Creating Client Style Guide and Persona

1. Purpose

To establish a standardized process for creating client-specific style guides and personas. This ensures consistency in content tone, voice, and target audience alignment, enhancing engagement and brand representation across all deliverables.

2. Scope

Involved Areas: Content Team

This SOP applies to creating style guides and personas for clients, covering requirements for tone, voice, formatting, and audience insights.

3. Responsibilities

• Content Strategist: Analyzes the provided content and documents the tone, voice, and target audience information.
• SEO/Content Team: Completes SEO-related details for optimization and alignment with brand messaging.
• Writers: Refer to the style guide and persona document to maintain consistency in tone, voice, and audience engagement in all content.

4. Definitions and Key Terms

• Tone: The attitude or style of writing, e.g., formal, informative, persuasive.
• Voice: The narrative perspective used, such as first-person, third-person, or a specific brand personality.
• Persona: A representation of the client’s ideal customer, including demographics, psychographics, pain points, and content preferences.

5. Tools and Resources

• Content Analysis Tools: Ahrefs, Neuronwriter, or other keyword and competitive analysis tools.
• Template Access: Ensure access to the SOP format, style guide template, and persona template in Google Drive.

6. Prerequisites and Preparation

• Gather all relevant documents provided by the client, including prior content samples, brand guidelines, or any reference materials related to tone and persona.
• Ensure access to competitive analysis tools, and check for any previously completed audience research or brand-specific language requirements.

7. Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1: Content Analysis

• Extract and Review: Extract content from the client’s files and review in full.
• Identify Tone and Voice:
  • Tone: Determine if the tone is formal, informal, persuasive, etc.
  • Voice: Identify if it’s third-person, first-person, or a brand-specific personality.
• List Key Phrases and Style:
  • Document frequently used words or phrases, preferred sentence structure (short/direct or long/descriptive), and specific formatting (e.g., use of headers, bullet points, bolding).
  • Note cultural or regional nuances, idioms, or references specific to the client’s location or audience.

Prompt for ChatGPT:

“I have a client’s content document that needs thorough analysis to create a style guide. Please:

1. Review the document in full to identify the tone (e.g., formal, informal, persuasive, etc.).
2. Determine the voice used (e.g., third-person, first-person, brand-specific personality).
3. Document any frequently used words or phrases and describe the preferred sentence structure (e.g., short/direct or long/descriptive).
4. Note any consistent formatting, like headers, bullet points, italics, or bolding.
5. Identify cultural or regional nuances or specific references relevant to the client’s location.

Provide a summary of these findings, formatted with clear sections for each item above, to guide our style guide development.”

Step 2: Drafting the Style Guide

• Introduction: Describe the overall style and tone for content consistency.
• Guidelines on Tone and Voice:
  • Provide examples to illustrate tone and voice.
  • Specify the preferred narrative perspective and vocabulary.
• Specific Words and Phrases:
  • List terms to use and avoid, sentence structure guidance, and preferred formatting.
• Cultural or Regional References:
  • Emphasize any important references to local culture or geographic relevance.

Prompt for ChatGPT:

“Using the content analysis summary, help draft a client style guide. This should include:

1. An introduction describing the overall style and tone.
2. Tone and Voice guidelines with examples illustrating the preferred tone and voice, specifying narrative perspective and vocabulary.
3. A list of specific words and phrases to use or avoid, along with sentence structure guidance and preferred formatting.
4. Any cultural or regional references important to include.

The style guide should be concise, clear, and organized under each of the four sections. If possible, provide a sample sentence or short paragraph in the suggested tone and voice.”

Step 3: Persona Creation

• Based on content tone and style, create a persona detailing target audience characteristics. Include:
  • Demographics: Age, income, occupation, location.
  • Psychographics: Values, interests, and lifestyle.
  • Pain Points and Decision Drivers: Challenges and factors influencing purchasing decisions.
  • Preferred Content: Types of content that resonate, such as detailed descriptions, testimonials, visual aids, etc.

Prompt for ChatGPT:

“Based on the tone and style described in the client style guide, create a detailed target persona for our client’s audience. Include:

1. Demographics: Age range, income level, occupation, and location.
2. Psychographics: Values, interests, and lifestyle details.
3. Pain Points and Decision Drivers: Challenges they face and factors that influence their purchasing decisions.
4. Preferred Content: Types of content that would resonate with them, such as detailed descriptions, testimonials, or visuals.

Format each persona section with bullet points where possible, and suggest any specific content approaches that could help connect with this audience.”

Step 4: Review and Finalization

• Review the draft style guide and persona with team members.
• If applicable, conduct a short writing test (200-300 words) to ensure guidelines accurately reflect the intended style.
• Make adjustments based on client feedback or internal recommendations.

Prompt for ChatGPT:

“I need a final review of the draft style guide and persona to ensure they align with the client’s brand and target audience. Please:

1. Conduct a 200-300 word writing test using the style guide to see if it reflects the intended style.
2. Suggest any adjustments to tone, word choice, or formatting based on this test.
3. If needed, provide feedback for enhancing the style guide or persona based on potential client feedback.

Deliver the writing test and any recommended adjustments, along with reasoning for any changes.”

8. Review and Finalization

• Once finalized, share the style guide and persona with the content team.
• Confirm with the content team lead or project manager to ensure alignment with client expectations.

9. Document Control

• Review Date: [To be filled in upon each review]
• Version: [Initial version or update number]
• Approvals: Obtain necessary approvals from relevant stakeholders.