Narrative.

Hello, hey, hi (yes - in that order!) - this is a guide for you (and everyone) to make sure that all new and existing communications are following the same tone of voice, demonstrating our values and mission - all helping towards attracting our ideal clients. Our approach won’t be right for everyone, so it should be easy to tell what working with us will be like immediately from any communication point, then people can make up their own mind.

This will provide practical examples, including how to change up your content depending on who you are talking to / writing for. So take the time to look through all of this carefully so that any message that you send out is consistent with Verve’s narrative.

A narrative is a more formal term for a story – so how does our story begin…?

Mission statement.

All the best businesses have a clear direction and we’re no different. We are ambitious, we are bold and we are passionate – and ultimately, it’s that approach that has us shooting for the stars.  

Our mission is two-fold. Internal to the industry, it is to design and deliver support services to modern and forward-thinking financial advisers. External to the industry, we are passionate about attracting new talent into the world of financial services by showcasing the fun and rewarding careers that are on offer and that it’s likely not at all what they’d expect it to be – no stuffy suits and briefcases over here!

So we have a strong mission. We know what we want to achieve, and we have the drive, determination and values set to make it possible.

Values.

The values that we hold are ultimately what drive us to do what we do and shape the way we do it. They are the lifeblood of the business and underpin everything that we do – from how we service our clients to how we interact with each other as colleagues. They should be at the heart of every communication you make.

Whether you’re communicating with prospective clients, existing clients, or providers and other businesses, ask yourself the questions above to help design your message.

Target audience.

So. Who are you talking to?

There are three key audiences (among others) that you will likely be talking to on a daily basis. Each of them will have their own needs and understanding, so you will need to alter certain aspects of your communication to help engage with each in a clear way that works for them. These are:

• Existing or propective clients: Our clients have been identified as both having similar values to ours and having a need for our services. As our clients are themselves in financial services, we know that they have an in-depth understanding of the products and services that we communicate.
  

• Providers or other businesses: When writing directly for advisers and similar, it is okay to use abbreviations and some industry jargon as this can be a short-hand to understanding for those audiences.
  

• End clients: When writing for the end client, you should avoid using acronyms and jargon where possible, keep your language to its simplest terms - keep Consumer Duty in mind when creating end-client facing communications.
  

Tone of voice.

Here is a list of keywords and phrases to help you build out your own communications using Verve's tone of voice. Try to ensure you keep these in mind or similar, when creating a new message:

Slogan.

Our primary slogan is "Need some help starting, scaling or elevating your advice firm? Then you've come to the right place.".

This highlights the breadth of firms we worth with, from one man bands who are just starting out through to networks wanting to elevate their offering. The phrase 'Need some help...' also references the range of support services that we offer to our clients.