Web Authoring at Bethel

Helping Users Learn About Bethel

What tone should you use when you're helping your user learn more about Bethel? It's helpful to start by putting yourself in their shoes.

It's likely your user has little to no past experience with Bethel and wants to know more about us. What are we all about? What do we do here? What’s life at Bethel look like?

Here are some ideas to get you started.

I want to learn about the university...

Your user is interested in learning about Bethel. They may not know much about us, so we have to do our part to build credibility and gain trust. This means we should avoid marketing-heavy phrases or pushy language.

Explain Bethel like you would if you were talking to a new friend over a cup of coffee (or tea for the coffee averse).

User:

"I don’t know much about Bethel. I wonder what it’s all about."

What I'm feeling:

  • Curiosity
  • Interest
  • Expectation

Bethel:

"At Bethel, we're a community—working together in Christ's name so that we can transform our world."

Tips:

  • Be confident talking about Bethel, what makes us unique, and what we stand for.
  • “Bethel is…” (Bethel University is a top-ranked, evangelical Christian university based in St. Paul, Minnesota.) vs. “We are…” (“We are, above all, a community—serving and encouraging one another toward our individual potential.”). As a general guideline, use “Bethel is...” when providing statistics or comparing us to other universities, and use “We are...” when talking about aspects of our community (this isn’t necessarily a strict rule, just a guideline).
  • Use words that convey our welcoming, friendly, inclusive community.
  • Help users feel that they are already a part of our inner circle. Even if they’re not, they’ll want to be!
  • Show them why.