Are you a business owner looking to build a professional and consistent brand? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the idea of creating brand guidelines for your products or services? Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be daunting!
With this blog post, we’re going to explore how creating a successful brand guideline is not only straightforward but potentially even enjoyable.
We’ll cover a brand guideline, who benefits from having one, different ways they can be used in your business, and tips on how to create an effective one. So please sit back, and let’s get started on building the perfect set of brand guidelines for your business!
What is a brand guideline, and what is it used for
For new business owners, brand guidelines are an invaluable asset. A brand guideline is like a toolkit of rules and elements that define the look, feel, and use of your company’s visual (and verbal) identity, both online and offline. This includes logo design, fonts, color palettes, and even rules on how to represent the brand in social media and other marketing material.
As your business grows, you may take on staff or VAs to take on things like social media management or graphic design work. Having a clear brand guideline makes it easier to train your new team members and ensures they are acting in accordance with your brand and its mission.
You signal quality, professionalism, and trustworthiness by creating a consistent experience for your customers. In short, following a brand guideline means helping new customers recognize who you are and strengthening the loyalty of existing ones.
How to create a brand guideline
Establish a Visual Identity:
The first step in creating a brand guideline is establishing a visual identity for your company. This includes designing a logo, color scheme, and typography that will be used consistently across all platforms. If you need help with the design process, consider Canva Pro for a great DIY brand design kit, or consult an experienced graphic designer who can create a unique look for your business.
Create Mottos, Slogans, and Taglines:
Once you’ve established the basics of your brand’s visual identity, create mottos, slogans, and taglines that speak to what your company stands for and capture the essence of your brand. Take time to brainstorm catchy phrases that will be memorable to customers and resonate with them emotionally.
Develop Print Materials:
Consider creating print materials such as brochures or leaflets which should follow the same guidelines established by the overall visual identity of your brand. Use consistent colors, fonts, and logos across all materials so customers can easily recognize them as belonging to your company.
Establish Social Media Guidelines:
This is extremely important. As more businesses take to social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter for promotional purposes, it’s important to develop guidelines that ensure consistency across all platforms. This includes rules about which content is suitable for posting online, how customer service inquiries should be handled on social media sites, and how you comment on others’ posts or respond to comments on your posts (both the positives and the negatives).
You may be using different social media platforms for different purposes, but the face and voice of your business should be the same across them all.
Put Together Mission Statements:
Lastly, mission statements are essential elements of any comprehensive brand guide because they articulate the purpose behind the business in clear terms while inspiring internal stakeholders as well as customers alike. Take time to craft mission statements that are concise yet powerful—these will serve as guiding principles when making decisions about the future direction of your company and its products or services offered by it over time.
The different elements that should be included in a brand guideline
Developing strong brand guidelines can help new business owners maintain their company’s overall image. Elements such as logo design, color scheme, and typography will create a visual identity that reflects the organization and should be consistent across all platforms.
Additionally, mottos and slogans should be created that speaks to what your company stands for, while other customer-facing documents like brochures may require additional graphic elements.
Furthermore, social media messaging, mission statements, and customer service protocols are just a few items that new business owners need to consider when creating comprehensive brand guidelines. These will help new business owners establish the right voice and ultimately enhance their promotional efforts.
Tips for refining and perfecting your brand guideline
Refining and perfecting your brand guideline is essential for new business owners looking to communicate effectively with their target audiences. You should think carefully about how to stand out from the crowd and make sure your tone of voice aligns with your brand.
Make sure you include best practices such as using an attention-grabbing headline, designing a consistent look and feel, outlining strategies for engaging customers, and planning for new media channels.
Additionally, consider developing a content calendar that outlines regular posts and messaging for your social media accounts.
Finally, it’s important to review your guidelines periodically to ensure they accurately represent who you are as a business. Incorporating these tips into your brand guideline will help you strengthen your online presence in no time!