Whether you’re a Marketing Manager or CMO, for a 10-person company or a Fortune 500, if your brand doesn’t have a Standards Guide then you need to develop one – immediately. Today more than ever, you need to be able to point to a set of rules for how you communicate to the world beyond your company’s walls. I say today more than ever because there are so many places a consumer can come into contact with your brand that it’s easy to let something slip through the cracks. You need to keep a close watch on how you present yourself in all channels.

In the past, a brand standards guide could be a single sheet that talked only about logo usage and color scheme, but this is certainly not enough in the digital world we live in and move ever farther into every day. The design and look of your company is relevant to your website and printed materials and frankly the easiest thing to manage. The real trick lies in new technologies and what you are actually saying – the “voice” of your brand. It’s easy to let your interns manage your Twitter feed and Facebook postings, but have you set a clear tone and writing style? Do the product specifications pages and downloadable PDFs on your website match the design and writing style of your homepage? Because there is a very high likelihood that people will not arrive to your website’s homepage first.

There are plenty of places to find what content should be included and how to craft your guide, but here is a simple checklist to get started:

• Introduction to the Brand, which includes either a brief overview of the brand or a company mission/positioning statement. This should also have the contact information for who is the on-staff person responsible for all marketing items.
• Logo Usage Guide – Show all variations of the logo/logo family and how they should be used in each medium.
• Copy Tone and Style – Talk about what differentiates your brand’s language from competitors. Be sure to show an example of acceptable copy and say why it is acceptable. If possible, include an example of unacceptable language as well.
• Corporate Identity Templates – Show examples of business cards, stationery, etc. and name who should be contacted if new items need to be created.
• Advertising, Collateral, and Website Templates – Show examples of all marketing elements and name who should be contacted if new items need to be created.

It is important to have a single document that talks about how the brand should be presented to the world so you can easily pass it along to any employees and outside vendors who help to create your external presence. When everyone is on the same page, it can save you time and money and eliminate the headache of having to recreate something from scratch.