Brand Guidelines are a vital investment for your business and can be a strategic return on investment (ROI).
As a start-up, small business, or corporation, your business needs a consistent and updated brand guideline, which can skyrocket your ROI.
Investing in a strong brand identity is essential to the success of your business, especially in the beginning stages of your business development. This will be helpful to solidify a direction for all of your brand’s future projects, including but not limited to t-shirts, advertising, and print products.
But why are Brand Guidelines important, and how can they be translated into tangible results for your business? In this article, we’ll cover 5 impactful ways in which brand guidelines can increase your ROI (return on investment)
First, we need to define what a brand guideline is.
What is a Brand Guideline?
A brand is more than just a logo – it includes the visual identity and verbal identity of your business. A brand guideline, sometimes called a style guideline, is a document that provides direction for how the visual and verbal elements of your business should be used. For example, the brand guideline would include directions for the correct colors for your logo, approved fonts, and tone of voice.
Things to include in your Brand Guidelines
For your verbal brand, important things to include in your brand guidelines include:
- Company name and capitalization
- Mission
- Vision
- Value Statements
- Tone of voice (ex: friendly, serious, trustworthy)
- Official slogans
For your visual brand, important things to include in your Brand Guidelines include:
- Logos, including the correct sizes, colors, and alternative logos
- Fonts – including guidelines for headers, body text, and alternative fonts
- Color palettes – including hex codes for online and print material
- Approved imagery
Additional ideas for things to include in your Brand Guidelines:
- Official stationary and print collateral (letterheads, envelopes, brochures, flyers)
- Composition techniques
- Brand patterns
- Branded icons
- Email newsletter templates
- Social media templates
- Media Kits
5 Ways Brand Guidelines Elevate ROI
1. Increased Revenue Through Consistent Branding
In a study by Forbes it was shown that businesses on average had an increased revenue of 23% when they had brand consistency across all their platforms. When your customers remember your brand, they are more likely to trust you and buy from you. Customers remember your brand when your brand is consistent (consistent colors, consistent tone of voice, etc.) and they build trust in your brand the more they see it.
It’s not just about your logo – it’s also about your brand identity. This is where your brand guidelines come in handy.
2. Increased Brand Awareness
Brand guidelines can also increase your brand awareness, which leads to – yes, more sales and conversions! Onboarding and training your employees to utilize your brand guidelines can help them become empowered to enact your brand in their own lives – think about Google’s “Nooglers” and Patagonia’s eco-conscious brand ambassadors.
3. Increased Customer Loyalty
Having shared brand guidelines that outline your value statements are important, and publicizing these values can help customers identify and become loyal to your company. A study from Harvard Business Review found that 64% of consumers form brand loyalty because of shared values.
4. Reduce Hiring and Training Expenses
With such a competitive talent pool and tight economy, finding the right employee is crucial! A strong brand can actually lead to reduced hiring and training expenses as much as 50%. Effective branding can lead to recruiting top talent who are aligned with your company values and mission.
5. Increased Efficiency and Productivity
As your organization scales and becomes bigger, having systems in place to improve employee onboarding and training is crucial! Having a brand guideline makes it easy for employees to access your branding quickly and get up to speed. They can find the correct colors, font, and logo on their own, especially when the Marketing Manager is out of the office. This leads to increased efficiency and productivity for your entire team in the long run.
What other benefits do you see from creating Brand Guidelines for your business?
