What is a brand guide and what is branding?
A brand guide is a document that communicates a company’s visual identity. It includes the company’s logo, font type, colour, typography, tone, the brand’s mission statement, positioning, identity, values, and buyer persona.
Branding is the process of researching, developing, and applying a set of key features to your company so consumers will associate your brand with the products or services that you offer on the market. Key branding terms include brand awareness, brand extension, and brand identity. Brand awareness includes how familiar your brand is with your consumers. High brand awareness is desirable. Brand extension is where companies expand their brand to create new products in the market, giving them a competitive advantage.
Brand identity is known as the personality of your brand. It is also the promise you make to your customers. Key facts and figures include that “82% of customers feel more positive about a brand after reading customised content and 94% of customers are likely to show loyalty to a brand that offers complete transparency” (smallbizgenius, 2022).
The importance of creating a brand guide
Every brand is driven by a story. Brand stories will include a company’s vision, mission, core values, and personality. Having a brand guide is an extremely important asset as it helps to communicate a consistent message to your consumers, set standards and rules, create a recognisable brand, helps your brand to stay focused, and increases the brand’s perceived value.
Your brand guide illustrates your company’s design standards to your audience. Brands commonly use visual elements and styles to make their brand more eye-catching and to stand out in the current market. This gives brands a competitive advantage.
Having a brand guide is a prime tool that businesses use to create consistent and coherent messages to consumers. The tool is a key asset for on-brand content.
A successful brand guide will include the brand’s logo, colour pallet, typography, imagery, voice, and tone. This will control the composition and design of the brand. Including these aspects when creating a brand guide will help to create a recognisable, memorable, and consistent brand for your audience. A branding project should be based on a solid brand strategy.
Brand guidelines are important as your company will be dealing with multiple agencies. Therefore, creating loyalty with your branding agency is key. Having a brand guide will benefit your business as it will encourage your brand to thrive, drive, build and develop.
Creating your brand identity and brand awareness
When creating your brand identity and brand awareness you need to consider researching your audience, value proposition, competition, design the logo, use language to connect, advertise, incorporate your brand on social media, constantly monitor your brand and maintain your brand identity. The benefits of this include enhancing your brand credibility. If you are successful this will lead to new customers, sales, and loyalty.
Who is your target audience?
The first element you need to focus on is establishing who your target audience is. A target audience refers to a specific group of customers who are most likely to buy your products or use your services. Your target audience depends on what you sell. Your audience may be either broad or niche. It is key to know who you are targeting as you need to know what messages will attract them and what channels they use most frequently. This is a prime benefit of establishing your target audience.
Ways to determine your target audience include analysing your customer base and carrying out client interviews, conducting market research, identifying current trends, analysing competitors, creating personas, and constantly revising. Your target audience can be segmented into further categories such as interest, purchase intention, and subcultures. Knowing your target audience helps to create your brand identity and brand awareness.
What is your mission statement?
Then you need to establish your mission statement. A mission statement focuses on the business for both employees and the target audience. A benefit of having a successful mission statement is that it gives you a framework to build upon. Your mission statement can separate you from your competitors. It will tell your target audience why your brand exists and why it is different from competitors in the market. Your mission statement should focus on value, inspiration, plausibility, and specificity. It should be concise and eye-catching for your target audience.
Defining your values, morals and qualities
Your brand values, morals, and qualities should be actionable, memorable, unique, specific, meaningful, and accessible. Your brand values already exist. Implementing these elements is key in differentiating your brand from competitors. Core values connect employees and customers. The benefits of strong brand values, morals, and qualities include attracting new customers, improving brand experiences, building brand loyalty, and developing a competitive advantage. Your values, morals, and qualities should be based on your customer’s values. Your values are what your company stands by.
What are your visual assets?
Visual assets are digital elements such as videos, photography, or imagery. Key visual brand assets include the business name, slogan, logo, colour pallets, product packaging, characters/mascots, celebrity endorsement, and style. Once you have decided on your visual assets you can then use them to grow your brand.
Creating your brand voice
Your tone of voice is created by the words your brand uses when communicating with your consumers. Examples of the tone of voice include formal, informal, humorous, serious, optimistic, motivating, respectful, and assertive. Creating your brand voice is key in setting the atmosphere and image for your brand name to your customers. This section is what creates your brand identity.
This may also interest you:
A handy guide to finding your company tone of voice
5 reasons your staff may need content writing training from an Aylesbury Copywriter
Content Clever can help you create and boost your brand voice
Content Clever is here to help you to create and boost your brand voice. We love to help smaller businesses to develop a strong brand voice in the market. We help all businesses to build and grow their brand voice across digital channels and social media platforms.
If you are looking for some help and support in boosting your brand voice, please get in touch with us. We can then evaluate the best way to help your brand grow and develop. Content Clever can help to promote your business through the power of words and key marketing tools.