Consistency is key to building a loyal fanbase for your brand. If you're here, I bet you are trying to improve the quality of the content for your business or you've been having trouble getting on the same page with your content marketing manager. Either way, I know this post is going to be incredibly valuable for you. We are about to dive into the first installment of this five-part series about developing a Content Style Guide.
Before we dive in, go ahead and download a copy of the Content Style Guide Template. This will be the document we cover section-by-section in upcoming posts. Take a listen to the podcast to get started. I offer a bit of context as to why this guide was created, a high-level overview of the sections, and some advice on how to get started with creating your own Content Style Guide. It does take a degree of prep work in order to have a finished product that will be really useful. Let's begin!
What is a Content Style Guide?
A Content Style Guide is a set of rules and examples that help provides consistency when developing new content for your brand's digital marketing strategy. Without clear guidelines and a shared vision, it's challenging to create strong content across different platforms and mediums- especially as your team grows. Consistency refers to the way your brand is presented and how easy it is for someone to recognize your business online. For example, someone who sees an Instagram post from your business feed. then clicks through to your website should not be surprised or confused by what they find. The look and feel of your website should be complementary to what someone finds on Instagram. The tone and voice of the written copy should also be carefully crafted. For instance, our blog should be consistent with the tone of your social media posts and website text.
It's helpful to envision your brand as a person with a distinct personality. Marketing content should come with perspective. The stronger the personality of your brand, the easier it will be for your audience to connect. Keep in mind, marketing for everyone means selling to no one. Getting specific on who your brand is and what it stands for is helpful in understanding the kind of content to develop.
When to use a Content Style Guide?
Developing a Content Style Guideline document is a wonderful way to train your team on key aspects of your brand. During on-boarding, I always go through the content style guide with new members of the marketing teams. I like to assign some homework afterward to assure they understand the important takeaways. Usually, I like to have a new team member to create a piece of content for us to review together. It's helpful to take the time to do this before they work on a month worth of content or a long-format blog post. Also, you need to see if they get what you are going after. If a teammate doesn't "get it," it's an opportunity for further discussion and to improve upon your Style guide for future use.
How to create a Content Style Guide?
This document goes well beyond what you might receive from a branding agency. It puts into practice the mission and vision of the brand into tangible rules and examples. Are you ready to dive in? Let's get started! Download the FREE template.
Ready to improve your marketing? Let's talk. I am a virtual Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder at UgliVentures. I love helping entrepreneurs grow and scale their business. Let's schedule your free 30 min discovery call where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your sales-focused marketing strategy. Book Now.