Word.NotebooksContentCopyStyleGuide (PDF)

Word. Notebooks Content & Copy Style Guide
March 2015  

 

I. Purpose
This style guide contains the guidelines for all content released by the Word.
Notebooks brand. These standards are intended to be tools that enable us to maintain
a consistent voice to the public and provide you with the most effective content
strategy.
II. Brand Voice
A voice is an identity and a mode of operating in the world. Word.’s voice, like our
customers’, is passionate yet thoughtful, energized yet relaxed, and knowledgeable
yet curious. Use the following brand personas to guide the creation of copy and the
technical guidelines to inform word and punctuation choice.
A. Personas
A brand persona is the embodiment of the brand in hypothetical human form,
sharing the same values and aesthetics. It also serves to make the voice more
accessible — when speaking in the brand voice, imagine that you are the
persona.
1. Ed
Ed is 27 and lives in Chicago. He's a freelance photographer mostly
interested in photographing industrial architecture. He has a female pit
bull named Clementine that he rescued from a shelter and a girlfriend
named Emily who is a high-end waitress. He shares a small yet quaint
apartment with one other guy he met on craigslist.The most important
thing in Ed's life is his work. He's constantly trying to improve himself for
the sake of love of the craft.
Ed likes Word. notebooks because he can use them to both draw and
write, which he can't do on a phone. He draw maps of shooting locations
and diagrams of lighting setups. He writes lists of gear he'll need, clients
he needs to contact, and ideas for future projects. He prefers Word.
over other brands because they can fit easily in his pocket while he's
moving around but more so because of their sleek design. His favorite is
the Stealth Camo and he also has a preference for mechanical pencils
because he likes to erase.

2. ​
Madison
Madison is 31 and grew up in Phoenix, AZ. She makes a living running a
travel blog, spending most of her time in Europe and Asia. After trying a
few different careers, she’s happy to be able to get paid seeing the
sights, eating the food, and meeting the people she’s always dreamed
about. She prides herself on being pragmatic, inquisitive, and clever.
She likes using Word. notebooks because they help her organize all of
the things that need to get done for the blog. She makes lists of other
bloggers that she needs to e-mail, drafts future posts on plane rides
between destinations, and jots down the contact information of people
she meets. She likes using Word. over a phone because she doesn’t
always get the chance to charge a phone while traveling. Her favorite
cover design is Natural because she likes to draw pictures of the most
intriguing things she sees on it. She writes with a ballpoint pen her
grandpa gave her when she was 17.
B. Technical
When it comes to copy, sweat the small stuff. Seemingly negligible things such
as grammar say a lot about a brand’s values.
1. Grammar
—Proper sentences (characterized by a capitalized first letter,
ending punctuation, and subject and predicate) should always be
used, whether it is website copy, a social media post, or an e-mail.
— ‘Word.’, when written as the name of the brand, should always
be followed by a period, even if it followed by other words in the
sentence. It should also always be capitalized.
—Exclamation points should be used sparingly.
— An Oxford comma should always be used when writing out lists.
This is the difference between “We invited the strippers, JFK and
Stalin” and “We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin.”
2. E-mails:
— If a customer requests an e-mail at which they can reach Word.,
give them ​
info@wordnotebooks.com

— Be friendly and accomodating. Always begin a reply to a
customer inquiry with “Hi/Hey (their first name)” and sign off with
“Best,/Thanks, (your name).”
III. Content
Content serves to engage customers and represent the brand’s values and interests.
A. General Guidelines
While content will vary based on the platform it is being shared on, there are
some overarching topics to guide decisions.
1. Topics customers are interested in:
Direct topics:
— Notebooks 
— Note­taking 
—To­do lists 
— Journaling 
— Writing instruments 
— EDC
Related topics:
—Design
— Photography
—Stationery
— Travel/other cultures
— Engagement with the world and other people
— Productivity/self-improvement
— Quality-made products
— Taking pride in themselves and their belongings
2. GoogleAnalytics Report Findings (as of 2/15)
— Customers like simple design (based on highest selling
notebooks)
— They’re interested in good quality and details (based on leather
cover and pen sales)
— They care about trends & developments (based on referrals)
— They use mostly apple products

— They live in and near big cities
3. Other products and brands that align well with Word
— Cameras
— Bikes
— Books
— Headphones
— Watches
— Sunglasses
— Coffee
B. Social Media
1. Instagram
a. Ideal content
DO:
—Post photos of the notebook in action, news about
collaborations, new notebooks, layout shots, reposts of
fans’ photos.
— Make sure photos are thoughtful, bright, and crisp.
— Add a caption. Make it simple, ensuring that it also
illuminates or adds to the photo.
— Thank or shout out to fans whose photos you’ve
reposted.
— Delete comments that are rude or inappropriate.

DON’T:
—Post boring or irrelevant pictures.
—Add a caption that is irrelevant or one word.
— Be rude or negligent to fans.
b. Who to follow
—People that like and comment often
—Blogs and websites that have featured Word
—Retailers that have sold Word. or inquired about it
2. Twitter
a. Ideal content
DO:
— Tweet about recent news.
— Retweet mentions from fans.
— Retweet content pertaining to notebooks, journals,
organizations, or creativity.
— Respond to fans’ mentions. Double check any
information given out.

DON’T:
— Tweet about irrelevant information.
— Be rude to fans.
— Go overboard with favoriting and replying to other
peoples’ tweets.

b. Who to follow:
— People that favorite and retweet often
— Accounts with relevant content
— Retailers who have sold Word/. or inquired about it
3. Facebook
Ideal content:
—Posts about new notebooks, exciting news, relevant
content
—Should be informative and/or stimulating