The Internet Marketing Written Style Guide

1
the internet marketing written style guide
written style guide
tHe internet marketing
Aa
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
an introduction to written style guidelines for internet marketing
a publication of
is tHis BOOK rigHt FOr Me?

not quite sure if this ebook is right for you? see the below description to determine if your level matches the content you are about to read.
intrOduCtOry
This ebook!
introductory content is for marketers who are new to the subject. this content typically includes step-by-step instructions on how to get started with this aspect of inbound marketing and learn its fundamentals. after reading it, you will be able to execute basic marketing tactics related to the topic.
interMediAte
intermediate content is for marketers who are familiar with the subject but have only basic experience in executing strategies and tactics on the topic. this content typically covers the fundamentals and moves on to reveal more complex functions and examples. after reading it, you will feel comfortable leading projects with this aspect of inbound marketing.
AdVAnCed
advanced content is for marketers who are, or want to be, experts on the subject. in it, we walk you through advanced features of this aspect of inbound marketing and help you develop complete mastery of the subject. after reading it, you will feel ready not only Share This Ebook! to execute strategies and tactics, but also to teach others how to be successful.
www.Hubspot.com
Hubspots all-in-one marketing software

... brings your whole marketing world together in one, powerful, integrated system.
lead generation
U q
blogging & social media
get Found: Help prospects find you online Convert: nurture your leads and drive conversions Analyze: measure and improve your marketing Plus more apps and integrations
email & automation
M s
searcH optimization
request a demo
Video overview
lead management
g Y
marketing analytics
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
tHe internet MArKeting written style guide

by beth dunn beth dunn is a uX manager at Hubspot, where she writes and edits copy for the Hubspot product. a former copy editor at random House, beth also writes about history and food for the History channel, is a regular contributor to the history blog wonders & marvels, and writes about everything else on her personal blog, bethdunn.com.
FOllOw Me On twitter @BetHdunn
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
COntents
wHAt is A HOuse style guide? HOw tO CreAte yOur style guide
/10
/17
HOw tO iMPleMent yOur style guide HuBsPOt written style guide

/28
/25
COnClusiOn & AdditiOnAl resOurCes /67
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
Your effectiveness as an inbound marketer relies on the quality of your content.
your effectiveness as an inbound marketer relies on the quality of your content. your content is what helps you get found online, build trust with your readers, educate and inform them as a pathway to conversions, and sustain ongoing and profitable relationships with loyal customers for years to come. and it all comes down to your content. So why are so many businesses satisfied to let poorly edited, inconsistent, and grammatically incorrect copy ruin their online credibility and stymie their efforts before theyve even begun?
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
were All Publishers now

one of the central tenets of inbound marketing is that every business is a media business. every marketer needs to be a publisher. Businesses that blog regularly get 55% more traffic than businesses that dont. frequency of blogging also matters in lead generation. we have found that businesses that blogged just 16 to 20 times per month got three times more leads than ones that didnt blog. the importance of consistent, quality content creation to maintaining an effective online marketing strategy has by now been firmly established. but few businesspeople or marketers consider themselves writers and editors by trade. and yet now we find ourselves having to blog regularly, create marketing offers like ebooks and whitepapers, and post updates on social media sites nearly every day.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
we are constantly writing copy for our website pages, landing pages and marketing emails. we build presentations and reports, and pitch pr ideas to reporters and industry leaders. in other words, good writing is an indispensable part of a strong inbound marketing presence.
marketing offers blog social media
landing pages
Share This Ebook!
writing
email
www.Hubspot.com
so many of us have become accidental authors, accidental editors, and accidental publishers. its time to equip yourself properly for these new roles. with a house style guide, you can ensure that youre publishing content that is well written, persuasive, and trustworthy. a style guide can help you manage a stable of guest bloggers or occasional content creators from inside and outside your organization, and can ensure that your brand voice is consistent across all channels, no matter whos been writing your copy that day. what is more, improving your writing across different marketing channels will solidify the credibility of your brand and help you build an image of a thought leader in your field. its easy to create your own house style guide. all it takes is a few basic resources, a solid understanding of your brand voice, and a plan for execution. But first it might be useful to explain exactly what a house style guide is.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
10
CHAPter 1
wHAt is A HOuse style guide?
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
11
Style manuals are reference books that tell writers how to handle grammar and punctuation and special cases of usage.
when was the last time you had to write a paper for school? if your teacher or professor insisted that you follow chicago rules or the ap stylebook or even apa guidelines, then youve used a type of style guide. all of these are examples of style manuals, and they are the building blocks of your house style guide. style manuals are reference books that tell writers how to handle grammar and punctuation and special cases of usage. each style manual is written for a particular community of writers and readers. ap style is geared toward journalistic writing. chicago is favored by academic writers and editors. and apa is most often used by the scientific community. Each style guide goes beyond the usual how to use an apostrophe and whats a dangling modifier to cover cases that would only arise in that particular field of study. So there might be rules governing how to handle scientific notation, the capitalization of Latin terminology, or how to cite references from the internet.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
12
the point is that while there are basic rules of the english language that almost everybody can and will agree on, each field tends to have its own quirky way of handling jargon and industry terms that frequently arise. for a long time, book and magazine publishing houses have used internal (house) style guides to cover the special cases that tended to come up in the types of books and articles they publish. usually, these take the form of simply documenting which of the major style manuals (ap, chicago, etc.) they rely on for most questions, and then listing the exceptions for which they either disagree with the major style manual or which the major style manual doesnt address. this is exactly the sort of style guide youll be creating for your business. every business is a publishing house of its own, remember? well, every publishing house needs a house style guide.
Share This Ebook!
H
HOuse style guide
www.Hubspot.com
13
whats in a House style guide?

In a house style guide you will find these items:
A style MAnuAl
most house style guides begin by referring to the style manual that they are built around. its usually enough to simply write, acme corporation uses ap style with a few exceptions. then your writers (guest bloggers, content contributors, freelance writers, interns) know that for most things they should refer to the ap guide (readily available online and in bookstores), but for a few specific items, they should refer to your house style guide. the rest of your house style guide should cover commonly used words and phrases that are specific to your field -- and are therefore not covered by your chosen style manual -- or those cases in which you want to disagree with the established style manual and carve your own path.
style guide
www.apastyle.org
APA
MlA
style guide
AP
www.apstylebook.com
CHiCAgO
style guide
www.cHicagomanualofstyle.org
Share This Ebook! style guide
www.mla.org/style
www.Hubspot.com
14
for instance, for many years the ap style guide (which is the most commonly used by online writers and journalists) has ruled that e-mail must be written with a hyphen, and web site must be written as two words and with a capital w. but the widespread practice online has been to write email (without a hyphen) and website (one word, lowercase), and this is the practice that most online writers have preferred, no matter what the ap guide told them to do.
e-mail web site
email website
it was only very recently that the ap style guide has relented and changed their recommendation to the more common email and website. so now companies that follow AP style with a few exceptions simply find themselves with two fewer exceptions that they need to document. and the companies that stuck with whatever the ap guide recommended can change their ways.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
15
A diCtiOnAry
the next component of a house style guide is the designated dictionary of choice.
believe it or not, there are significant variations between dictionaries.
So to eliminate arguments over which spelling or definition is the accepted one in your companys writing, youll want to choose your house dictionary and mention it at the start of your house style guide. So for instance, HubSpots house style guide begins as follows: HubSpot uses AP Style with some exceptions: See the 2011 AP Stylebook for reference. For questions of spelling, use the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Use the first spelling listed. dictionaries are particularly useful when youre trying to decide if a compound word (a word composed of two individual words) should be hyphenated, combined into one word, or left as two separate words.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
16
many compound words change how theyre treated over time as they become more familiar and mainstream (usually the trend is from two words used in succession, to two words hyphenated, to finally being combined into one, new word), so its important to look it up to find out what the current usage is.
exCePtiOns
once youve determined what your main style manual will be (e.g., ap, chicago, apa) and what your main dictionary will be (e.g., merriam-webster, oxford), the rest of your house style guide will consist of exceptions and additions to these two references.
so basically, its up to you how you want to handle exceptions. you might want to look at what other writers in your field do, and follow the most commonly used rule you can find. But its your style guide, so if you want to insist on capitalizing Web site and hyphenating e-mail, you can.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
17
CHAPter 2
HOw tO CreAte yOur style guide
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
18
Create your House style guide in three easy steps

now you are probably eager to create your own house style guide and start using it across your different marketing assets. Here are three easy steps to get started:
CHOOse yOur style MAnuAl
most online writers choose ap style as their primary reference for questions of punctuation, grammar, and usage. if you havent looked at a style guide since you were in school (and even then, you might have wiggled out of it), take a look at the ap style guide sometime. its full of excellent, down-to-earth advice on how to write clear, clean prose that your readers will understand and enjoy. thats the real goal of any good style guide, after all -- not to serve as some dictatorial overlord, correcting everyones mistakes. were creating content because we want to help people -- specifically because we want to help people who would benefit from becoming our customers.
And writing good, clean copy thats easy to understand is a big part of being helpful.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
19
CHOOse yOur diCtiOnAry
merriam-webster seems to be the dictionary of choice these days, not least because they have an excellent and readily available website that you can use to look up words whenever youre wondering about a stray hyphen or need a reminder on that pesky i before e rule. but if youre the type whod never be parted from your oed (and if you have one of these in your office, then we salute you) or you swear by the edition of the Collegiate dictionary you bought your freshman year in college, then more power to you. the choice is yours. Just remember that youll be asking everyone in your organization to use the same reference tools, so make sure you have enough copies to go around.
list yOur exCePtiOns
your style guide is meant to be a living document. so the pressure isnt on right now to list out every single industry term or exception that you might ever want to express an opinion on. but it shouldnt be too hard to get started. read through some of your more recent blog posts. look for any jargon that only people in your field would use, or words that your profession uses in a slightly different way than the rest of the world.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
20
Check for: acronyms abbreViations HypHenated words which ones are you always having to look up? which ones have your customers asked you to explain or define? This should give you a good starter list of industry terms that youll want to list in your style guide. Remember: You might know how to use these words and abbreviations, but what about a guest blogger? an intern? a new hire? save yourself time now and document how youd like these terms treated in your companys writing.
The next step might be to ask an outsider to your field to look at your writing and point out any odd usages. its hard as an insider to notice when youve started adopting industry-specific meanings of commonly used words in your writing, but somebody from outside your organization or profession can usually spot them without breaking a sweat. when they point out words and phrases to you, dont argue -- just mark them down, define them, and record how youd like them to be used. Is it a noun? An adjective? does it always get hyphenated, or only sometimes? why? Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
21
Optional: A section on Voice

your style guide is also a great place to document the kind of brand voice you want your content to convey. is your company a hip, young, smart-alecky sort of brand? or is it the staid voice of reason? traditional and restrained, or outspoken and brash? playful? snarky? tender? sweet? Write down how you want your brand to be perceived online. Ask yourself: what kind of personality is it youre trying to sell to? what kind of personality are your best customers most likely to buy from? dive into the work you did when you developed your marketing personas. every brand needs a voice, and your style guide should help you define and protect that voice over time. for instance, say you invite an industry professional to be a guest author on your blog. while an outsider doesnt need to conform to your brand voice, it would be very helpful to be able to give your guest bloggers guidelines so that they dont stick out like a sore thumb.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
22
your readers have come to know and trust you by the voice youve used in the past. dont run the risk of alienating them by a sudden shift or a turn toward inconsistency. consider writing down how you want to handle bad news and apologies. if your voice section only says that your brand is playful and fun, you might find yourself (or your well intentioned new hire or intern) writing and publishing some wildly inappropriate messaging when a different tone is called for. How will you handle apologies? bad news? if not playful and fun, then what will your brand sound like then? documenting all of this in your style guide means that you dont have to dither over word choice and tone when youre in the middle of handling a crisis.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
23
Optional: A section on Microcopy

microcopy is all of those often overlooked little words youve got sprinkled all over your website. the words you use on your call-to-action (cta) buttons (do you say click here! or download now or gimme), the language you use in error messages, the alert emails you send your newsletter subscribers when they sign up for your mailings -- these are all examples of microcopy, and they can be as important if not more important than the writing you do on your blog. include a section on microcopy in your style guide. do you use exclamation marks in your cta buttons or not? do you use all caps in your text links? How do your email subscriber notifications convey your brand voice? These might all seem like inconsequential details, but in fact they are the quintessential little things that add up to a lot when it comes to building trust, growing rapport, and persuading your readers to take that vital next step in your business relationship. write down in your style guide how you want to let microcopy speak for you and your brand. Share This Ebook!
p
!
;
www.Hubspot.com
24
lets get started

use the Hubspot House style guide as a template for creating your own house style guide. weve included terms and exceptions that crop up frequently among internet marketers and other online denizens (when do you hyphenate call to action and log in? how do you handle company names that arent capitalized? and so on), so you might find our style guide a good place to start. scroll down to the Hubspot House style guide and read it through a few times. Highlight what works, what doesnt work, and what you disagree with. some of our rules were subject to fierce internal debate before we set it down in our guide, so theres plenty of room for disagreement. Add and delete until youre satisfied that your style guide truly reflects the needs and voice of your organization.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
25
CHAPter 3
HOw tO iMPleMent yOur style guide

Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
26
using your style guide

the best style guide is worthless if its not put into practice. learn how to use your style guide and incorporate it into your everyday workflow so that your online content is as crisp and compelling as it possibly can be.
inVOlVe OtHers
Even if youre the final authority in your company, elicit the opinions of others when youre drafting your style guide. if youre using the Hubspot style guide as a template, ask them to review it and give you their thoughts. include people from all areas of your company. invite friends from outside your organization and from outside your field to chime in.
ask any writer friends you might have about their pet peeves (all writers have them, in spades). get it all down, even if you disagree. you can always take things out or modify them later.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
27
MAKe it VisiBle
once youre happy with your style guide, print it out and post it in your office. Save it as an easily accessed word file or Google doc in your companys shared space. post it on your internal wiki, if you have one. whatever you do, make sure that everyone in your company knows that you care about the quality of the writing youre putting out there. and dont just restrict it to blog posts and marketing, either.
everyone who writes emails to customers, everyone who tweets on your behalf, everyone who posts under your name on facebook should know about your style guide and how it can help them represent your brand and voice to the best of their ability.
reVise it As needed
times change, and so will you. revisit your style guide when necessary to make sure it still represents how you want to be writing for your company. as your business matures and grows, so might your voice. as you expand your content creation and blogging, you might need to add more guidelines for guest bloggers and freelancers. And as the English language changes and evolves, youll find that the exceptions youve listed might evolve with time, too. Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
28
CHAPter 4
HuBsPOt written style guide
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
29
Get a head start on creating your house style guide with HubSpots template below.
let a house style guide help you build your credibility, maintain your brand voice, and give your customers content theyll want to share with their friends. good, compelling content starts with a style guide. get one today. want to get a head start on creating your house style guide? use Hubspots as a starting point and template.
generAl style guidelines CAPitAlizAtiOn PunCtuAtiOn nuMBers

Share This Ebook!
AttriButiOn COMMOnly trOuBlesOMe wOrds
www.Hubspot.com
30
generAl guidelines
AP style
HubSpot uses AP Style with some exceptions: see the 2011 ap stylebook for reference.
MerriAM-weBster
for questions of spelling, use the online merriam-webster dictionary. Use the first spelling presented, and note that word presentations in the dictionary supersede the stylebook.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
31
CAPitAlizAtiOn
titles OF PeOPle And terMs witHin text
people capitalize a persons title only when its used directly before a name. this rule includes titles pertaining to government positions (like president, senator, mayor, ambassador, chief justice), religious positions (like pope, cardinal, rabbi), and other organizational positions (like chair, treasurer, general manager).
2 2
Dharmesh Shah is the founder and chief technology officer of HubSpot. HubSpot Founder and Chief Technology Officer Dharmesh Shah
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
32
2 2 2 2 2 2
she was appointed ambassador to the united nations by president obama. the president returned to the oval Office to greet the pope. pope benedict XVi succeeded pope John paul ii.
the school was treated to a visit by former president Jimmy carter. shan chu was named general manager of the chicago region. general manager shan chu began her career in the mailroom.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
33
terms within sentences, do not capitalize inbound marketing topics such as blogging, social media, search engine optimization, marketing analytics, lead generation, online video, etc. these are not proper nouns and, therefore, should not be capitalized. an exception is when these nouns refer specifically to paid applications in the HubSpot software, as in the Hubspot blogging tool. in these cases, the word tool or report is not capitalized, but the name of the app is capitalized.
titles OF PuBlisHed wOrKs

always use title case.
2 2 2 2
Capitalize the first and last words, regardless of the length of the word or the part of speech. capitalize all nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns, regardless of the length of the word. capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (like over, from, and with). capitalize conjunctions of four or more letters (like unless and than), as well as if and how and why.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
34
Do not capitalize:
Examples:
articles (a, an, and the) prepositions of three or fewer letters (such as of, in, and for) most conjunctions of three or fewer letters (like as, and, or, and but) The to in the infinitive form (e.g. to blog)
2 2 2 2 2 2
dont fence me in walk with me in moonlight turn off the lights, im Home (Off is an adverb here, part of the phrasal verb turn off.) she took the deal off the table (Here, off is a preposition.) what if i do, what if she wont the least she could do is cry
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
35
branded lowercase proper nouns If the first word in a title is a proper noun that begins with a lowercase letter (like iPhone or danah boyd), try to reorder the title so that you can capitalize the name as the company or person usually does. if such a noun falls elsewhere in the title, use the companys capitalization style (iphone). for instance, sales of ipod soar. numbers in titles For specific instructions on how to handle numbers in titles, see section on Numbers. Hyphenated compounds in titles If a hyphenated compound appears in title-style capitalization, capitalize the first word, and capitalize all subsequent words in the compound except for articles (a, an, and the), prepositions of three or fewer letters (like to and of), and coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so). Ask yourself: If this word werent in a hyphenated compound, would i capitalize it? if the answer is yes, capitalize it as part of the hyphenated compound, too.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
36
Examples:
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
the big spenders budget How-to (capitalize any word, even to, at the beginning or end of a title.) author of How-to book on bee-keeping prone to anaphylaxis governor slams e-book about Her re-election campaign consumers prefer eco-friendly and cheap products two-thirds Vote needed to fund research into blue-green algae biofuel Profits Double on Word-of-Mouth Sales audiences love His man-about-town sophistication open your own ebay-based boutique
Verbs (even short ones like is, be, and do) should always be capitalized. no matter how short, pronouns such as he, she, it, me, and you) should be capitalized. capitalize both parts of phrasal verbs, multi-word verbs that include adverbs such as up and out (for example, tune in and hold on). Phrasal verbs dont include the infinitive to form of a verb (to be, to run)so lowercase the word to in such a verb. Share This Ebook!
AdditiOnAl
tiPs
www.Hubspot.com
37
COMPAny And PrOduCt nAMes

follow an organizations conventions as to how it capitalizes and punctuates its names. many organizations (for example, fedex) incorporate intercaps, or capital letters in the middle of the name. other organizations, such as yahoo!, incorporate punctuation characters in their names. Some examples include:
2 2 2 2
ipod iPod shuffle iHop paypal
2 2 2 2
Visa mastercard digg youtube
AdditiOnAl
in some cases, you may not be able to replicate a graphic symbol used in a name. WALLE, for instance, is difficult to reproduce and is generally spelled with a hyphen. when in doubt, look at some of the organizations press releases or at its copyright page if it has one. for company, product, and website names that use all-lowercase letters, use an initial capital letter as you would for most other proper nouns. otherwise, the names are hard to distinguish in text. for company names that include a capital letter somewhere (like ebay or ipod), follow the companys capitalization in most situationseven an internal capital letter will alert the reader that the word or phrase is a proper noun. Share This Ebook!
tiPs
www.Hubspot.com
38
PrOnOuns reFerring tO COMPAnies

when referring to your own or to another company, use the third-person singular pronouns it and its. in the united states, a company is treated as a collective noun and requires a singular verb and a singular pronoun.
the company anticipates an increase in its third-quarter spending. (Singular verb, singular possessive its)
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
39
PunCtuAtiOn
APOstrOPHe
for plural nouns that dont already end in s, add an apostrophe and an s (s) to the end of the word. for nouns (singular or plural) that already end in s, just add an apostrophe. Here are some examples:
2 2 2 2
Jesus words arkansas legislature the witness testimony many businesses services
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
40
COlOn
In a sentence, capitalize the first word after the colon if what follows the colon could function alone as a complete sentence. use a single space following the colon. place colons outside quotation marks when used together. Here are some examples:
2 2 2
COMMA
This is it: the chance weve been waiting for! This is it: Well never have to work again! I feel sad when I hear the ending to The Road Not Taken: And that has made all the difference.
in a series consisting of three or more elements, separate the elements with commas. when a conjunction (like, and, or or) joins the last two elements in a series, include a comma before the conjunction. Here are some examples:
He went to Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe for financial advice.
when using an ampersand in place of and in a series (acceptable only in company names and when space is severely limited, as in a headline), do not insert a comma before it. the combination of comma and ampersand creates visual clutter.
He went to Dewey, Cheatem & Howe for financial advice.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
41
HyPHen
a hyphen is used to mean to, up to and including, or through in a range of numbers, dates, game scores, pages, and so on. it is also used to construct a compound adjective that includes a proper noun of more than one word. (New York, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Baikal, and World War II are all multiword proper nouns.) if you are unsure whether a word combination should be two words, two hyphenated words, or one compound word, check the online merriam-webster dictionary.
2 2
abraham lincoln (1809-1865) was president during the american civil war (1861-1865). Jim was interested in the pre-civil war era. (en dash connecting two-word proper noun Civil War with prefix pre-)
eM dAsH
use an em dash to set apart entire phrases from the main body of a sentence, and separate the dashes from the words that precede and follow it with a space. when a date range has no ending date, use an em dash instead.
2 2
The last place she expected to find him -- if she ever found him at all -- was in the back seat of her car. mick Jagger (1943), brian Jones (1942-1969), and keith richards (1943) were among the bands original members.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
42
nuMBers
nuMBers in titles
use numerals for cardinal and ordinal numbers in headlines, email subject lines, and Html page titles.
2 2 2
in pamplona, 8 injured in running of the bulls (Headline) Subject: Presentation file 1 of 2 attached (Email subject line) 5th grader wins 1st place in spelling bee (Headline)
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
43
CArdinAl nuMBers
spell out cardinal numbers (one, two, and so on) and ordinal numbers (first, second, and so on) below 10, but use numerals for numbers 10 and above.
PerCentAges
when expressing percentages, always use numerals and the percentage sign. do not spell out percentages.
tiMe
always use a.m. and p.m. for indicating time. use eastern standard time (est) when observing standard time (winter), and eastern daylight time (edt) when observing daylight saving time (summer).
2 2 2 2 2 2
read reviews of more than 350 restaurants in your city. Aunt Beas pickles won first place at the fair. with a premium license, install the software on three computers. Does your building have a 13th floor? the study revealed that 8% of respondents were ambivalent. the webinar will be held on friday, august 27 at 4 p.m. edt.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
44
nuMerAls As COOrdinAtes
use numerals when referring to numbers that a person must type, such as for coordinates in tables and worksheets, and for parts of a document, such as page numbers or line references.
2 2 2
type 5 and press enter. select row 3, column 5 of the worksheet. refer to line 9 of the transcript.
nuMerAls in CAtegOries
if a passage contains two or more numbers that refer to the same category of information and one is 10 or higher, use numerals for all numbers referring to that category. when numbers are treated consistently, readers can recognize the relationship between them more easily.
2 2 2 2
the delegation included 3 women and 11 men. He was the 9th person chosen for the 10-person team. the most popular vote-getters included three women and nine men. only 3 women and 11 men attended the four-day event.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
45
lArge nuMBers
express large and very large numbers in numerals followed by million, billion, and so forth. if expressing a number greater than 999 in numerals, use a comma.
2 2
5 billion people 1,200 years ago
MilliOns And BilliOns

when stating million or billion with a numeral, dont hyphenate, even before a noun. but do use a hyphen between the numeral and million or billion if the expression is part of a compound adjective that takes a hyphen elsewhere.
2 2 2 2 2
a $6 million lawsuit the 400-million-served mark
if space is tight (for example, in headlines, tables, diagrams, or text messages), some abbreviations are acceptable. mil (million). see mil. bil (billion). see bil. k (thousand) - Among other things, K can stand for thousand, kilobytes, kilobits, and kilograms. Use K only if its meaning is clear from the context.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
46
At tHe Beginning OF A sentenCe

avoid starting a sentence with a numeral. if you cant avoid it, spell out the number.
2 2
450 gamers participated in last nights chat. Four hundred and fifty gamers participated in last nights chat. last night, 450 gamers participated in the chat.
a year may be written in numerals at the beginning of a sentence. its okay to start a headline with a numeral if space is tight or if the numeral makes the headline more eye-catching or easier to scan or understand.
2 2 2
1967 was the summer of love in san francisco. 8 diet tips two 5-year-old boys found; one still missing
OrdinAls And suFFixes

avoid expressing ordinals with superscript letters (such as 10th, 11th, and so on). ordinals with superscript formatted in a word processor may not display correctly in some places, such as email, and the use in writing of these suffixes is becoming increasingly archaic. do not use th endings or their equivalent when stating dates (i.e., do not write Join us on June 10th). Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
47
AttriButiOn
its important to properly cite sources in all Hubspot publications, whether online, printed, or projected. If youve got a case not covered here, find a way to attribute your source that seems appropriate to the medium. choosing not to cite your source is an unacceptable alternative.
linK AttriButiOn
when including links in external content such as blog posts and ebooks, use anchor text when possible. linking to other articles and websites is a best practice.
2 2
Hubspot sells inbound marketing software. check out Hubspot.com for more information. (When including links in presentations, you can use the domain as anchor text.)
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
48
iMAge AttriButiOn
when using photos or images from flickr or another online source under the creative commons license, they must be attributed. when attributing an image, please use the following format and link back to the original source image using the photographers name as anchor text.
Image Credit: linked source
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
COMMOnly trOuBlesOMe
49
a
A/B test
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
wOrds
alt text app
short for alternative text, which is text entered into the Html alt attribute associated with an image on a web page.
short form of application. Plural: apps. Do not use if theres any room for confusion.
also called split testing; at Hubspot, we use a/b testing and write it with the slash.
50
b
note hyphen.
B2B
abbreviation for business-to-business.
BA
abbreviation for bachelor of arts. no periods.
best-seller (n.), best-selling (adj.)
beta
Capitalize beta if it is part of an official product name. Otherwise, lowercase it.
sign up for the new yahoo! messenger beta. try the beta version of yahoo! messenger.
blog (n., adj., v.)

preferred to weblog. (lowercase)
business-to-business
hyphenated (abbreviation: B2B)
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
51
c
two words.
call-to-action, calls-to-action, CtA, CtAs

always hyphenate when used as a noun (as in call-toaction or calls-to-action) or an adjective (as in callto-action button or call-to-action manager). whenever possible, try to use cta or ctas instead of the hyphenated version (its a mouthful!).
camera phone
checkin (n.) check-in (adj.), check in (v.)

one word when used as a noun or an adjective. two words when used as a verb. (usually refers to the social network foursquare.)
cell phone (n., adj.)

two words, no hyphen.
He left the message on my cell phone. type in your cell phone number.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
52
clickthrough (n., adj.), click through (v.)

one word when used as a noun or an adjective. two words when used as a verb.
2
one word.
the companys online ads consistently earn a high clickthrough rate. click through to the last page to see your score.
Share This Ebook!
d e
crowdsource, crowdsourcing
dos and donts

note the apostrophes. this is actually proper ap style. However, it will always cause the editors in your readership to have blinding migraines and send you hate mail, so try to avoid using this construction if at all possible.
e.g.
abbreviation meaning for example. note periods. dont include a space after the first period. OK to use when space is a consideration; otherwise, use for example, for instance, or such as.
www.Hubspot.com
53
if used, always include a comma after the last period. see also i.e. and ex. as each of these has different meanings and are not interchangeable.
2
ebook
enter a search term (e.g., recipes, horoscopes, gifts) into the box.
all lowercase (in titles/headlines and at the beginning of sentences, capitalize the e but not the b).
ecommerce email (n., adj., v.)

One word, no hyphen. Plural: email messages and emails are both acceptable.
Facebook Page
Capitalize (Exception: lowercase when saying pages on Facebook). Share This Ebook!
Facebook Facebook Fan

one who likes something on facebook; capitalize (Exception: lowercase when saying fans on Facebook).
www.Hubspot.com
54
Facebook Profile
Capitalize (Exception: lowercase when saying profiles on Facebook).
Facebook group
Capitalize (Exception: lowercase when saying groups on Facebook).
g
google
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
Foursquare
f is capitalized; s is lowercase.
geolocation
One word. the geographic location of an internetconnected computer, or the process of determining that location.
geotagging (n.), geotag (v.)
one word. the verb means to add geographic data (such as longitude and latitude coordinates) to a photo or other media file.
according to google guidelines, it is not okay to use this trademark as a verb. use search, search for, or search on instead.
55
h
how-to (n., adj.)
handheld (n.), hand-held (adj.)

the noun refers to a personal digital assistant, or pda.
hashtag homepage
Note hyphen when used as a noun or an adjective. Plural noun: how-tos. your How-to guide to Home buying (headline set in title case) Home-buying How-to (another headline in title case)
2 2
Share This Ebook!
i.e.
abbreviation meaning that is. note periods. dont include a space after the first period. Okay to use when space is a consideration; otherwise use that is, in other words, or equivalent. if used, include a comma after the last period. (note that i.e. does not have the same meaning as e.g.)
www.Hubspot.com
56
inbound marketing
lowercase.
internet
lowercase.
internet marketing it
k
2 2
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
abbreviation for information technology. abbreviation is always acceptable.
keyword, key word (n.)

one word when referring to terms that are used on a web page to optimize it for search engines. use two words in other cases for example, when key is a synonym for primary or most important.
an seo specialist can help you determine the best keywords to use on your web page. she heard little else that he said; the key word in the sentence was love.
57
l m
sounds less technical.
link bait linkedin

l and i are capitalized.
login (n., adj.); log in, log in to (v.)

one word when used as a noun or an adjective. two words when used as a verb, which may be followed by the preposition to. note that sign in is preferred because it
mashup (n., adj.), mash up (v.)

2 2
anyone can create a mashup with the right technology. use our tool to mash up rss feeds into a single view.
MBA
abbreviation for master of business arts. no periods.
metadata (n.)
one word. Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
58
Share This Ebook!
n o p
2 2
news feed (n.) news release

use instead of press release whenever possible.
nonprofit
one word.
OK (n., v., adv.)

to be used interchangeably with okay. do not use variations such as Ok and o.k., which are incorrect.
opt-in (n., adj.), opt in (v.)

Hyphenated as a noun or an adjective. two words as a verb.
the opt-in has been disabled. to receive electronic statements, you must opt in.
page view
two words. the viewing of a web page by one visitor.
2 receives when deciding where and how to advertise.

pay-per-click
Hyphenated (abbreviation: PPC).
advertisers consider how many page views a site
www.Hubspot.com
59
plugin (n., adj.), plug in (v.) podcast pop-up (n., adj.), pop up (v.)
note hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. not popup. two words when used as a verb.
2 2
PPC
get rid of pop-ups before they pop up. stop pop-up ads from ever annoying you again.
abbreviation for pay-per-click.
rss
acronym for Really Simple Syndication. all capitals. abbreviation is always acceptable, but avoid using RSS on its own, since few people know what it means. use news feed, RSS news feed, or RSS reader as appropriate. Share This Ebook!
real-time (adj.), real time (n.)

Hyphenated when used as an adjective; not hyphenated when used as a noun.
retweet
www.Hubspot.com
60
s
screen name
screenshot
salesperson, salespeople
one word.
screen capture screencast
seO
abbreviation for search engine optimization.
setup (n., adj.), set up (v.)

2 2 2
set up your yahoo! store. check your yahoo! store setup. your setup fee has been waived.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
61
sign-in (n., adj.); sign in, sign in to (v.)

as a noun or an adjective, its hyphenated. as a verb, its two words, which may be followed by the preposition to.
2 2 2
all visitors must sign in on the sign-in page. Visitors can sign in to yahoo! mail automatically. choose your preferences for sign-in and security.
sign-out (n., adj.); sign out, sign out of (v.)

as a noun or an adjective, its hyphenated. as a verb, its two words, which may be followed by the preposition of.
sign-up (n., adj.), sign up (v.)

Hyphenate when used as a noun or an adjective. two words when used as a verb.
2 2 2
since
sign up for the service. fill in the sign-up form. sign-up is free.
not a synonym for because. can be confused with the sense of over the time that has passed rather than as a result of. use because instead of since when possible. also applies to due to and owing to and due to the fact that and other, needlessly wordy ways of saying because. Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
62
site map slideshow (n., adj.) smartphone sMB

Abbreviation for small and medium-size business (plural: SMBs).
sMO
abbreviation for social media optimization.
social CrM
the word social here is lowercase. abbreviation for social customer relationship management, usually in regard to software platforms.
social network (n.), social-network (adj.)

two words when used as a noun. note hyphen when used as an adjective.
2 2
social-network analysis is a key technique in modern sociology. add contacts to expand your social network.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
63
social networking (n.), social-networking (adj.)

note hyphen when used as an adjective. two words when used as a noun.
2 2
the social-networking phenomenon has really taken off. to attract users, the site added social networking.
software-as-a-service
Lowercase; hyphenated (abbreviation: SaaS).
spam (n., adj., v.)

lowercase when referring to unsolicited email or the act of sending such email.
startup (n., adj.), start up (v.)

one word when used as a noun or an adjective (not hyphenated). two words when used as a verb.
swag
free goods. not schwag or shwag.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
64
text message (n.)

two words when used as a noun. note hyphen when used as an adjective or a verb.
text (n., v.)

Short form of text message. Plural: texts. Other forms: texted, texting.
2 2 2
did you get my text? dont text while driving. she was texting during the lecture.
2 2 2
she had a heated text-message argument with her boyfriend. did you get my text message? ill text-message you with the details.
touchscreen (n., adj.) toward (not towards) tweet twitter
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
65
u
2
us $299.
url
all capitals. stands for uniform resource locator. Abbreviation is always acceptable. Plural: URLs.
u.s. (n., adj.)

abbreviation for united states. note periods, no space. not us or u. s. the single exception is specifying currency in prices; in this case, do not include the periods.
usA
abbreviation for united states of america. abbreviation is always acceptable.
Share This Ebook!
username
lowercase, one word.
video camera videoconference voicemail

one word, lowercase. not voice mail.
www.Hubspot.com
66
w
webhook webinar web page website whitepaper wiki
Lowercase. Plural: wikis. Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
web (n., adj.)

lowercase.
webcam webcast
word-of-mouth (n., adj.)

note hyphens when used as a noun or adjective.
67
COnClusiOn & AdditiOnAl resOurCes
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
68
Remember: In the world of inbound marketing, your writing is your business card, your resume, and your referrals all in one.
your style guide should be a living document that grows and changes over time, but just having one will help your business convey an image of trustworthiness and stability to your readers. when your website visitors, blog subscribers, and email recipients see that you care about the details of good writing, they know you care about the details of making them happy. Remember: In the world of inbound marketing, your writing is your business card, your resume, and your referrals all in one. your writing, in short, is your credibility.
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com
69
CreAte COntent tHAt gets yOu leAds

find out how you can optimize your blog, landing pages and emails for conversion. get a free demo of the Hubspot all-in-one marketing software.
http://bit.ly/get-A-demo-of-Hs
Share This Ebook!
www.Hubspot.com

The Internet Marketing Written Style Guide - HubSpot

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

The Internet Marketing Written Style Guide - HubSpot

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

1

written style guide

tHe internet marketing

an introduction to written style guidelines for internet marketing

the internet marketing written style guide

is tHis BOOK rigHt FOr Me?

the internet marketing written style guide

Hubspots all-in-one marketing software

blogging & social media

email & automation

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

tHe internet MArKeting written style guide

FOllOw Me On twitter @BetHdunn

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

HOw tO iMPleMent yOur style guide HuBsPOt written style guide

COnClusiOn & AdditiOnAl resOurCes /67

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Your effectiveness as an inbound marketer relies on the quality of your content.

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

were All Publishers now

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

marketing offers blog social media

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

wHAt is A HOuse style guide?

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

whats in a House style guide?

Share This Ebook! style guide

the internet marketing written style guide

e-mail web site

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

believe it or not, there are significant variations between dictionaries.

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

HOw tO CreAte yOur style guide

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

Create your House style guide in three easy steps

CHOOse yOur style MAnuAl

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

CHOOse yOur diCtiOnAry

list yOur exCePtiOns

Share This Ebook!

the internet marketing written style guide

the internet marketing written style guide

Optional: A section on Voice

Share This Ebook!