partners to consult with Siemon marketing before publishing any Siemon-related content, but all forms of material or messaging that in any way implies Siemon’s direct involvement in its development or Siemon’s authorization or approval of its content must be approved in writing by Siemon corporate marketing.

Authorized Siemon partners are welcome to utilize, in whole or part, any public Siemon produced content, with the following terms and limitations:

  • Usage must be positive in nature and intended to support Siemon’s commercial efforts
  • Any material used must be properly attributed to Siemon
  • Usage must not mis-represent the partner’s business relationship with Siemon

Pronunciation of “Siemon”

To ensure consistent and accurate pronunciation of our company name, please use the following phonetic guidance:

  • SEE-mun

Explanation:

  • The first syllable, “Sie,” is pronounced like the English word “see.”
  • The second syllable, “mon,” is pronounced like the English word “mun.”

Editorial/Educational Content

In general, these pieces are intended to deliver useful information to a specific external audience without overt sales pitches or editorializing – we want to “let the facts do the talking.”

Editorial:

  • Press releases
  • Articles
  • Case studies

Educational:

  • Whitepapers, tech briefs/guides
  • Training presentations (industry-accredited sessions, public webinars, etc.)

Guidelines:

  • Use third-person objective format.
  • Avoid conjunctions

    • NO: “they’re”

      YES: “they are”

  • Use industry-standard terms vs. Siemon product names where possible/appropriate
  • Use the full industry-standard term in its first appearance/instance on each piece

    • EX: Category 6A/Class EA F/UTP.

      (When in doubt, refer to the relevant standards)

    • Subsequent references can be shortened or referenced by regional naming variants

      EX: Category 6A Shielded

  • Do not abbreviate or colloquialize in editorial/educational pieces

    (EX: Cat 6A)

  • Apply trade/service/registration marks (™, ®, SM) to applicable Siemon product and service names on their first appearance/instance per page.
  • Avoid unsubstantiated marketing claims.
  • Be as specific as possible – avoid absolutes such as “all”, “none”, “fastest” unless 100% certain that the statement is accurate

    • NO: “We recommend that you use shielded Z-MAX 6A cabling to support all PoE devices”

      YES: “Based on TIA guidelines, Siemon recommends that contractors deploy Category 6A shielded cabling to support higher power PoE+ devices”

    • NO: “Z-PLUG is the fastest terminating connector”

      YES: “Based on Siemon testing and available competitive product details, the Z-PLUG termination process is as much as 40% faster than other field-terminated plug options.

Promotional Materials

In the majority of situations where  the audience is aware that a commercial message is being presented, the “bias” rules above can be relaxed, however discretion is still required.

Promotional Material:

  • Siemon.com promotional content
  • Ads, advertorials
  • eNewsletters (sponsored and direct)
  • Open social media
  • Brochure and flyers
  • Videos, podcasts
  • Sales presentations, etc What changes:
  • First person (we, you) is acceptable
  • Conjunctions are acceptable
  • Use Siemon-specific product names
  • Abbreviated industry standard terms are acceptable

    EX: Cat6A

  • Can shift to more superlative language:

    EX: LC BladePatch offers the fastest and easiest field polarity changes

What doesn’t:

  • Statements must be true.

    • Ex: You don’t necessarily need to justify the statement “LC BladePatch offers the fastest and easiest field polarity changes.” in the piece but you need to be able to prove its validity if questioned.

    • As a general rule, if the piece has the room to include additional detail to back up any statements, it is a good idea to consider adding it.
  • Avoid negative selling.
    • We want to present Siemon in a positive light, not badmouth competitors
    • Avoid using competitor names
  • Apply trade/service/registration marks (™, ®, SM) to applicable Siemon product and service names on their first appearance/instance per page
  • Social media note: While certain platforms such as Twitter have character and formatting limits, stick to correct, traditional punctuation when possible, and use “text” abbreviations only when absolutely necessary due character limit constraints

    • EX: Avoid “UR” in place of “You are” or “4” in place of “for”.

Other Promotional Considerations:

  • Cultural considerations – Understand the cultural basics and potential sensitivities of your target audience, as well as areas into which your message might “escape”

    • EX: Don’t publicize a “Pub Crawl” in a region where alcohol is prohibited

    • EX: Is “American Made” a desirable message in the UK?

    • Avoid “hot-button” social issues
  • Ensure that your messaging is appropriate to your audience’s “level” (technology, market knowledge, etc.).

    • EX: Tone and content will be different addressing DC design strategies for an audience of MSP system integrators vs end users.

  • Ask “So what?” after every marketing statement.  If you can’t answer that question from the target audience’s perspective, rework it.
  • Know what matters to your audience and ensure that the messaging addresses their needs specifically.