Creating a consistent brand image throughout all marketing touch points is essential to any company’s success. Although you may be very familiar with your company’s mission, values, logo, website and marketing materials, is everyone in your organization on the same page? What about new employees? Contractors outside of your organization? A well-crafted B2B brand style guide will streamline your marketing efforts, protect your brand equity and ultimately save time and money.

Why do you need a style guide?

The use of a marketing style guide helps ensure a consistent brand voice and eliminates mistakes in representing your brand identity. It establishes a set of standards that defines your company’s brand in terms of logo, colors, imagery, language and more. A thorough style guide ensures your marketing materials are consistent, easily recognized, polished and engaging.

What should you include in a style guide?

• Brand statement: This section provides an introduction to the style guide and clarifies your company’s purpose. Include your mission statement, vision statement and core values here.
• Color scheme: Provide a master list of all primary and secondary brand colors. Be sure to include Pantone, CMYK, RGB and HEX values to ensure colors are consistent across all print and digital platforms.
• Fonts: Detail the preferred font families that should be used across all print and web media. Be specific about the weights (bold, regular, light) and styles for headings, subheadings and body copy, and provide alternatives for instances when the preferred font is not available.
• Logo: A company’s logo is the single-most recognized representation of its brand. Be specific about logo usage on various backgrounds, both with and without a tagline, if appropriate. It may also be helpful to include examples of logo “don’ts” by showing the logo used on patterned backgrounds, in different color schemes, etc.
• Images: Develop guidelines about where to obtain images and how they should be formatted.
• Dictionary: What dictionary or editorial style guide, such as Associated Press, should writers use for content creation? Be sure to include a list of commonly used and misspelled words, both general and industry-specific.
• Tone and voice: How does your company want to come across to prospects and customers? Do you want to be perceived as professional, intellectual, down-to-earth or even humorous? Identify tone and voice and provide examples.
• Customer personas: When marketers understand who they marketing their products and services to, it’s easier to develop the appropriate content and materials. Be sure to solicit the input of your sales team and other stakeholders when developing a picture of your ideal customer.

Building your style guide

A successful style guide shows users what to do to keep your brand looking and sounding consistent. It should create a framework for brand recognition that allows for creativity, growth and change as your brand evolves. That said, your style guide should be brief (typically between five and 10 pages) and provide structure without being overwhelming.

A company’s marketing materials—including its website, social media, brochures and sales presentations—can help create a strong brand if it is clean and consistent. On the other hand, if your marketing materials are unpredictable or inconsistent, it can quickly undermine your brand. A thoughtful brand style guide will create a positive experience for employees, third-party contractors and customers alike. For help in defining your company’s brand and developing a style guide, contact Trade Press Services today.