A Social Media Style Guide May Be The Next Thing Your Brand Needs

Social media is a fantastic place for establishing your brand’s visibility and fan base. You can also develop an unmistakable voice and identity through social platforms. However, to maintain this consistent identity, you must adhere to a social media style guide. 

A social media style guide is a roadmap for your brand’s social media presence. And it will connect to your brand’s marketing standards. Additionally, your style guide needs to be a dynamic document that changes as time goes on. 

This post is for you if you’ve wanted to create a social media style guide but aren’t sure how to get started. This guide will cover everything from the importance of a style guide to the components you should include.

What Is a Social Media Style Guide?

The go-to resource for how your brand should appear and behave on social platforms is a social media style guide. It influences how you create content for several channels and affects how consumers view your brand.

It’s also critical to understand that a social media marketing strategy differs from a social media guide. Your strategy will mainly include tactical information, such as how frequently you intend to generate material to achieve your objectives.

On the other hand, your style guide outlines how those actions should be portrayed and communicated via your brand voice. 

The importance of having a style guide

A social media style guide helps you communicate with your audience in a consistent manner, which increases the legitimacy of your brand. As your social team learns how to represent your brand and minimise error, it also helps prevent failures and awkward moments.

A style guide also makes onboarding new staff simple. For instance, your style guide makes it simple for new hires to understand how to represent your business when they join your social media team. Additionally, it gives them the ability to contribute to the team immediately. 

The Elements of a Social Media Style Guide

The next step is creating a style guide now that you know what it is and why you need one. Every company has a style guide specific to its brand and can include many elements.

But some style guide components are essentially universal. So be sure to include all of the following in yours:

The style guide tl;dr 

The tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) section of your style guide is the first section. If someone doesn’t want to read the complete style guide, this section should help summarise it; thus, it’s crucial.

Use these tips when writing the tl;dr:

Voice and tone

While tone describes the various ways you can use your brand’s voice, voice is the overall sound that best represents your brand’s personality. Simply put, you always have the same voice, but your tone occasionally varies.

Also, consistency across all social platforms is crucial, just like every other aspect of your business. For instance, if you are amusing and lighthearted on Facebook, but all your Twitter tweets are sombre and formal, it sends the wrong message to your audience.

However, there is space for language customisation across social sites. Think of it this way if you’re trying to figure out how to describe your brand’s voice. 

What voice would your brand have if it were an actual human being? Furthermore, how would they like to be viewed? It could be friendly, wise, self-assured, or supportive. Put your chosen brand voice in your social media style guide once you decide. 

Grammar and terminology

Guidelines for grammar aren’t simply for your websites. You should also adhere to specific grammar rules when posting on social media. 

A grammar guideline encompasses all internal language, abbreviations, and other elements that contribute to the coherence of your text. Depending on your brand’s requirements, you can be as specific as you wish. Also, many guidelines from your website’s or blog’s grammar manual may apply to your social media style guide. 

Formatting

Some brands use specific formats for sharing links and status updates. Tweets, for instance, might have the following structure: title, links, and hashtags. Or you can post your hashtags in the comment section of an Instagram photo rather than the caption. Thanks to these details, your team will find it easy to share content.

Hashtags

The manner that different brands employ hashtags varies. While some businesses squeeze as many hashtags as Twitter will let them into a tweet, others use Instagram’s hashtag-free-for-all feature to reach a wider audience. 

You can keep things organised by laying out any brand-specific hashtags and how your team should use them in your social media posts. Additionally, while establishing branded hashtags, consider their purpose and the platforms on which you’ll be using them. Use your core brand hashtags frequently to become more well-known to your audience. 

Visual guidelines 

Given the visual nature of most social networks, your social media style guide should establish limitations and guidelines for any graphics you share.

The following are the two basic categories of visuals to include in your style guide:

You can also include the following in your visual guidelines:

Your brand’s design team may have already specified most of these in your overall brand style, but particular campaigns will necessitate customisation. 

Breaking news

Your brand must be aware of how it is seen on social media in today’s connected world, especially regarding breaking news topics. The presence of a strategy in your style guide can prevent your company from appearing insensitive. 

If you’re writing about breaking news:

Emoji usage

Emojis are the best way to add humour and personality to social media posts. You can pick an emoji that fits your brand’s tone, no matter what it is.

Here’s how to use emojis in your social media posts:

Summary 

You can get inspiration for your own social media style guide by using the pointers and examples in this guide. Additionally, remember that your guide should be a dynamic resource that is constantly expanding and changing. As a result, use the sections mentioned in this guide as your starting point and adjust them to suit your needs.