In the universe of digital business, some of the most commented guidelines are the importance of producing valuable content, creating efficient and nurture leads.
These are some of the main aspects to gain the trust of your audience and strengthen your brand.
But have you ever thought about how a brand manual can also help your business to be recognized and consolidated in the market?
The verbal and visual identity, as well as the tone of voice, are some of the components that cannot be missing in a good brand manual. But there are many others.
Do you want to know what a brand manual is and how to create one that highlights your business? Then keep reading this post!
What is a brand manual?
The brand manual is a guide that contains all the guidelines on the image of a company, that is, it brings together the visual and communicative elements that differentiate your business from the rest.
When we talk about image, we are not only referring to visual identity, one of the basic elements of a brand manual. We are referring to the “face” of your business, how it is recognized in the market, what it transmits, how your clients and collaborators remember it.
The brand manual is one of the most effective ways to define how your company wants to communicate with your . This guide will define some bases and rules that will be useful for all the people linked to your business, such as designers, etc.
Everyone will have a point of reference when they represent your brand, whether it’s in writing, visually or in a simple post on the web. .
Why is it important to have a brand manual?
Much more than guidelines that will give your company an identity, the brand manual communicates all the and how this is reflected in the product or service you offer.
In other words, it not only contemplates a graphic and verbal representation of your company, but also reproduces your mission and your values.
Think of the brand manual as the personality of your company. It is the way the world recognizes it and what it relies on to create relationships of trust.
If you saw that someone constantly changes their appearance, way of speaking and behaving, you would have the feeling that you do not know that person and you would not inspire confidence, right?
This is the same logic that applies to brands: inconstancy and lack of identity can drive customers away. A brand manual is an excellent tool to help your business communicate consistently and build credibility with your audience.
What is a brand manual for?
As we have said before, the brand manual is a fundamental resource to gain the trust of the of your business.
But, if you think you still need more reasons to decide to create one for your company, we have separated five reasons for you to do it right now.
1. Consolidate your brand image
The manual is the center of the overall image of your brand. Even if you already have a or an established tone of voice, if you do not have a document that brings them together, variations may arise at any time that harm your brand.
2. Help the public remember your brand
If you continually change the image or verbal identity of your business, your customer will have difficulty remembering you, which can help you open space for your .
But, if you create a manual that reinforces all the elements, mission and values of your company, your audience will have a real reference to your brand and that will be a differential element when making a purchase decision, for example.
3. Make your job easier
When you gather all the guidelines that define your brand in a freely accessible manual for all the people linked to your business, you avoid common problems in the day to day of a company, such as errors that generate costs and .
All teams will know where to find the information that stands out and defines the identity of your brand in the market and will be able to use it as a work guide.
4. Strengthen your brand in different media
Whether on your company’s official website, on the on a capture page or on your social networks, the brand manual will guarantee the use of elements that will make the client immediately recognize your company when they come across a blogpost or an image on .
In addition to strengthening your customer base, the manual offers security so that more people want to bet on your business.
5. Avoid negative associations to your brand
Promoting the consistency of your brand through a manual can help you not only to be recognized for what it is, but also for what it is not. What does this mean? That if someone misuses your brand, a customer could identify and defend it, trying to find out what happened or reporting a possible fraud with the name of your business.
How to structure a brand manual?
First of all, it is important that you are clear about what you want to communicate through your brand manual. It shouldn’t be too simple, to the point of being easily confused with other brands, but it shouldn’t be too rigid either, limiting the creativity of those who will use it.
The brand manual of a business must be developed collaboratively, bringing together designers, , managers and other professionals who represent each sector of the company. And if there is a team of must be in front of the project.
In addition to knowing the brand well and knowing what you want to represent with it, you must master these four essential elements that we are going to present to you in order to establish your identity in the market. Don’t miss them!
Mission and vision
Making it clear what the mission of your business is and why it exists is just as important as highlighting where you want to go with your brand. When developing a branding strategy to strengthen yourself in the market, it is essential to show what are the values on which your performance is based.
It does not matter if it is about healing a specific pain or if it is something broader, like solving a general problem, the main thing is that you stay true to your proposal.
Target audience and buyer person
Describe, in as much detail as possible, who your customers are and why they need your product or service. Why is your product essential to solve their problem?
All the market research you have done to define the buyer persona of your business is important because it will help your team find a verbal identity and tone of voice that effectively communicate what your brand wants.
Personality
Make a list of 3-5 adjectives that describe your brand. Although it seems very simple, this strategy can help you design the tone you want for your voice and visual identity. Looking for something simpler or more sophisticated? Classic or bold?
Here you can also gather some adjectives that do not represent your brand, to reinforce what does not characterize your business.
Values
Determine the principles that will guide the company’s decision-making and actions. The values that represent the culture of your business and make your team identify with them will facilitate the process of turning your collaborators into disseminators of your brand manual.
How to create a brand manual for your business?
Now that you know what it is for and how to start structuring a brand manual for your business, it is time for you to put some more knowledge into practice to create your own.
To have a complete guide, which specifies everything that will represent the identity of your brand in the market, pay attention to these topics.
Brand Introduction
Communicate the pillars on which the identity of your business is built, that is, the mission, values, philosophy, personality, verbal identity and tone of voice.
Logo
It includes specifications on the desired design, the space between the elements, the color palette and the possible scales. Here it is also important that you define what are the appropriate uses of the logo, to avoid errors and rework.
Colors
In addition to those used in the formulation of the logo, it defines the palette of that identifies your company, as well as the acceptable combinations, among other elements that you consider relevant in this topic.
Image composition
It stipulates the basic rules so that the design reflects the intention of the brand. Define a visual and creative composition that distinguishes your brand in the market.
Icons and other visual elements
Explain how the collection of icons that you usually use in digital or printed pieces should be used, for example, in the “swipe up” of the .
Images
Specifies how images, such as brand illustrations or photographs, should be used and treated.
Typography
Having a specific font for your brand is also important. Indicate how to use the fonts chosen for your brand, highlighting the size, spaces, light or dark backgrounds, as well as the possible combinations between titles and subtitles.
You have everything ready to create your brand manual!
Throughout this post you have been able to verify that your company is more than the products or services you sell. A strong brand reinforces to the audience why they should choose it from the options on the market.
You can create a brand manual that is simple and direct, that fits on one page, or make a real book that details all the details of your company. It all depends on the needs of your business, your customers and the strategies you want to use to reach them.
The most important thing is that you do not miss any of the basic elements that make your brand a benchmark and well positioned in the market.
Do you want to further boost your brand in the market? So, don’t miss our post about .
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