January 30, 2015

When you hear the term “branding guide,” a few questions might come to mind. You may ask yourself, “What is a branding guide? Why should we have one?” Or you may wonder, “How do we go about creating a branding guide? What goes into one?” At Association Headquarters, the Marketing and Communications (MarCom) team hears these questions often and today we will give you the answers!  

Why create a branding guide?

Typically, there are multiple stakeholders a (board, executive committee, staff, members, etc.) creating and sending association communication pieces. A branding guide is vital to ensure consistency in each message and to clearly promote your organization’s image.  
 
Branding guides help to: 
  • Enhance marketing and sales efforts so that effective use of the brand logo, design, and expression generate a positive impact
  • Avoid physical distortions and deviations from the true design and character of your brand 

What can happen if you don’t have a branding guide? 

Without a branding guide, there is a lack of direction and control regarding how the organization’s brand is being used.
This may result in:
  • Inappropriate use of your brand, its logo and its tag lines
  • Use of the wrong colors, fonts and logo on promotional material
  • Lack of cohesion in presenting various communications into a unified message from the organization
  • Inconsistent messaging

What should our branding guide contain?

An effective branding guide should contain the following information: 
 
Brand Identity
  • Mission
  • Vision
  • Tagline
Visual Identity
  • Logo 
  • Font
  • Color 
Communication Standards
  • Capitalization of terms
  • Academic titles
  • Accreditations
  • Style guides, ie., AP Style Guide
  • Style when writing dates, times, phone numbers, etc.
  • Product descriptions in publications, on event promotions and online 
Other Important Information
  • Contact information for branding questions
  • External usage policy (use of member badge, logos, etc)
  • Links to tools (where logos, templates, flyers, etc., can be found)
Remember, the purpose for your branding guide is to create consistency and clearly promote your association’s image. Do you need some assistance with your association’s branding guide?  Feel free to contact AH’s MarCom department and we would be happy to help!