Your brand guide is more than just your logo.
By creating "rules" for your brand, you can increase the chances of a customer returning to make a purchase.
Many business owners create a logo and stop there. They rely on Canva templates and other premade graphics to promote their business and post online, but they struggle to make a sale.
Now before you think this solution is the only thing holding you back from sales, keep in mind that there are tons of different elements that you must factor in when trying to market yourself. Branding is just one of them, albeit one of the most important ones.
What does a brand guide have to do with retention and professionalism?
What do you think of when I mention the brand "Nike"? Is it the checkmark logo? What about the orange shoeboxes lining the walls of the shoe store? You could be all the way across the store and could recognize the orange-box aisle as the Nike section, even if you aren't close enough to read any words.
Why is that?
The orange shoeboxes are an essential part of Nike's branding. The human mind is always making connections in the subconscious. Certain sounds, shapes, and colors are being recorded in your mind, and they're being grouped and categorized. Red is a color associated with caution and danger. Green is the color of life and goodness. Corners are sharp to the touch, fruits are juicy, and doctors' offices usually have that awful fluorescent light that makes you feel even sicker once you arrive. And orange shoeboxes? Those have Nike shoes in them.
People are naturally more comfortable with the familiar. We're creatures of habit. We frequent the same beaches each year, we listen to the same ten songs on repeat, and we buy from brands we know. Or, at least, the ones we remember.
Consider a political election. The person already in office has the "incumbency advantage" because more people are familiar with them than the person running against them. So usually, a large portion of voters will select the incumbent candidate simply because they do not know enough about the opponent to choose them instead. In the same way, people choose the brands they are familiar with.
What does that have to do with brand guides?
If your brand has a guide--that being a logo, consistent fonts, a color palette, specific shapes and icons, etc.--then you are more likely to be remembered. Potential customers will see your ads, organic posts, products, and marketing and will remember seeing it before. They will see that orange shoebox and say, "Hey, that's a Nike shoe." If you keep using different fonts and colors each time you put yourself out there, no one will realize it's always been you.
Also, as a bonus, consistent brand guides look more professional. It looks like you know what you're doing and have invested time and care into your brand instead of putting out content just for the sake of content.
And, as a big bonus, it's easier. When you have a list of rules to follow, you don't have to keep thinking about what to do. The guidelines are already there. Just type in your information, swap out a photo, and bam, your post is done. And it sure does look good, doesn't it?
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