What do the world’s most recognisable finance brands have in common? Consistency. How do they achieve consistency? They follow a set of style guidelines that lays out how their brand is visually and verbally communicated. Continuity of brand image is particularly important in finance as it’s a regulated industry that relies heavily on trust and credibility. In the past, the best method of delivering brand guidelines to content creators was via hard copy or PDFs. Now, online brand guidelines are the new standard, and for good reasons – here are the top five…

1. They’re always available and up to date

The ease of sharing a live link to a portal containing approved brand assets means they are more likely to be shared, and ultimately, used. In an industry where reputation management is everything, this means there is far less risk of any unprofessional deviations. Keeping brand guidelines on an office shelf or deep within in a share drive is far more likely to result in brand compliance breaches.

2. They provide deeper messaging

Online brand guidelines can contain rich media such as video and audio files. This is a particularly important feature for the finance industry, as it can be used to simplify complex concepts in an engaging way. Audio and video clips are also a brilliant way of igniting a more profound connection to your brand values and company mission.

3. Brand requests are streamlined

Finance organizations are typically behemoths. This translates to a ton of requests for logos and brand approval on content created by agencies or partners. Battling these requests via your regular inbox is a task in itself. Online brand guidelines allow you to keep your email inbox clean by streamlining all requests within the portal. They also have the facility to set up auto-responses for the more routine requests, giving your team back more time in their day. You can also track the status of every single request and monitor your team’s responsiveness.

4. You share only what’s approved

Marketing compliance teams work hard to ensure materials are cleared legally. Finance is a particularly heavily regulated industry with more hoops to jump through than most. Permission based online brand guidelines enhance compliance efforts giving you the ability to control access to each piece of content. In addition to tight regulations, the finance market is also vulnerable to fraud. This is why controlling access to high quality online assets is critical to brand protection.

5. Track brand compliance and usage

In finance, audits and accountability are a part of the culture. Online brand guidelines provide marketing teams with the ability to track performance. Data detailing downloads by asset type, team member and department are all readily available.

A finance marketer’s greatest asset

Online brand guidelines are not just a convenience, but a strategic asset. They help finance brands maintain their integrity, trustworthiness, and relevance by helping them create a consistent enduring brand presence.

If you’d like to learn more about how to shift your brand guidelines online, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us.