Creating useful personas and tone of voice guidelines

Matthew [email protected]@wearearticulate

Creating useful personas and tone of voice guidelines

Persona: Matthew

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About you

Why is this important?

Reader first, customer first

Talk to them about their needs and problemsin their language

(Not your needs and problemsin your language)

What brands have a distinctive ‘voice’?

Brands we like

Personas

What is a persona?

‘Semi-fictional representations of your ideal customer based on real data and some select educated speculation about customer demographics, behaviour patterns, motivations and goals’(HubSpot definition)

Sample persona

http://academy.hubspot.com/examples/customer-examples/?Tag=Buyer+Persona

Articulate Persona

Turbine persona

What are they for?

• Identification• Targeting• Consistency• Finding hooks• Briefing

Personas are NOT

• A product spec in human form• Actual real people

• Market research• Everyone

• Generic

Research tips

• Who knows customers the best?• Composite of real people• Ask actual customers

Let’s make a persona!

Overview

• Biography• Day in the life• Reading• Challenges• Needs

Biography

• Name• Job title• Employer• Education• Family• Career• Hobbies

Day in the life

• Where do they work?• What do they do there?• How do they spend their time?• What do they like?• Dislike?

Reading

• What do they read for pleasure?• What do they read for business?• What websites do they like?• What blogs do they visit?• Who do they follow on social media?

Challenges

• Pain points• Business challenges• Threats• Development needs• Barriers to progress

Needs

• Career opportunities• Business opportunities• Product or service wish list• What would they do if they had three

wishes

Your examples

Tone of voice

What is a tone of voice (TOV)?• Branding• Story-telling• Differentiation• Personality• Proof of ‘why’• Emotional

connection

What are they for?

• Insight• Change• Permission• Consistency• Briefing• Inspiration

Do your research

Talk to your tribe

Be consistent or look clueless

Don’t do quirky for the sake of it

http://www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk/all-guidelines/guidelines/primary-care-trusts-new-guidance/tone-of-voice

http://brand.britishcouncil.org/tone-of-voice

Let’s write a TOV!

Overview

• Audience• Voice• Language• Viewpoint• Relationship

Audience

• Who are you writing for?• Personas?• Reading age• Education

Voice

• For example:• Ironic• Cheeky• Serious• Earnest• Jokey• Formal• Conversational

• Who speaks like this?• What other companies use this voice?

Language

• Mandatory words?• Forbidden words?• Readability requirements?• Style guide?• British English? American English?• For translation?

Viewpoint

• What is your attitude?• What do you know?• Why should people listen?• Who has this attitude?• Platform• Permission• Authority

Relationship

• Actual?• Desired?• Who has this relationship?

Your examples

What next?

Matthew [email protected]@wearearticulate

Creating useful personas and tone of voice guidelines

Marketing

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