As a company attempting to stand out from the crowd, it’s imperative that you have a unique brand voice. This is the voice you’ll use consistently throughout your website and for each of your content marketing assets such as blog posts, lead magnets, infographics, newsletters and more.
Yet, what happens when…
- You have more than one person in your business creating content?
- You start outsourcing your content creation to a freelancer?
- You start a partnership with a content agency?
How do you stay true to your company’s voice when content is coming from so many different sources? The answer is simple: you must create a brand style guide (BSG)
A Brand Style Guide Ensures Consistency Across all Content & Writers
A BSG outlines everything about your brand, all in one place. It can include your:
- Mission, vision and values
- Voice, tone and point of view
- Basic formatting and grammar rules
- Logo, color and typography
- Digital and print guidelines
Voice, Tone & Point of View
One of the most important sections for your content creators is the voice, tone and point of view.
- Voice: What adjectives would you use to describe your company? What is its personality?
- Tone: What emotions do you want to convey through your copy?
- Point of view: What is the perspective you want to have in your content? (Remember to consider both your perspective and the audience’s perspective!)
The goal is to create a simple set of instructions your entire company can use when creating any marketing material. As they create content, they can refer to this guide, ensuring what they create meets the requirements you’ve set forth for your brand.
Don't Have a Brand Style Guide?
If you don’t have a brand style guide yet, we can help you create one. Join our 21-day email challenge to get simple, easy tips to tackle all aspects of a brand style guide in just 5 minutes a day.
The Final Step: Send all Content Through One Editor
Every piece of content should pass through one editor whose responsibility is to edit and make sure it fits the company’s voice. This individual is the “gatekeeper,” so to speak, and no content should be published without passing through their hands first.
Having Trouble Defining Your Company’s Voice?
All of this is fine and dandy if you’re aware of your company’s unique voice. But if you’re struggling with defining your voice, we can help. It’s actually what we do best. To learn more, send us a message.
