As I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, I spent many years in the advertising agency world as an art director. That’s probably why I have such a fascination with branding and marketing. Whether it’s a social media ad from a tech giant or a 30-second dog food commercial, I’m always analyzing the message, strategic approach, copy, visuals, and how well they work together. Which, admittedly, drives my wife a bit crazy and has for years. And come Super Bowl time? Forget the game! I’m interested only in the ads.
So, where am I going with this? Well, I can’t help but notice how much marketing content out there – and bank marketing is no exception – seems to ignore brand standards. A solid brand guidelines document is essential – it lays out the rules for how a brand should be represented across all marketing channels. When followed properly, these guidelines ensure that messaging stays cohesive, reinforcing your brand’s identity and values. In short, brand guidelines serve as a roadmap for creating a unified, recognizable brand presence for your community bank.
Why brand guidelines matter
- Consistency across all touchpoints: Brand guidelines help ensure that every piece of marketing content—whether it’s on social media, in print, on your website, or in an ad—has a consistent look and feel. You only have a few seconds to make an impression, so the sooner your audience recognizes that the message is from you, the better.
- Stronger brand recognition: A clear, well-defined brand identity helps your bank stand out in a competitive landscape. By sticking to your brand guidelines, you can create marketing content that stays consistent across all your platforms and interactions.
- Enhanced credibility and trust: When branding is inconsistent, it creates confusion and can make your community bank look unprofessional. A uniform voice, color scheme, typography, and tone convey reliability, which strengthens credibility and builds trust.
- Efficient content creation: With well-documented brand guidelines, your bank marketing team has a clear set of rules to follow. This makes it easier for your creative and marketing teams to create strategic, compelling content quickly while minimizing the need for revisions.
- Alignment across stakeholders: Marketing teams, internal departments, agencies, and freelancers all need to be on the same page. Brand guidelines ensure that no matter who’s creating content, everything aligns with your bank’s identity.
What goes into your brand guidelines?
- Brand mission and values: A brief statement outlining your brand’s purpose and guiding principles.
- Logo usage guidelines: Instructions on how to use your logo, including variations, placement, and restrictions. Pro tip: Showing examples of one of your banking ads with correct and incorrect logo placements is a great way to keep all content creators on the same page and your bank ads on brand.
- Color palette: Defined primary and secondary colors with hex, RGB, and CMYK codes for consistency across digital and print media.
- Typography: Approved fonts for headings, subheadings, and body text, along with size and spacing guidelines.
- Brand voice and tone: A guide to your brand’s personality, tone, and preferred language.
- Imagery and visual style: Rules for photography, illustration styles, icons, and graphics.
- Messaging framework: Key messages, taglines, and storytelling principles.
- Application examples: Real-world examples of how branding should be applied across different platforms.
- Brand do’s and don’ts: Best practices and common mistakes to avoid.
How we can help
Bank Marketing Center’s “drag and drop” content creation tool makes it easy for your marketing team to comply with both regulatory requirements and brand standards. And, absolutely no design skill is needed. Our platform offers:
- Pre-approved marketing materials such as bank ads, brochures, or direct mailers that align with financial industry regulations.
- Automated approval workflows for streamlined compliance reviews.
- Brand consistency enforcement, with customizable templates that ensure only approved logos, fonts, and colors are used.
- Real-time template updates, so your marketing materials always reflect the latest regulations and branding guidelines.
- Centralized content storage, allowing your team easy access to approved materials. By using this tool, your community bank can maintain brand integrity, reduce compliance risks, and streamline content creation.
Get started on your brand guidelines document
If you don’t have a brand guidelines document yet, now is the time to create one. Sticking to these guidelines ensures consistency, builds trust, and strengthens brand recognition in the marketplace. By defining your brand’s identity and messaging, you’ll engage with your audience more consistently and effectively … and drive long-term success.
Bank Marketing Center
We’re Bank Marketing Center, the leading, subscription-based provider of automated marketing services to community banks. Our goal is to help bank marketers with topical, compelling communication with customers that builds trust, relationships, and revenue. And we do this through automating critical bank marketing functions, such as content creation, social media management and digital asset management, as well as regulatory and brand compliance.
We also want to share what we know – and learn along the way – with all our community banking friends. Whether it’s the latest on AI technology, suggestions on how to attract and retain top talent, or the importance of data protection, we’re here to make bank marketing the best that it can be.
Want to learn more about what we can do for your community bank and your marketing efforts? You can start by visiting bankmarketingcenter.com. Then, feel free to contact me directly by phone at 678-528-6688 or via email at nreynolds@bankmarketingcenter.com. As always, I welcome your thoughts.