Getting the Brand Together: The Benefits of Content Guidelines

Storytelling is one of the most powerful communication tools we have at our disposal. Creating engaging, thoughtful and compelling narratives isn’t just a fantastic way to entertain people; it’s also a great way to establish lasting connection on an emotional level.

Looking at the Bellman’s services you might see content guidelines mentioned, but not particularly follow what it is or how it relates to your business. In this piece I’ll break down the role of content guidelines and how they can be used to strengthen the way you communicate.

Content guidelines are the manual for your business to establish its position in the market, differentiate itself from competitors and summarise its purpose. More than just words on a page, the brand story is a guide that drives the way a company writes, speaks and acts.

When we create content guidelines for clients we don’t just provide a narrative for them to use, we also provide the tools to back it up and ensure everyone communicating on behalf of the brand is on the same page and telling the same story.

Unpacking each element of what goes into content, let’s look at how they are valuable to a business, and how they can direct all content going forward.

Mission Statement

The mission statement is essentially your company’s elevator pitch. It sums up the core elements of why the brand exists, what it wants to achieve and its purpose. This will be used to help partners, investors and staff understand the goals of the business.

About Us

A statement about who you are, what you do and your positioning in the market.

Tone of Voice

This is a guide that specifically tackles the tone your business will communicate in. It will feature the way your brand should and shouldn’t talk, with examples as to why. For example, if the brand is a charity that helps people, the tone could focus on a theme of compassion.

Values

The reasons behind why you do what you do.

Key Messaging

The key messaging is the core pillars of your brand’s messaging. They will help guide your future communications. Each key message is an area that is important to your brand, its objectives and why you exist. These are messages that are important for your brand to communicate and reinforce whenever possible.

Once all of these components have been crafted, they can be used to create a narrative, drive all content, and should be distributed to anyone who communicates on behalf of your business – whether it’s the person who writes your copy, a receptionist, or a retail assistant. Establishing consistency across the way your brand communicates will work wonders for strengthening your brand image.

To discuss creating content guidelines for your business, talk to Bellman today.