"You" is polite. "You" is rude. At its core, this is often how writing style explains the use of the you and your form. Is this correct? Actually, no. The use of u and you is subject to many factors, both on your website and in conversation!
Here you can consider factors such as status, affiliation and formality. To someone of higher status (such as your boss), you will be more likely to say you. If you want to express connectedness and equality in a conversation with someone, you are more likely to say you. Formality relates to the character of the conversation: does it have a serious tone, or is it more casual?
And then you have to deal with a combination of all these factors that ultimately make you decide whether you address someone with your or you. Moreover, this can even change in a conversation: you might start with the you form, but later continue with the you form. This may be at the request of the person addressed, but sometimes it may also be your own decision because the tone of the conversation has changed.
So using you or you really is a lot more complex than just being or not being polite! Are you going to get a website design done? Then you need to think about how you're going to address your audience. An important decision, because you have to be consistent in this: the form and writing style you choose will be applied not only in your website, but also in your social media, newsletters and further communication.
We are trying to help you make a choice between "you" or "you" through this blog. Are you going to have a website design and want a consistent form of address for your audience? If so, you can pay attention to the following:
- What is the purpose of the communication on your website?
- Put yourself in the audience's shoes
- Don't confuse formal language with professional language
For a website design you can turn to Monkey Vision! Even if you do not yet know what form of address you will use, because we like to think along with you.
Table of Contents
What is the purpose of the communication on your website?
Choosing you or you on your website is related to the purpose of your communication.
Do you primarily want to inform? Then using the u-form in your writing style is totally fine. On top of informing, do you want to create connection? Then using the you form is much more appropriate. When using you, you create more distance from your website visitor, whereas with you, you are more on equal footing.
So think carefully about your goal: do you want to purely inform your visitor, or should she recognize herself in your brand or even fall in love a bit?
Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience for a suitable writing style
We've thrown these at you in several blogs by now, but it's still so important: put yourself in your target audience's shoes!
Research by the senior citizen organization ANBO shows that 78% of their research respondents believe that organizations and institutions should always use the u form in their communications. So if your company deals a lot with this target group, it is very wise to take this into account. But you could also use the u form in other situations: for example, are you an optician, hearing specialist or do you sell luxury goods? Your target audience might also be more served by the u form, without becoming too formal.
How do you find out exactly which writing style fits? Apply it yourself in conversation or ask about it! Have conversations with your customers and environment. In this conversation, do you address them as you or you? And of course you can literally ask: What do they experience as a pleasant form of address?
In many other cases, for example when you have a young target audience, using the you form may feel most logical. At Monkey Vision , for example, we also invariably use "you" in our communications: this suits us and our target audience.
Don't confuse formal language with professional language
Another reason why companies sometimes seem to choose the you form is because they think this is a more professional writing style. However, never confuse professional language with formal language.
Using "you" does not make your company any less professional. Are you very loose with the rest of your language, is your web design a mess, and is your online communication not running smoothly? See, these are things that make you look less professional. With a website design by Monkey Vision , we make sure all these things are completely in order and make sure you look professional.
Of course, language errors can also make you look unprofessional. Read more about this in our blog 4 online language mistakes: Is your text readable by Google?
You or you? Create a website with an appropriate style
So using you or you has more than just to do with a polite form. Your writing style depends on many factors, so you need to think about this carefully.
The fact that Bol.com or Ikea, for example, choose to address their customers as 'you' does not necessarily mean that you should do the same. Even some of their customers may actually find this disruptive. And it can also be the other way around: maybe you think it's neater to address your customers as you, but it turns out after talking to them that they don't find it necessary at all and find it distant. So do your research!
Need help? With a website design by Monkey Vision , we don't just think about your web design, we involve the complete branding in your website. And that includes communication. Interested in a website design? Let us know and start a project!
