You don’t need to hire a brand manager to have an effective brand management workflow! We’ve worked with businesses of all sizes to help them build brands that stand the test of time, and if you’re still a small team managing your brand, we have tips that can help you stay consistent and engage your audience well.
Start with a Simple Brand Guide
Your brand guide doesn’t need to include every imaginable detail to be useful! Start with a simple, 1-2 page document that covers these essential elements:
- Logo: In addition to your literal logo image, include a few notes on how to use it. Should it be on everything, or just a few things? Are there times you want to use a monochromatic design as opposed to a colorful design? Which versions are best for which purposes?
- Color Palette: Include all of your brand colors here, complete with hex codes and any notes on which is the main color of your brand and which are mainly there to make that main color pop.
- Typography: One of the quickest ways to make any brand material look sloppy is using multiple fonts, none of which go together or are consistent across projects. Include notes on what fonts your brand uses and, if you use multiple, when to use which one.
- Tone of Voice: What tone do you want to strike with users? Include a sample of some written content that truly captures your brand’s tone as well as a quick bulleted list of characteristics that your brand follows, such as friendly, energetic, or professional.
You can always expand on your brand guide later, but these aspects create a solid core for you to build the rest of your brand around. It’s also great to have this document as a source of truth that you and your team can refer to before you post something new.
Centralize Your Brand Assets
If you’ve ever had to dig back through years of downloads to find your brand’s logo, you know how valuable centralizing your brand assets can be to save time and stay efficient. Set up a cloud folder of some sort to store your logos, fonts, templates, images, and brand guide. Chances are, your professional workspace will already have a great option for this, like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.
As you centralize your brand assets, take the time to set up consistent naming conventions and update your file names accordingly. That way, instead of digging through an entire folder of assets to find a specific image, your team can use search to streamline their process.
Create Repeatable Templates
To keep everything running smoothly, it’s great to have templates on hand! This way, for formats you use a lot like newsletters or Instagram posts, your team can update specific sections without having to reinvent the wheel for each item. This could include templates for social media graphics, blog posts, sales outreach, and nearly any other materials you’re creating regularly.
Document Your Content Process
From posting frequency to asset development, take time to document your current content processes. Whether you’re a marketing department of one or managing a small team, these documents can help you stay on track and make it easier to outsource or delegate specific tasks as your business grows! It’s also a great opportunity to clarify which pieces of content may require approval from multiple stakeholders and which can be sent or posted without any additional checkpoints.
Schedule Time for Brand Maintenance
No matter how solid your brand is, it’s important to schedule time for brand maintenance on a regular basis. This process should include:
- Reviewing Your Brand Guide: Make sure it is still in line with your current marketing goals and add new information that may be relevant, like customer avatars.
- Checking Your Templates: Make sure anything based on an outdated trend is phased out. Engaging in popular trends can help your brand build reach and stay relevant, but it’s important to make sure you’re up-to-date with what’s trending. This is also a good opportunity to A/B test copy ideas or update any information that may have changed since your last brand maintenance session.
- Updating Social Bios: Have you updated your product offerings or changed your stance on emoji usage? Make sure your bio on each platform is still in line with the rest of your assets.
When to Ask for Help
If all of this feels overwhelming, that might be a good sign that it’s time to get help with your brand. From brand development to setting up a website that aligns perfectly with your existing brand, Matcha Design is here to help make sure you have a brand that stands the test of time and drives results for your business. Get in touch with us today to get the support your brand needs to be as effective as possible!
