Creating a brand style guide helps others understand why content is set up a certain way for the brand. In this webinar, our guest speaker, Maddy Osman, goes over why these style guides are essential and how to create one.
What is a Brand Content Style Guide?
Essentially, a content style guide is a reference to help writers, editors, and clients understand how and why certain things are laid out in a specific way.
Much like how brands have color schemes, specific font types, and precise aesthetics, they also have a certain flow for the content. And when a style guide is prepared, it keeps everyone in sync with how and why you do things the way you do.
In this video, Maddy explains more of the text side of the style guide. She also explains a few of the visual elements that are necessary.
Why Does a Content Style Guide Matter?
Content is king. Whether it’s in a text format or setting up YouTube videos, having a good flow of how to create that content makes the process easier.
Sure, you could always just “wing-it” when it comes to content. However, there are some great benefits when you build a content style guide. And Maddy breaks down why it matters in this webinar.
Streamlining the Process
When you have a style guide available, it helps keep everyone on the team on the same page. This helps reduce the time you spend editing that content to make it fit your website’s theme and flow.
Even if you’re working by yourself, a structure of how you create content will reduce how much time you spend on the piece. Especially if you have it tailored specifically for your audience.
Consistency and Professionalism
Consistency in how certain types of content are set up gives your site a more elegant appearance. Instead of seeming haphazard with structure, people know what to expect from certain types of articles from you.
Think of it like building a home. Every house has a door, a roof, walls, and a foundation. Now, every structure will use different materials, but all homes have these elements.
In this case, it’s the text that is used as those “materials,” but following the building layout gives the content a strong structure. And the best way to do that is by following a specific blueprint.
Engaging Your Target Audience
Your target audience is the most important aspect of building any kind of website. As such, you want to deliver content that is effective at getting and keeping their attention.
Content styling specifically for those people will greatly increase the chances of them coming back, subscribing to email notifications, or otherwise interacting with the content.
Visual Styling Matters
The style of your content will bring visitors in from a search result. But it’s the visual elements that will keep them on your website. And since humans are a visual-first species, the styling will make a big difference in engagement.
This means things like logo, typography, and color are vastly important to your brand style.
In this video, Maddy goes over the most important aspects of visual styling including different types of graphics to accentuate the content.
Streamline Your Content Process
Creating content that people want to read is the cornerstone of success. Nonetheless, it takes more than the best keywords or phrases to really engage your audience.
After all, you want them to come back, right?
Setting up a content style guide for your brand, whether you’re a blogger or run a large business, will make a difference in how your audience perceives that brand.
I’d like to thank Maddy Osman for this informative webinar and look forward to trying out a few of these tips.
