February 11, 2025 • 7 mins
Struggling to create content that feels right for your brand? You're not alone! Whether you're DIYing your marketing, using AI, or outsourcing, inconsistent branding could be the reason why your marketing isn’t working as well as it should.
In this episode, I’ll break down:
✅ Why brand consistency builds trust and increases sales (by 10-20%!)
✅ The key elements of brand guidelines that make marketing easier
✅ How to stop wasting time on content that doesn’t feel right
✅ How to create brand guidelines that help you show up confidently
Follow Dear Kate Brand Strategy on Instagram
Learn more at Howyoupicturedit.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kate (2) (00:00):
does this sound familiar?
(00:01):
you sit down to create somemarketing content for your
business and your mind just goesblank.
You stare at the screenthinking, what should I post
today?
What should I write about?
What should I say?
Three hours later, you're stillsitting there scrolling through
competitor's content, lookingfor inspiration.
Throwing spaghetti at the walljust to see what sticks.
Or maybe you decided to let AItake the reins.
You've asked for a caption hereor an email there, But the ideas
(00:22):
always feel out of touch, andthe content you come out with is
filled with rocket ship emojisand buzzwords like synergy and
uplevel.
Basically, it sounds like anyonecould have written it, or nobody
at all.
It's kind of like letting astranger take over your
marketing, just to get somethingout there.
Here's the truth.
Whether you're doing yourmarketing yourself, using AI, or
even outsourcing, it's nevergoing to feel right if you
(00:43):
haven't done this one stepfirst.
What you really need is toclearly define your brand and
your messaging.
Sure maybe you have a logo,you've got colors you like and
fonts that you like to use, butit still feels like you're
winging it every time you go topost.
And you're not alone in this.
the statistics are eye opening.
only 30 percent of companiesconsistently use brand
guidelines.
And 15 percent of companiesdon't have brand guidelines at
(01:03):
all.
And yet businesses withconsistent brand guidelines see
an increase in revenue from 10to 20%.
now I know those numbers mightfeel a little overwhelming,
like, great, Kate, one morething I need to figure out,
right?
But here's the thing.
Being consistent becomes so mucheasier when you've taken the
time to get clear on your brandand your messaging first.
When you know what makes youstand out, Showing up
consistently just feels natural.
(01:24):
Because here's what reallymatters.
81 percent of consumers need totrust a brand before they'll buy
from it.
And do you know what buildstrust?
Consistency.
And here's something else youneed to know.
Maybe you've heard it before,but Research shows that people
need to see your brand six toeight times before they really
notice you.
Think about that.
If you're using different brandmessaging, different colors,
different fonts, every time youshow up, it's like starting from
(01:47):
zero every single time.
Like you're introducing yourselfas a completely different person
every time you meet someone.
Nobody's going to remember youbecause you're never the same
person twice.
Consistency is about becomingmemorable and building trust.
And trust is what turnsfollowers into customers.
So what happens when you finallyget clear on your brand and
start showing up consistently?
Everything changes.
(02:07):
The right people start takingnotice.
The ones who get excited aboutwhat you do and value your
unique approach.
And that means you get to domore of the work that you
actually love doing.
when you have clear brandguidelines, you stop wasting
time figuring out what to post.
Your content creation becomeseffortless, your audience starts
to recognize your voice, andmost importantly, people start
trusting you enough to buy.
That's the power of consistent,authentic branding.
(02:29):
Now that you understand why thatconsistency is so important.
Let's talk about BrandGuidelines.
Brand Guidelines are typicallyjust a document that includes
all of the pertinent informationabout your brand.
so that you can stay consistent.
Brand guidelines should includethe following things.
First up is your USP, or uniqueselling proposition.
This is basically just a concisestatement about what
differentiates your brand.
(02:50):
Here, you'll talk about yourstrengths, your values, how
you're different from yourcompetitors.
benefits you provide and forwho, as well as like the desired
outcome for what you offer.
Next up is your target audience.
This is just a description ofwho you wanna work with and
serve, and the next sectionyou'll put in your messaging
guidelines.
These are going to be thingslike your brand personality,
your brand voice, words andphrases you use all the time,
(03:11):
things you'd never say, corethemes, which are those
recurring topics that resonatewith your audience.
Next up are brand stories.
Brand stories are ways that wecan communicate what we do, who
we do it for, and thetransformation we provide in a
storytelling manner.
I Recommend the book StoriesThat Stick by Kendra Hall.
she outlines four differentbrand stories for you.
The value story, the founderstory, the customer story, and
the purpose story.
(03:31):
Again, those are from StoriesThat Stick by Kendra Hall.
Next up in our brand guidelines,we're going to tackle our visual
identity.
So once we've got our messaging,our stories and our target
audience in place, we can gointo the visual identity piece.
Our visual identity should backup that messaging piece, and
help tie our messaging to ourideal clients.
Visual identity is going toinclude things like your colors,
(03:53):
your fonts, your logos, as wellas the aesthetic and types of
imagery, to use with your brand.
next up in brand guidelines, Irecommend putting in past client
testimonials.
These not only show whattransformations you provide, but
it shows how clients are talkingabout them, which is really
crucial to making sure thatyou're using words throughout
your copywriting, that are goingto connect with those ideal
clients.
and then finally we'll put inour FAQs and any common
(04:16):
objections.
It again, just kind of helpssteer the conversation around
our brand.
Having all of those brandelements clearly defined will
make all of your marketingefforts so much easier and more
aligned with your brand and thebusiness you want to build.
Whether you're creating contentyourself, using AI, or
outsourcing, these brandguidelines become like a main
source of truth about your brandand your business.
They help ensure that everypiece of content and marketing
(04:37):
collateral stays on brand andconsistent no matter who creates
it.
You can always check yourmarketing efforts too, against
your guidelines to make sureyou're staying on that right
path.
And remember, your brainguidelines aren't set in stone.
As your business grows andchanges, It's completely ok to
go in and adjust them to makesure that they better reflect
your direction and your vision.
now that you know what goes intocreating brand guidelines, let's
get started creating yours.
(04:57):
I get that that list might feeloverwhelming, especially when it
comes to your messaging and whatmakes you unique, but here's the
good news you're not startingfrom scratch.
You already have all of theingredients.
We just need to figure out theright blend to connect you to
your audience.
So how do we do that?
if you're ready to dive in andfigure out what makes you unique
and how to stand out from thecrowd.
I'd love to invite you into theMarketing Trail Mix Method.
(05:18):
It's a free audio mini coursewhere I teach you how to find
that right combination ofingredients to make the perfect
Marketing Trail Mix for you.
It's made up of your zone ofgenius, your past experience and
skills, your why and yourvalues, and your four key brand
stories that we discussedearlier.
With the Marketing TrailmixMethod Mini Course, you get a
private podcast feed with fiveactionable audio lessons to help
you get clarity., You also getthis workbook, your field notes
(05:40):
worksheets, which pairs with theaudio content and is easily
fillable right in Google Docs.
Finally, you'll also get 5 daysof emails helping you stay on
track and motivated To get yourmarketing trail mix and your
brand guidelines in place.
Creating brand guidelines isn'tjust another task.
It's the foundation of effectivemarketing.
when you take the time to defineyour brand, everything else,
content, messaging, andvisibility becomes so much
(06:01):
easier.
You'll attract the right people,build trust, And most
importantly, feel confident inhow you show up.
This is the first step that Iwalk my students through in
brand base camp when they'rebuilding their new website.
Before we touch a single designelement, we make sure that their
brand messaging is rock solid.
Your visuals, your colors, andyour typography should all work
hand in hand with that messagingto reinforce your brand
identity.
(06:22):
When you have a clear andcohesive brand, your online
presence feels unified andimpactful.
Now these brand guidelinesaren't just for when you're
redoing your website.
they serve as your go toreference for everything from
social media posts, to emails,to collaborations, to even how
you interact with people inperson and talk about your
business live.
whether you're doing yourmarketing yourself using AI or
hiring help you can always checkback to your brand guidelines to
(06:44):
make sure that you stay true toyour brand.
I'd love to see you inside themarketing trail mix method.
You can get access at dear Katebrand strategy.
com slash trail mix, or find thelink below.
Let me know if you have anyquestions and I'll see you
there.
does this sound familiar?
(00:01):
you sit down to create somemarketing content for your
business and your mind just goesblank.
You stare at the screenthinking, what should I post
today?
What should I write about?
What should I say?
Three hours later, you're stillsitting there scrolling through
competitor's content, lookingfor inspiration.
Throwing spaghetti at the walljust to see what sticks.
Or maybe you decided to let AItake the reins.
You've asked for a caption hereor an email there, But the ideas
(00:22):
always feel out of touch, andthe content you come out with is
filled with rocket ship emojisand buzzwords like synergy and
uplevel.
Basically, it sounds like anyonecould have written it, or nobody
at all.
It's kind of like letting astranger take over your
marketing, just to get somethingout there.
Here's the truth.
Whether you're doing yourmarketing yourself, using AI, or
even outsourcing, it's nevergoing to feel right if you
(00:43):
haven't done this one stepfirst.
What you really need is toclearly define your brand and
your messaging.
Sure maybe you have a logo,you've got colors you like and
fonts that you like to use, butit still feels like you're
winging it every time you go topost.
And you're not alone in this.
the statistics are eye opening.
only 30 percent of companiesconsistently use brand
guidelines.
And 15 percent of companiesdon't have brand guidelines at
(01:03):
all.
And yet businesses withconsistent brand guidelines see
an increase in revenue from 10to 20%.
now I know those numbers mightfeel a little overwhelming,
like, great, Kate, one morething I need to figure out,
right?
But here's the thing.
Being consistent becomes so mucheasier when you've taken the
time to get clear on your brandand your messaging first.
When you know what makes youstand out, Showing up
consistently just feels natural.
(01:24):
Because here's what reallymatters.
81 percent of consumers need totrust a brand before they'll buy
from it.
And do you know what buildstrust?
Consistency.
And here's something else youneed to know.
Maybe you've heard it before,but Research shows that people
need to see your brand six toeight times before they really
notice you.
Think about that.
If you're using different brandmessaging, different colors,
different fonts, every time youshow up, it's like starting from
(01:47):
zero every single time.
Like you're introducing yourselfas a completely different person
every time you meet someone.
Nobody's going to remember youbecause you're never the same
person twice.
Consistency is about becomingmemorable and building trust.
And trust is what turnsfollowers into customers.
So what happens when you finallyget clear on your brand and
start showing up consistently?
Everything changes.
(02:07):
The right people start takingnotice.
The ones who get excited aboutwhat you do and value your
unique approach.
And that means you get to domore of the work that you
actually love doing.
when you have clear brandguidelines, you stop wasting
time figuring out what to post.
Your content creation becomeseffortless, your audience starts
to recognize your voice, andmost importantly, people start
trusting you enough to buy.
That's the power of consistent,authentic branding.
(02:29):
Now that you understand why thatconsistency is so important.
Let's talk about BrandGuidelines.
Brand Guidelines are typicallyjust a document that includes
all of the pertinent informationabout your brand.
so that you can stay consistent.
Brand guidelines should includethe following things.
First up is your USP, or uniqueselling proposition.
This is basically just a concisestatement about what
differentiates your brand.
(02:50):
Here, you'll talk about yourstrengths, your values, how
you're different from yourcompetitors.
benefits you provide and forwho, as well as like the desired
outcome for what you offer.
Next up is your target audience.
This is just a description ofwho you wanna work with and
serve, and the next sectionyou'll put in your messaging
guidelines.
These are going to be thingslike your brand personality,
your brand voice, words andphrases you use all the time,
(03:11):
things you'd never say, corethemes, which are those
recurring topics that resonatewith your audience.
Next up are brand stories.
Brand stories are ways that wecan communicate what we do, who
we do it for, and thetransformation we provide in a
storytelling manner.
I Recommend the book StoriesThat Stick by Kendra Hall.
she outlines four differentbrand stories for you.
The value story, the founderstory, the customer story, and
the purpose story.
(03:31):
Again, those are from StoriesThat Stick by Kendra Hall.
Next up in our brand guidelines,we're going to tackle our visual
identity.
So once we've got our messaging,our stories and our target
audience in place, we can gointo the visual identity piece.
Our visual identity should backup that messaging piece, and
help tie our messaging to ourideal clients.
Visual identity is going toinclude things like your colors,
(03:53):
your fonts, your logos, as wellas the aesthetic and types of
imagery, to use with your brand.
next up in brand guidelines, Irecommend putting in past client
testimonials.
These not only show whattransformations you provide, but
it shows how clients are talkingabout them, which is really
crucial to making sure thatyou're using words throughout
your copywriting, that are goingto connect with those ideal
clients.
and then finally we'll put inour FAQs and any common
(04:16):
objections.
It again, just kind of helpssteer the conversation around
our brand.
Having all of those brandelements clearly defined will
make all of your marketingefforts so much easier and more
aligned with your brand and thebusiness you want to build.
Whether you're creating contentyourself, using AI, or
outsourcing, these brandguidelines become like a main
source of truth about your brandand your business.
They help ensure that everypiece of content and marketing
(04:37):
collateral stays on brand andconsistent no matter who creates
it.
You can always check yourmarketing efforts too, against
your guidelines to make sureyou're staying on that right
path.
And remember, your brainguidelines aren't set in stone.
As your business grows andchanges, It's completely ok to
go in and adjust them to makesure that they better reflect
your direction and your vision.
now that you know what goes intocreating brand guidelines, let's
get started creating yours.
(04:57):
I get that that list might feeloverwhelming, especially when it
comes to your messaging and whatmakes you unique, but here's the
good news you're not startingfrom scratch.
You already have all of theingredients.
We just need to figure out theright blend to connect you to
your audience.
So how do we do that?
if you're ready to dive in andfigure out what makes you unique
and how to stand out from thecrowd.
I'd love to invite you into theMarketing Trail Mix Method.
(05:18):
It's a free audio mini coursewhere I teach you how to find
that right combination ofingredients to make the perfect
Marketing Trail Mix for you.
It's made up of your zone ofgenius, your past experience and
skills, your why and yourvalues, and your four key brand
stories that we discussedearlier.
With the Marketing TrailmixMethod Mini Course, you get a
private podcast feed with fiveactionable audio lessons to help
you get clarity., You also getthis workbook, your field notes
(05:40):
worksheets, which pairs with theaudio content and is easily
fillable right in Google Docs.
Finally, you'll also get 5 daysof emails helping you stay on
track and motivated To get yourmarketing trail mix and your
brand guidelines in place.
Creating brand guidelines isn'tjust another task.
It's the foundation of effectivemarketing.
when you take the time to defineyour brand, everything else,
content, messaging, andvisibility becomes so much
(06:01):
easier.
You'll attract the right people,build trust, And most
importantly, feel confident inhow you show up.
This is the first step that Iwalk my students through in
brand base camp when they'rebuilding their new website.
Before we touch a single designelement, we make sure that their
brand messaging is rock solid.
Your visuals, your colors, andyour typography should all work
hand in hand with that messagingto reinforce your brand
identity.
(06:22):
When you have a clear andcohesive brand, your online
presence feels unified andimpactful.
Now these brand guidelinesaren't just for when you're
redoing your website.
they serve as your go toreference for everything from
social media posts, to emails,to collaborations, to even how
you interact with people inperson and talk about your
business live.
whether you're doing yourmarketing yourself using AI or
hiring help you can always checkback to your brand guidelines to
(06:44):
make sure that you stay true toyour brand.
I'd love to see you inside themarketing trail mix method.
You can get access at dear Katebrand strategy.
com slash trail mix, or find thelink below.
Let me know if you have anyquestions and I'll see you
there.
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