Guide to Brand Guidelines

Welcome to Tactics of Marketing.

Its our first edition with a video… that took very little time to create. More on that in a future newsletter.

The focus of this email is about new design. Part one is about what brand guidelines are and why you need them. Unfortunately, they are often missed when clients are talking with designers, even though they play a big part of keeping your brand looking great everywhere!

A Guide to Brand Guidelines

When considering a rebrand, it's essential to start with your logo as it is often the most recognizable aspect of your brand. A brand guide, also known as brand standards or a media kit, ensures consistency in how your brand is represented across various platforms.

Importance of Brand Guidelines

• Brand guidelines help maintain consistency in how your brand is portrayed.

• They ensure that anyone using your brand elements does so in a uniform manner.

Key Components of Brand Guidelines

1. Logo Variations: Show all variations of your logo and consider where it will be placed.

2. Secondary Logos: Include any secondary logos or variations of your main logo.

3. Typography: Choose easily readable fonts that are accessible and consistent across all materials.

4. Color Palette: Specify colors in a way that ensures consistency across different mediums.

5. Production Specs: Provide guidelines for print and digital production to avoid inconsistencies.

Examples and Tips

• Show examples of how your brand elements should be used.

• Consider the practical applications of your brand, such as signage, uniforms, and merchandise.

• Be mindful of hidden costs associated with implementing a rebrand beyond just the design phase.

Conclusion

Brand guidelines are crucial for maintaining the integrity and consistency of your brand identity. Whether working with a design agency or freelancers, ensure that brand guidelines are included in any rebranding efforts.

For further insights on budgeting for creative projects, watch the video above and learn more about our brand refresh process.

Remember, a well-defined brand guideline is the foundation for a successful rebranding journey.

You Probably need to redesign your website

Am I right?

Here’s how you get ready for a redesign of your website:

1. Don’t Be Concise - add as much detail as you can. It’s easier to trim than add filler (or guess)

2. Mix of Content Types - share examples of what you’ve seen that you like elsewhere - no matter if that’s another website, business card, ad, etc.

3. Ask Everyone on Your Team to Participate - you’d be surprised how often the website is seen as a sales or marketing assignment when we actually see a lot of utility from post-sale service and retention activities.

4. Provide Examples of Great Writing - what else in your business has worked in the past? Great email campaigns, or flyers or conferences. Share the pieces that have had success - they were probably on point to deliver your message.

5. Frequently Asked Questions and Comments - Imagine getting less calls about the same thing? Get ahead of that by sharing some of your current FAQ or processes that you constantly are sharing. That can be crafted into amazing content on your side and in the future save you and your team a lot of time.

There’s a lot more to this process to get you set up for success with your new website, read the full post here with all the juicy details

There’s more happening behind the scenes that we’re excited to be releasing soon… look for these below to become links when they are ready!

• Tactics of Marketing Roadmap - a growing list based on industry, goals and budgets to achieve your goals (or at least get some ideas).

• Content Machine Course Update - a refresh on our course for 2025, this course walks you through the way we do content marketing for clients.

• Done for You Content Marketing by 323 Media - book a call now, we are opening up a few spaces for full-service clients that need a turn-key option to run their marketing.

• Podcast Production now open to start your show! Limited spots available until we ramp up the team with more audio producers.