Create a Simple Marketing Style Guide

This article discusses the creation of a concise, effective style guide for your brand. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining consistency in your content and offers practical advice on writing styles for content marketing.

• The article advocates for a shorter, more manageable style guide, as opposed to an exhaustive 50-page document.
• It suggests that a good style guide should address only the essential style questions specific to your brand, rather than covering extensive grammar rules that can be easily found online.
• The article emphasizes that the goal of a style guide is to ensure consistent branding and a professional tone, not to impose a rigid set of grammar rules.

Why a Shorter Style Guide is Better?

This section argues that a lengthy style guide is likely to be ignored and ineffective. It suggests that a simpler, more focused style guide is more likely to be used and contribute to consistent content.

• A shorter style guide is easier to refer to and more likely to be used by writers.
• It focuses on the specific style and branding decisions that are crucial for your brand.
• It avoids unnecessary complexity, making it more accessible and usable for your team.

Creating a Minimalist Style Guide

This section details the process of creating a concise style guide that addresses the essential style decisions specific to your brand. It recommends eliminating grammar rules and focusing on key stylistic choices.

• Assume that writers already have a basic understanding of grammar. Focus on style decisions, such as branding elements, tone of voice, and formatting preferences.
• Provide clear guidelines for specific style choices, such as the preferred spelling of company names, punctuation rules, and formatting conventions.
• Offer readily accessible resources for additional grammar information, such as online grammar guides and style manuals.

Content Style: Voice and Tone

This section outlines the importance of establishing a consistent voice and tone in your content. It suggests specific elements to consider when defining your brand's voice and tone.

• Use an active voice whenever possible to create a more engaging and direct writing style.
• Employ contractions to achieve a more conversational and natural tone.
• Avoid jargon and technical terms that your target audience may not understand.
• Aim for a clear and concise writing style that is easily accessible to your audience.
• Use a consistent level of formality in your writing, aligning with your brand's overall tone and style.

Content Style: Headings and Subheadings

This section details the style guidelines for headings and subheadings. It explains the importance of maintaining consistency in capitalization and formatting.

• Use title case for main headings (H1) unless they are punctuated sentences.
• Employ sentence case for subheadings (H2, H3, etc.) to create a consistent hierarchy of headings.
• Maintain a consistent visual style for headings throughout your content, ensuring readability and hierarchy.

Content Style: Punctuation, Abbreviations, Acronyms

This section outlines the style guidelines for punctuation, abbreviations, and acronyms. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining consistency in these elements.

• Avoid using abbreviations whenever possible, especially for industry-specific terms.
• Write out acronyms in full the first time they are used and then abbreviate them in parentheses.
• Employ the serial (Oxford) comma for clarity and consistency.
• Use en dashes and em dashes without spaces, ensuring proper usage for clarity and readability.

Content Style: Bullet Point Lists

This section details the style guidelines for creating effective bullet point lists. It explains the importance of maintaining consistency in formatting and sentence structure.

• Use parallel construction for bullet points, ensuring consistency in formatting and sentence structure.
• Add periods after each bullet point if they are full sentences.
• Add periods to the last bullet point only if they are phrases or fragments.
• Maintain a consistent formatting style for bullet points, such as using dashes, bullets, or numbered lists.

Content Style: Images and Formatting

This section outlines the style guidelines for using images and formatting elements in your content. It explains the importance of visual appeal and readability.

• Avoid large blocks of text and break up long paragraphs for enhanced readability.
• Use a variety of visual elements, such as images, gifs, videos, and pull quotes, to engage the reader and break up the text.
• Include relevant captions for all images, providing context and enhancing the visual appeal of your content.

Content Style: Sources and Referencing

This section outlines the style guidelines for sourcing information and referencing sources in your content. It explains the importance of credibility and transparency.

• Prioritize original research and internal data to provide unique insights and value to your readers.
• Use online sources sparingly and always link directly to original content.
• Avoid referencing outdated research or data, ensuring your information remains relevant and timely.
• Maintain a consistent style for referencing sources, whether using footnotes, endnotes, or inline citations.

Content Style: People

This section outlines the style guidelines for referring to people in your content, ensuring inclusivity and sensitivity.

• Avoid referencing age or disability unless it is absolutely relevant to the topic.
• Use a person's preferred pronoun or name, respecting their gender identity.
• Avoid using gendered language and consider using the singular "they" or "them" when referring to individuals of unknown or unspecified gender.

The Value of a Simple Style Guide

This section summarizes the benefits of a simple, concise style guide for your content marketing efforts.

• A style guide provides a shared set of standards for all content creators, ensuring consistency in your brand's voice, tone, and style.
• It simplifies the content creation process, allowing writers to focus on delivering high-quality content without having to constantly refer to a complex set of rules.
• It contributes to a stronger brand identity, reinforcing your brand's unique voice and tone across all content platforms.