Brand book or brand manual is a guide that standardizes the use of all elements of a brand in different conditions and support media. It is a fundamental document for any type of business, including an e-commerce company like yours.
First, with a brand book you can guide employees on how to use your brand. In addition, it will also serve to guide the use of the brand in the press. Finally, a good manual is also a source of consultation for investors, suppliers, etc.
Check out, in this article, how to create a complete brand manual for e-commerce and other sales channels. Discover the main advantages of having this feature. Access 5 famous brand manuals to get inspired while creating your own!
- Access and also read the post “e-commerce brand”. So, stay on top of 17 key points to build yours!
ADVANTAGES OF CREATING A BRAND MANUAL
When creating a brand book you will be able to:
- Standardize the way in which all elements of your e-commerce brand are used, which will make it possible to properly register it in the the French Patent & Trademark Office (INPI);
- Unify the presentation of symbols, colors and other graphic elements in your virtual stores and omnichannel channels;
- Present visual, textual, behavioral communication, etc., unique to society as a whole and thus obtain greater credibility;
- Facilitate consultation and use of the brand by employees, investors, suppliers, franchisees, the press, etc.;
- Assist and streamline the process of consolidating your e-commerce brand in the market.
As can be seen, the brand manual is a guiding document, which helps people to understand, approach and use your brand according to a pre-conceived model, which avoids errors and communication noise.
HOW TO CREATE A BRAND MANUAL FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE COMPANY
Creating a brand book for e-commerce primarily involves outlining guidelines for using the brand online. However, it's also important to address its use on e-commerce packaging and printed promotional materials, among other things.
Before you begin developing your brand manual, take a look at the content available on the dedicated page on the website of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) , a Brazilian federal government agency. This way, you can create a document backed by Brazilian law. This will make it easier to register your trademark and reap all the benefits in the short, medium, and long term.
In any case, when creating your manual, take into account aspects such as:
Index:
Create an index for your material. Include topics like “Presentation”, “Institutional”, “Market”, “Discourse”, “Design”, “Omnichannel” and “Conclusion”. If you like, you can also include a two-line summary below each of these items to make the manual easier to use.
Presentation:
In a short introduction, explain what the guide is about. Discuss, for example, its importance for different audiences of readers (employees, suppliers, investors, franchisees, the press, etc.), explain what a brand is, talk about business unification, etc.
Institutional:
In this section, tell the story of the company. Introduce the founders, CEOs, and team. Explain your organizational culture (mission, vision, values). Outline the codes of conduct and corporate strategy. Demonstrate, therefore, what people should think of your e-commerce business.
Market:
Comment details of the economic scenario in which your company is inserted. Contextualize, that is, talk about the past, present and future of the segment. Cite your products and services. Address the main competitors, suppliers, partners, investors, target audience, etc.
Speech:
Instruct readers of the brand book on how corporate communication is conducted in your e-commerce company. Clarify what language should be used in emails, letters, newsletters, the e-commerce blog , press releases, advertisements, etc.
Design:
This is the most essential part of the brand book. Illustrate here how your brand's graphic elements are used. Explain how you use your logo, logotype, typography, icons, symbols, mascots, packaging, printed materials, and the name of your online store . Also address your brand's audio.
omnichannel:
Although we are addressing the creation of a brand manual for e-commerce, you can also include other sales channels such as physical stores. So, explain in this topic how to create banners, business cards, include the brand on the storefront and much more.
Conclusion:
Summarize/synthesize the previous topics and reaffirm the importance of using your e-commerce brand correctly. Take the opportunity and inform contacts for the press and those interested in partnerships. Inform links to virtual stores and physical store addresses, etc., and finish.
Also, remember that brands evolve, so your brand book should also be updated when that happens. Don't forget to let everyone know when you establish significant brand changes.
Once it's ready, you can have your manual printed and keep it in the company library. Furthermore, within the context of your company's internal marketing , you can also give a brand book to each new employee. Finally, you can also create an online manual if you wish.
5 EXAMPLES OF ONLINE BRAND MANUAL
To close this issue with a flourish I researched some cool brand manuals as you will see below. I've selected 5 of them for you to take a peek at and get inspired while creating your e-commerce company's brand book. Click to access:
01 – Allianz
02 – McDonald’s
03 – Uber
04 – Twitter
05 – Skype
Very good! You are now ready to start producing your e-commerce brand manual. If necessary, hire a copywriter to write the final text and a graphic designer to produce the art and editing of the document. Voila!
- Click on "what is branding"and "brandformance” to read two complementary posts. Learn how to manage and consolidate your brand in the market.
