Many companies create brand books for inner branding .
You can expect to improve your brand value by instilling your brand’s philosophy, way of thinking, and action policy among your employees.
Knowing what a brand book consists of and what to prepare will help you create one.
In this article, I will explain how to create a brand book, so please refer to it.
We will also introduce the necessary preparations before creating and the points at the time of creation.
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ToggleBrand book definition
A brand book is a booklet that is mainly used to share brand principles and concepts within the company .
By clarifying the philosophy, concept, and way of thinking of the brand, we share them with all employees.
The goal is to increase brand value by having employees who read the brand book apply it to their work.
A brand book is not a pamphlet that introduces a brand.
It is a tool for communicating brand policies to employees and for putting them into practice.
Read Also: What Is A Brand Book? Purpose And Effect
Purpose and Role of Brand Book
The brand book describes the philosophy, policy, and way of thinking of the brand.
Employees see it and know the way of thinking, and incorporate it into their work as practice .
The brand book plays a role in realizing the inner branding strategy.
The purpose is not just a pamphlet, but to encourage each employee to practice the brand’s code of conduct.
If you have a brand book, you can check the brand policy at any time, so it can be said that the burden on employees is light.
In order to achieve the purpose, aim for a brand book that correctly conveys the brand concept and other intentions to employees.
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Unlike pamphlets, brand books play a role in realizing inner branding strategies.
Components of a brand book
Here are some of the elements that make up a brand book :
- vision mission
- value
- brand statement
- brand concept
- Meaning of logo design and mark
- brand guidelines
Keep in mind the purpose of instilling the company’s philosophy and action policy in employees, and include the necessary components.
It is desirable that the contents be understood by all employees.
We will introduce each element for your reference.
vision mission
A vision is what a brand should be and what it looks like in the future .
If the brand’s goals are shared, it will also lead to communication between employees.
Mission is used in the sense of a designation to be fulfilled.
It shows how to act in order to realize aspirations, dreams, and goals.
If the vision and mission are understood, employees will be able to clarify how they will act and will be more motivated to work.
value
Value in the sense of value represents the value you provide to your users .
By sharing the value provided by the brand, it will lead to the improvement of the quality of daily work.
Inner branding activities were traditionally aimed at enlightenment for employees.
It evolved into something that shows how it works for brand value.
Knowing the value your brand provides will help you think about how you should act.
brand statement
A brand statement is a summary of the brand’s philosophy and mission .
Some people may feel that this is close to our corporate philosophy.
The corporate philosophy expresses “what a company should be”.
On the other hand, the brand statement has the meaning of “representing and promising what to offer to users”.
In other words, it will have the same meaning for companies that think of the company itself as a brand.
Understanding what your brand stands for can help you think about how each employee should behave on a day-to-day basis.
brand concept
A brand concept is a way of thinking about a brand.
There may be some people who feel that the expression of the world view of the brand fits well.
When employees understand the brand concept, a sense of unity is created in the brand.
Meaning of logo design and mark
Many companies post logo designs and marks as visual elements in their brand books .
Brand logo designs and marks can be noticed at a glance as the brand.
It is very important to visually convey the image of the company.
But a brand book is more than just a brochure.
It would be difficult to practice the course of action, which is the original purpose, if you just describe the logo design or mark without any particular intention.
When posting a logo design or mark, clearly present the intention .
One way to achieve a sense of unity in products is to describe the regulations.
brand guidelines
When you hear brand guidelines, some people may think of logo usage rules.
Certainly, if you decide in detail the rules for using the logo, your work will be smoother.
But that’s not the only brand guideline in the brand book.
It is important for brand guidelines to show how to respond in every scene.
Brand value is improved by being recognized correctly at that time .
Establishing brand guidelines will create a sense of uniformity in employee behavior.
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When creating a brand book, keep in mind the purpose of instilling the company’s philosophy and course of action among employees and include the necessary components.
Necessary preparations before creating a brand book
Some preparations are required to create a brand book.
Even if you start making something blindly, you will only be able to create something with a vague concept.
Even if you create a brand book, it is meaningless if your employees do not practice the behaviors described in it.
In order to make a brand book that can be used in the field, let’s make the following preparations.
- Analyze your company’s strengths and uniqueness
- Concrete goals and value to be provided by the company
Please refer to the description for each.
Analyze your company’s strengths and uniqueness
Your company’s strengths and uniqueness should be emphasized.
In order to differentiate yourself from other companies, let’s know what your company’s originality is.
The purpose of the brand book is to permeate and implement the company’s philosophy, ideas, and action policies among employees.
If employees have a correct understanding of their company’s strengths and uniqueness, they will be able to take concrete actions immediately.
In particular, it is not possible to gain the empathy of employees if the philosophy that should be described in the brand book is ordinary.
Do a pre-analysis to articulate its strengths and uniqueness.
Concrete goals and value to be provided by the company
Even if your company’s strengths and uniqueness are clarified, it is meaningless if you do not know where to go with that as a weapon.
Before you start building your brand book, clarify your goals and the value you can provide to your users.
If a goal is clearly defined, employees will work together to achieve it.
If the value of the offering is written in the brand book, employees will know immediately what to appeal.
Don’t leave goals and value propositions vague, but consider them until they become clear.
How to make a brand book / creation route
A brand book is generally created in the following order:
- Determination of production members
- Concept clarification
- Constitution
- lighting design
- printing
The selection of production members is important when creating a brand book.
Decide on a director, writer, designer, printing company, etc. in advance.
It is also important to first decide what to tell and to whom .Decide on the structure first, aiming for something that is easy to understand.
If you add articles and images as you like, you will not be able to collect them. If that happens, the brand book will never be completed.
Once the concept and composition are decided, we place specific orders to the writers and designers.
When all the manuscripts are ready, submit them to the printing company.
Key points when creating a brand book
The brand book is a tool for all employees to understand.
So try to make it easy for anyone to understand. There is no need for esoteric expressions or exaggerated sentences.
This chapter introduces the points of creating a brand book.
Assuming that various employees will read it, aim for a brand book that accurately conveys the purpose and concept.
Simple expression/composition
A brand book is not an academic book. It is not a dictionary for experts.
Try to use simple expressions that can be accurately read by a wide range of people .
Sentences that use a lot of difficult expressions and difficult kanji may look like high-class sentences for advanced learners at first glance.
However, difficult sentences are likely to be avoided by themselves.
Writing sentences that can’t be read is only self-satisfaction of the person who wrote the sentences.
Also, it is not recommended to be too particular about the design of the brand book itself and make it a complicated structure.
It is desirable for the brand book to be something that “anyone” can “easily” understand. Aim for something simple and easy to understand.
Motivate rather than impose rules
It may be tempting to lay out a number of rules to enforce the brand’s philosophy .
However, a brand book that just lists the rules is no different from a rule book.
Certainly, rules are necessary for conducting business activities. However, employees’ feelings will not follow even if only rules are imposed.
Rather than restricting employees with many rules, try to use expressions that motivate employees.
Rather than specifying actions themselves, it is desirable to have employees think about how they can achieve their goals.
Do not use “horizontal characters” easily
When setting catch phrases and image titles, you may find yourself wanting to use horizontal text.
By paraphrasing simple Japanese into horizontal characters, you may feel that you are writing stylish sentences.
However, horizontal characters may be perceived differently depending on the recipient .
The purpose of creating a brand book is not to provide employees with something cool.
The purpose of creating a brand book is to share brand principles and policies with all employees.
Don’t overuse horizontal characters, which can be interpreted differently depending on the recipient, and aim for sentences that convey accurate information.
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Key points when creating a brand book
- Make simple and easy-to-understand expressions
- Do not use rules with wild goose characters
- Avoid easy abuse of horizontal characters
Tips for creating catchphrases and messages
Here are some things to consider when creating a catchphrase or message:
- clarify the target
- Make a list of things you want to say
- find out what the problem is
- verbalize how to solve a problem
A target will also be necessary for the slogan written in the brand book .
Try to imagine specifically what kind of person in what kind of situation will read it.
Make a list in advance of what you want to say. It is not recommended to start writing long sentences.
When writing your message, you can also focus on the issues your brand is currently facing.
By putting the method of solving the problem into the sentence, it becomes a message with a clear purpose.
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The trick to creating catchphrases and messages is to clarify the target and list in advance what you want to convey.
Points to Note in Brand Book Strategy
The purpose of carrying out the brand book strategy is not to distribute brand books to employees.
The goal is to have each employee practice actions that increase the value of the brand .
Keep that in mind when creating your brand book.
We will introduce how to not make the creation itself an end and how to combine it with methods other than brand books.
Don’t let the creation itself become an end in itself
Creating a brand book can be a big project.
At that time, it would be meaningless if the creation of the brand book itself became the goal.
Remember why you decided to create a brand book.
Make sure that the goal is not just to create it, but to instill the brand philosophy and policies in all employees .
Combined with methods other than the brand book
No matter how wonderful a brand book is completed, it is meaningless if employees do not read it.
When distributing the brand book, one option is to combine it with methods other than the brand book, such as holding internal seminars.
There are also ways to create a forum for exchanging opinions among employees.
Please devise ways to make each employee aware of the brand book .
If you are having trouble with your branding strategy
By using the brand book, you will be able to carry out your own branding strategy.
If employees have the same goals and work according to the course of action, the value of the brand will increase.
However, there were some caveats when doing our own branding.
If you have any concerns about your branding strategy, please consult Digima Class.
Let’s work together to identify and solve problems and implement effective branding strategies.
summary
A brand book is more than just a brochure.
In conducting inner branding, it is a tool that plays a role in instilling the philosophy of the brand among employees .
Many employees will read the brand book.
So keep it simple and concise . Difficult sentences and slogans with only horizontal letters are meaningless.
If you have any worries or concerns about your company’s branding strategy, please consult Digima Class.
Let’s work together to solve problems and create a brand book that will help you achieve your goals.
