Little Book of Confusables

Lets vs let’s: simple tips to remember the difference

Do you know when the word LETS needs an apostrophe and when it doesn’t? Let’s take a look at the difference (see what I did there?).

When to use LETS without an apostrophe

LETS and LET’S both have the same root word: LET, which means allow, or permit.

Without the apostrophe, LETS is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb LET.

Use it in sentences where LETS can be replaced with either ALLOWS or PERMITS.

For example:

The key LETS you unlock the door.

The app LETS you meet new people.

When to use LET’S with an apostrophe

LET’S with an apostrophe is a contraction of two words: LET and US.

Use it when you’re encouraging someone to do something.

For example:

LET’S go to the pub.

LET’S buy a drink.

LET’S do it.

LET’S go!

Of course, if you want to sound more formal, you might prefer to use LET US.

LET US go to the park.

Worth knowing…

The word LETS can also be used in a property sense (real estate, if you’re using American English) to describe a rented property.

For example:

The agent handles a number of property LETS in the local area.

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables

Confusables: LETS vs LET'S. Simple spelling tips to remember the difference, from The Little Book of Confusables

LETS vs LET’S. Excerpt from The Little Book of Confusables by Sarah Townsend.

Copywriting and marketing support for a superyacht events company

The client: Asaro

Founded in 2012, Asaro create extraordinary events for guests travelling on luxury yachts around the globe.

They work with captains and crew of superyachts and mega yachts to create and deliver unforgettable experiences – from Ancient Olympic-style games in Greece to epic pirate adventures – that show their clients the world in a whole new light.

The need

With a small but solid base of repeat clients, George and Kirsty Brooks, founders of Asaro, were ready to increase awareness of the unique services they provide.

Their aim was to attract a new and wider audience of forward-thinking superyacht captains looking to transform their events programmes and exceed the expectations of their guests.

With marketing to the superyacht industry holding its own set of distinctive challenges, due to the privacy and discretion of the clients involved, how could they go about this?

The solution

I was introduced to George and Kirsty by brand specialist Paul Barrett, who had already done some in-depth work with Asaro to establish where they were as a brand and where they wanted to be.

My brief was to write Asaro’s new website, brochure copy and case studies, after starting with some initial messaging work to establish their new tone of voice (TOV), and producing helpful guidelines for Instagram postings.

Messaging strategy and tone of voice guidelines

I began by creating comprehensive TOV guidelines that focus on using powerful and emotive language to show potential clients how it felt to be part of an Asaro experience, rather than telling them.

I also went into some depth to describe who Asaro are as a brand, the way language supports their brand pillars, a guide to using plain English, and examples of their new TOV in action.

TOV guidelines were supported by a detailed house style guide – which covers everything from using the active voice and contractions to the formatting of dates – so that anyone writing about Asaro can do so in a consistent manner.

Website and brochure copywriting

Once the guidelines were approved, Paul and I met with Asaro’s chosen design agency, Green Chameleon in Bristol, to discuss the design approach for both the website and brochure.

Writing copy based on the tone of voice guidelines I’d created, we worked closely with George and Kirsty to create a stunning website and high-end brochure, plus standalone case study cards that brought to life each of the four types of Asaro event.

Positive feedback

George and Kirsty were delighted with the end result, and showcasing their new brochure and case studies at the 2018 Monaco Yacht Show generated some very encouraging feedback from the superyacht industry.

The project was a perfect example of how a small team with big ambitions and a fabulous service offering can benefit from bringing in experienced consultants to support their marketing, instead of expanding their own team.

Just weeks after its launch, the new website was awarded both the CSS Design Awards and AWWW awards for website of the day.

In the client’s words…

“Sarah recently supported us on our brand evolution project, which included reworking and rewriting a healthy amount of web copy for our new website, our new brochure and also a very helpful set of tone of voice guidelines and Instagram tips for our team.

“It was our first time working with Sarah, but she quickly got to grips with our core services and turned this into brilliant copy and was then very patient and flexible when working with us and our appointed design agency to deal with changes.

“We felt confident leaving this project with Sarah as she exudes positivity and passion for her craft, and showed a real interest in what we do and how to best present us.

“We’ve already had brilliant feedback for our new website, which we know is down to a combination of brilliant design and compelling copy.”

Kirsty Brooks, Founder and Director, Asaro
asaro.co.uk

Start-up marketing support for an experienced mortgage and insurance adviser

The client: Stratus Home Finance Ltd

Gloucestershire-based mortgage and insurance adviser, Jez Wallace, has over 20 years of experience of helping his customers save money on their monthly mortgage and insurance premiums. Having worked for a local firm of mortgage advisers since 2006, he decided the time had come to start working for himself.

The need

Training in a new area – equity release – had given Jez the incentive to start his own company. As well as being highly experienced and skilled at what he does, his friendly, straightforward and affordable advice puts him in a good position to do this – but with no experience of setting up a new business, let alone how to market it, he needed help.

The solution

I was already good friends with Jez, having met him at dance classes over 10 years ago. Naturally, when he decided to start his own business he turned to me for help. We met for a chat over coffee and began by talking about the challenges he faced getting his business off the ground.

As with many start-ups, Jez didn’t have a huge budget, but I explained that investing in a great-looking, well-written website and brand identity would help him compete with established businesses from the get-go.

Lack of budget means many start-ups struggle to write or design their own website when their time would be better spent doing the thing that makes them money – which is usually the reason they went into business in the first place! What’s more, professional copywriting satisfies both potential customers and Google – helping to attract clients through clever search engine optimisation (SEO).

What’s in a name?

Jez was toying with the idea of calling his new business Wallace Mortgage Solutions. I steered him away from this obvious choice towards something with a little more gravitas that encompassed the fact that he didn’t just do mortgages, and which included the word ‘home’ because of its positive associations.

After agreeing on the name Stratus Home Finance, I came up with the idea for Jez’s new logo – a simple outline of a house forming both the H of home and an arrow (again, subtle positive associations) with a stratus cloud behind it.

I introduced Jez to one of my web design partners, Narjas Carrington at Inklings Design, and set up a meeting between them. Together, we decided on a structure for his new website – home page, about page, services overview and sub-pages, a page of testimonials, and contact page. While Narjas set to work designing Jez’s new business cards and stationery, I began writing his new website.

Throughout the process, I worked closely with Narjas to find the right images for the site, and to ensure the copy and design worked hard together to make it easy to use.

Get social

I helped Jez to set up a Facebook page for Stratus Home Finance, suggested he list the business on various local directory sites to increase his chances of getting found online, and rewrote his LinkedIn profile – giving it more personality and reflecting his new role.

Jez was delighted by his professional new website and social media profiles, and has already begun to attract new clients to his business as a result.

This project was a great example of how brand new businesses can benefit from clever start-up marketing. Taking a step-by-step approach to marketing can be a great way to raise awareness of a new venture.

In the client’s words…

“As a mortgage adviser I know very little about marketing and even less about writing a website, but having set up a new business I knew I needed one. I was anxious about the entire process but I needn’t have worried.

“Sarah knows everything there is to know about marketing and copywriting and made the process so easy from start to finish.

“She worked with my website designer to make sure the structure and appearance of my website worked and she wrote the words I needed with minimal guidance and input from me. She even gave me lots of useful business and marketing tips.

“I now have a website I’m proud of that’s helped me get Stratus Home Finance off the ground. Thanks Sarah!”

Jeremy Wallace, Owner and Director
Stratus Home Finance Ltd
www.stratushomefinance.co.uk