Brand guidelines are ubiquitous in London content marketing agencies and design studios alike. They act as a bible for everyone from designers, printers, copywriters, sponsors and affiliates, and serve to ensure that branding is never diluted and always consistent. This all sounds a bit formal and dull, but they can be things of beauty in themselves. Take a look at these fine examples:

1. The Beano

Created by designer Wayne Hemingway, these guidelines are something a little bit special. Nostalgic and charming, it features stunning original Beano patterns from yesteryear. Completely gorgeous and doesn’t skimp on the details.

2. Jamie Oliver

More of a brand than a person these days, Jamie’s guidelines for anything and everything he puts his name to is a great example of a very comprehensive brand guideline document. The level of detail that has gone into explaining the tone of the brand is remarkable. There’s no excuse for accidentally using his brand wrongly. Click here to read the full 104 page whopper of a document. Branded content perfected.

 

3. Nike football

Simply too sexy not to mention, this is a beautiful and bold brand book that, whilst not particularly wordy, still communicates Nike’s core values over 92 pages. The stunning photography makes this worth a look.

4. Channel 4

Trying to create brand guidelines for a whole television channel is no mean feat. Shorter than others featured in this list, but still a concise account of how to accurately present the network. Their copy guidelines are a pedant’s dream too, nothing is left to chance here. Bravo! Click here to have a look

We hope that you feel inspired to jazz up your own brand guidelines. Whilst a 100 page extravaganza of typography and imagery is not necessary for most businesses, people you work with will thank you in spades for nailing down the basics in defining your branded content.

Content Marketing in London is enjoying a fashionable status at the moment. It’s all about great social content, blogs, articles, infographics, viral video, quizzes, games – the list of branded content opportunities is endless right now. And good on you guys who are putting it out there. But we want to hark back to that age-old cliche: Any decent Content Marketing agency would agree – it’s not what you say but how you say it.

Cliches are so for a reason: they’re usually true.

Why should you care about a consistent tone of voice in your branded content? Well, it instills trust in your audience for one. If people feel familiar and comfortable with your style, they are more likely to convert. If people can distinguish your content from your competitors, you are onto a winner. It’s also a great way to show the personality behind your brand, which is really important in otherwise staid industries.

Hiring a bunch of independent freelancers to get your name out there in the content world is great stuff – However, the first rule of content strategy is to maintain consistency. This is especially true if your content writing is a team effort. In the same way that a successful chef doesn’t let dishes on their menu until they are confident that it fits in with their ethos, same goes for your content. You may have a team of talented content creators at your disposal. But if they’re all stabbing in the dark in terms of your core values, the disjointedness is going to show.

The practice of recording and documenting your brand’s voice is an interesting and worthwhile task in itself. It really helps you to hone in on what’s unique about your business. Simply thinking about key words you want your audience to associate with you or nailing down why someone should do business with you is a great place to start.

If you’re looking for the ultimate inspiration, MailChimp’s wonderful content style guide is about as concise as they get.