The business I am starting is, well, just me. However, I keep slipping into using a 'We' instead of 'I' while writing copy for a brochure, as it sounds better when reading. Is there a general rule of thumb for the use of 'We' when it's a one person business?

Welcome! :wave2:

Here is a very old article I wrote many moons ago that still holds true. Maybe it will shed some light.

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Should I Say Me or We?
© 2000-2006 Karon Thackston, All Rights Reserved
http://www.marketingwords.com


Many of my clients are small businesses or home-based businesses. When we begin writing copy for a web site, brochure, etc. one question never fails to surface. “Should I say ‘Me’ or ‘We’ in my copy?”

One customer typifies the dilemma. She stated, “Karon, I am the business. It’s just me. But I don’t want to seem small. I don’t know if people will trust me if they know I’m the only person involved. However, it would be untruthful for me to have you write the copy using ‘we’ because there is no ‘we’.”

So what’s the answer?

It’s Only Me
Let me tell you right up front – there is no shame in being a small or home-based business. There is no reason to believe you have less to offer if you are the sole employee of that business. As a matter of fact, being small has some very distinct advantages (which I’ll cover in detail in next month’s issue of “Business Essentials”).

If your quandary is whether your potential clients will snub you because you’re working solo… don’t worry. Small and home-based businesses are extremely common these days. From personal experience I will tell you that your clients will ask questions about your years of experience, your successes, your references and your ability to complete the job on time. I doubt they will blink an eye if you mention you work alone. In which case, “me” is extremely appropriate.

The Whole Group
With that said, let’s now look at the other side of the coin. Do you plan to grow? With that growth, do you plan to hire others to work for the business? Do you have partners, advisors or some type of council/board that you work with to gain information and direction? Are you a MLM or affiliate member with a down line?

If you answered “yes” to these questions you would be more likely to include “we” in your advertising copy. You may be the entire make-up of the company at this point, but if you have plans to add employees in the future you can save some time and money by including “we” now.

This will eliminate the need to edit your web site copy, re-print your brochures or change your sales letters in the future.

If you work alone but have advisors or associates who you consult, including we is also the way to go. On my own About Us page, I provide information about myself and also explained who my “associates” are. This can also help your customers get a firm grasp on who you are and how you do business.


None of the Above
There is one last option. Say neither. Your copy could be written in a way so that only the business name is mentioned. For example, “ABC Company offers 14K gold and diamond bracelets at 50% off suggested retail. Shop around. You will not find a more extensive collection of fine jewelry at such reasonable prices. However, ABC is more than willing to beat the competition on cost – even on sale items. Visit www.abccompany.com today.”

By writing using only the company’s name, the dilemma of me or we is eliminated all together.

Whichever you choose, be consistent. Using “me” on your web site, “we” in your brochure and only the company name in your sales letters will cause some confusion. Choose one and stick with it throughout all your copy. Doing so will help create a flow in all the elements of your campaign.

Wheeew...glad you had this article old article lying around Karon!!

Great article and answers the question dead on.

Persoannly I use "I"
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Thank you for posting the article! I think that maybe using 'I' would be better than 'We'... I'll just have to get used to putting that in the marketing texts...

Thanks again!

Good info Karon. In my own experience I always used "we". My wife would make fun of me because of that but I knew that there is no "I" in T E A M. (There's no "we" either but we'll conveniently ignore that :D ). My intention was always to be more than just myself and I often used sub-contractors for various things so I never had any problem with it.

On of the things to consider is not to use I or we because of what you think potential clients might thing. You just don't know. One may want only an I while another may want a small we and still another a much bigger we. You can't please them/him/her all! Go with what's comfortable for you and the rest will take care of itself.

My intention was

To me, that is a big factor. If you are intentions are to be we then use that. If your intentions are to emphasize you as an individual use that to your advantage.

I like the third approach regarding rewriting it. I am not sure why, but everytime I rewrite it i often end up with a more powerful sentence that focuses on the visitor versus me/company.

for example ... I will help you.... changes to .... solve your problems.

Thanks for the article Karon. I know I've struggled with this issue myself. I tried to use option #3 as much as possible, but sometimes it just seems more natural to use the 'I' or 'we' instead of the company name.

I opted for the royal we even though my business is just me at the moment. The idea like for many here was to seem a little larger than I am. I've had a change of mind though and in an upcoming redesign I'm going to drop the 'we' in favor of 'me.'

I'll really be trying to limit either as much as possible and try to use 'you' more in addressing the visitor. But I think I'd rather be more transparent in that I'm a company of one (that sometimes works with others). I think people will figure out anyway that I'm not a big company and I'd prefer to be open with them from the start.

It all depends on who you're dealing with. I found that big companies (CEOs living in the "brick and Mortar" world) would dismiss the "I" company as they still believe that bigger is better.

On the other hand when you deal with new companies, younger CEOs, etc they can appreciate the "smaller company" thus better service.

You have to analyze the situation and who you're dealing with.

It's also important not to cross the line from honesty to slithering-snake-who'll-say-anything-to-get-a-client! :D In other words, you have to be honest about who or what you are. Are you a "we" because you want to appear bigger than you really are, or is it the true mindset of where the company is going?

Igor I agree with you that there will be companies that will automatically dismiss you because you're a one person company. Though even if you do manage to convince them you're more than one on your website in time they're probably going to find out the company is just you.

As a one person business I'm not sure I would want a company thinking I'm more than just me. That could easily lead to them putting demands on me that I wouldn't realistically be able to handle.

At the same time I'm sure there are many companies who would have no problem working with a single individual.

The situation is true though for just about anything. I'm sure there are companies who would never consider having me work on their site, because I don't work with Flash. At the same time there would be plenty of companies who wouldn't work with me if all my sites were done with Flash.

When I look at the world and all the different people and businesses out there I think there's more than enough to go around for us all to find clients. I've always thought the best way for me to go about finding them is to be honest about who I am and what I can and can't do. Sure I'll lose a few clients by letting them know certain things about me and my skills right away, but I think there are just as many potential clients out there who can fill the gap and appreciate the honesty.

I also think that by matching my business and other businesses through being up front and honest we get a better match which generally tends to make projects smoother and supplies me with a little better quality of life.

Like I said above I did go with the royal 'we' when first writing content for my site, but from the beginning I've questioned that and when I have some time I will be rewriting things to elimate that 'we.' Ideally I'll use Karon's thrid option of using the business name, but when the text calls for a pronoun I'll be more likely to use 'I' and not making any attempt to hide the fact I'm a one man band for the moment.

What about using the definitive object - "It"? I've used it in the past to describe the company to which I am referring in my copy. The appraoch is to talk about a company as its own entity, not defined by how many staff are employed there. It is grammatically correct, but I wonder if anyone else uses this method. For example:

"ABC company provides the best services available without sacrificing the high quality you expect. It strives to maintain its strong reputation for excellence in customer service"

Welcome! :wave2:

Hmm... to me that's extremely impersonal. Just my opinion.

Welcome! :wave2:

Hmm... to me that's extremely impersonal. Just my opinion.

Thanks!

Fair enough on your opinion, and I can see that in certain contexts. The company I work for represents a certain approach to business which is considered to be off the beaten track within a well-established industry.Historically, the approach has been used as a means to talk about the business as a business model in these types of contexts. And as such, it seemed more appropriate to use the definitive object as a means to communicate the idea that the business represents certain ideas and values as an entity and is not necessarily defined by staff. Well, at least not directly. The effort I am faced with is to change minds, as well as sell products. :)

But, I use "we" a lot too, it must be said, particularly when writing customer service-oriented copy. This is where the person-to-person approach is most important, in my experience. In relation to this, I see no problem with "I" either, if I was writing on behalf of a Principle who represents a company as a whole. But, I'd make sure to establish some kind of credibility elsewhere on my site to bolster such usage.