If you're looking to become an influencer, there's a really good chance you already are one. If you want to know what will help set you apart and make you a great influencer, then read on because you are going to want to know what a brand guideline is.
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To become an influencer takes a lot of work, communication, and community engagement. And it doesn't hurt to know how to read a brand guideline.
The best influencers all have one thing in common: they are all very aware of how to promote the products they love from the brands they trust.
And by “how” we don't mean they know how to create and post a link, but rather they have a grasp of how that company or product is branded. They pay attention to that branding guide and make sure to follow the rules established for helping that company or product affirm its branding.
Here at Sassy Suite, we talk all the time about how important personal branding is to direct sellers. In fact, it's one of the very first things you should do after joining a direct sales company.
By building a personal brand, you help solidify the message you want your ideal client to receive while building a platform that helps you stand apart from others in your company or niche.
Building a brand guideline is a good way to make sure that everyone involved is spreading the same message, in the same voice, with equal impact.
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Think of it as though you are traveling out of town and you see the sign for your favorite chain restaurant. With very few exceptions, you expect the overall menu, quality, and experience to be the same as if you were back in your hometown eating there. Even choosing to stop at a privately-owned franchise of that chain restaurant comes with certain expectations they must uphold. Building a brand guideline helps make sure your customers receive the same experience whether they talk to you, view an ad, talk to your assistant, or find your card in a grab bag at an event.
However they are introduced to you and your brand, they should have the same overall experience and receive your same message.
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A brand guideline is a list that details exactly how the brand should be visualized at all times: colors, fonts, logos, what backgrounds can be used in combination with which logo variation. It can be posted on a website, printed on a sheet of paper, or even saved as a graphic of some sort. As long as it contains everything someone needs to know about how to represent your brand and can be shared easily with those who ask.
As you grow your following across social media and become an influencer, you'll start to understand just how important a brand guideline is. And when you want to be a really great influencer — the kind of influencer who has companies knocking down your door asking you to help review or endorse their product or service — you'll want to take the time to review the company's brand guideline and ensure that you're promoting them the way they want to be promoted.
Following the company's brand guideline will also help build the type of trust you need with your following that will have them following your lead, thus growing your overall reach.
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