Brand guidelines are crucial for small businesses to maintain consistency, build trust, and establish a professional identity. Without them, SMBs risk inconsistent visuals, misaligned messaging, and wasted resources. This guide outlines the key steps to create effective brand guidelines:

• Define Your Brand Identity: Clarify your mission, vision, values, and brand story to stand out.
• Create Visual Assets: Set rules for logo usage, color palettes, typography, and other design elements.
• Establish Tone and Voice: Ensure consistent messaging by defining your brand’s personality and communication style.
• Apply and Maintain Guidelines: Centralize access, review annually, and adapt as your business evolves.

Follow these steps to streamline marketing, improve recognition, and grow your business.

How To Create A Brand Style Guide For Your Small Business

Step 1: Define Your Brand Identity

Establishing your brand identity is the cornerstone of all future branding efforts. For small and medium-sized businesses, this step is key to standing out in the marketplace.

Clarify Your Mission, Vision, and Values

Your mission, vision, and values are the backbone of your brand identity, shaping decisions and guiding your direction. Work with your team to clearly define these elements:

Make sure these elements resonate with your audience. Revisit and refine them every 6-12 months to ensure they align with your evolving business goals ^[1].

Write Your Brand Story

Your brand story is what sets you apart. A strong brand story should cover:

• The challenges you address and the value you provide to customers
• How your business started and grew over time
• The principles that guide your decisions

Take the time to understand your audience so your story connects with their values ^[3]. Include these details in your brand guidelines to ensure consistency. This documentation helps your team and external partners represent your brand accurately ^[2].

To keep your branding consistent across platforms, explore digital tools designed for brand management ^[4].

Once your brand identity is clearly defined, the next step is to bring it to life through visual design that reinforces your message.

Step 2: Create Your Visual Brand Assets

Your visual brand assets are the building blocks of your brand’s identity. These elements should work together seamlessly across all platforms to help your audience recognize and trust your brand.

Set Clear Logo Guidelines

Your logo is a key part of your visual identity. Establish clear rules for how it should be used to ensure consistency:

Store your logo in multiple formats (like PNG, SVG, and EPS) and include both full-color and single-color versions. This ensures your logo looks sharp and works well across different platforms.

Pick a Color Palette and Typography

Select colors that represent your brand and resonate with your audience. Document the exact codes for each color:

For typography:

• Primary Font: Used for headlines
• Secondary Font: Used for body text
• Web-Safe Alternative: Backup fonts for digital use

Define font sizes, weights, and licensing requirements to maintain a polished look across all materials.

Add Other Visual Elements

Your visual identity isn’t just about logos and colors. Include guidelines for these additional elements:

• Photography Style: Specify the tone, composition, and subject matter for brand photos. For instance, a brand focused on being approachable might use candid, natural shots.
• Icons and Graphics: Outline a consistent style for illustrations, including line thickness, colors, and overall design.
• Layout Principles: Provide rules for spacing, alignment, and layouts to create a balanced and professional appearance.

Once your visual assets are in place, the next step is ensuring your brand’s tone and voice are just as consistent.

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Step 3: Define Your Brand’s Tone and Voice

Your tone and voice influence how customers perceive your brand and ensure your messaging stays consistent across platforms – whether it’s a tweet, an email, or a marketing campaign.

Keep Your Tone and Language Consistent

Clearly outline your brand’s personality and adjust your tone based on the situation. Here’s a quick guide to help you define key elements:

For instance, a financial services company might say:

“We simplify complex financial topics without losing our credibility as experts. Our tone is professional but approachable, avoiding jargon whenever possible.”

Use Real Examples to Illustrate Tone and Voice

Once you’ve defined your tone, show how it works in practice. Examples make it easier for your team to apply the guidelines:

Customer Service Communications:

• Do: “Thanks for letting us know! We’ll get this resolved within 24 hours.”
• Don’t: “Your message has been received. Someone will handle it.”

Social Media Posts:

• Do: “Our new feature helps small businesses save 3 hours a week on payroll!”
• Don’t: “New feature alert! Check it out now!”

Stay consistent with your brand’s personality, but adjust your tone based on the platform or audience.

How to Implement These Guidelines:

• Keep all tone and voice rules in a centralized document for easy access.
• Include real examples from your brand’s communications to clarify expectations.
• Update the guidelines as your brand evolves.
• Provide regular training to ensure everyone stays aligned.

With your tone and voice locked in, the next step is making sure these guidelines are followed across every channel. Consistency is key!

Step 4: Apply and Maintain Your Brand Guidelines

Make Guidelines Easy to Access and Use

Your brand guidelines should be easy for everyone to find and follow. A digital asset management system can help by keeping all brand materials in one place and up to date.

Here’s how you can manage access effectively:

Set up a clear approval process for creating new materials. Once your guidelines are accessible, make sure to review and refresh them regularly to keep pace with your brand’s evolution.

Regularly Review and Update Your Guidelines

Schedule annual reviews of your guidelines, and update them more often during times of growth or change. Focus on these areas during your review:

• Visual Identity: Check if your color palette and typography still connect with your audience.
• Brand Voice: Adjust tone and messaging to align with market trends or shifts.
• Digital Channels: Add guidelines for emerging social media platforms or new marketing tools.
• Technical Details: Ensure file formats and digital asset specs meet current standards.

When you make updates, document the changes and share them clearly with your team and partners. Use version control to keep track of updates and ensure everyone stays aligned.

To measure how well your guidelines are working, keep an eye on these KPIs:

• Consistency in brand recognition across all platforms
• Team adherence to the guidelines
• Customer feedback and engagement levels

If you’re a smaller business and need extra help, consider working with agencies that specialize in brand management. For instance, Robust Branding offers services tailored to help SMBs maintain a cohesive brand presence across all channels.

Conclusion: Key Points for SMBs

Building effective brand guidelines doesn’t need to feel overwhelming, even for small businesses. Use this checklist to ensure you’ve covered the most important elements, with detailed guidance drawn from earlier sections:

How Robust Branding Can Help

Robust Branding offers budget-friendly services designed to help small businesses create and maintain a consistent brand presence. Starting at $39/month, they provide solutions tailored to common challenges, including:

• Professional brand strategy to define your identity
• Custom website design that reflects your brand
• Digital marketing services to grow your reach
• SEO support to improve visibility

Their services are designed to help small businesses establish a polished, professional brand without breaking the bank. With clear, actionable guidelines, your team will be set up for success.

Still have questions about creating or applying your brand guidelines? Check out the FAQs below for practical advice.

FAQs

How to Create and Layout Brand Guidelines

For small and medium-sized businesses, keeping brand guidelines clear and straightforward is key – especially when resources are limited. Here’s a simple structure to organize your guidelines effectively:

To ensure easy access, check out Step 4 for tips on using Digital Asset Management systems.

Here are the steps to create your brand guidelines:

1. Start with Core Elements
   Lay the groundwork by defining your brand’s mission, values, and visual identity. Refer to earlier sections for detailed guidance.
2. Set Visual Standards
   Clearly document the following:
   • Logo variations, including minimum size requirements
   • Primary and secondary color codes
   • Typography hierarchy (e.g., font sizes, weights, and styles)
   • Image usage guidelines to maintain a consistent look
3. Define Voice and Tone
   Provide specific communication rules, such as:
   • Tone guidelines tailored to different channels (e.g., formal for reports, casual for social media)
   • Use of active voice (e.g., “We achieve results” instead of “Results are achieved by us”)
   • Examples of writing styles, including clear do’s and don’ts

These steps will help ensure your brand is represented consistently across all platforms.

Related posts

• Ultimate Guide to Digital Branding for SMEs
• Branding Strategies: Building Emotional Connections with Consumers
• Ultimate Guide to Brand Messaging Alignment
• Checklist: Consistent Messaging Across Customer Journey