If someone were to see your content on Instagram and then on Pinterest, would they immediately recognize your brand? Would they know the content is from the same business? How would they know? They’d know because you have a brand bible. What is a brand bible, you ask? That’s exactly what we’re diving into in this post and what you need to know to build a brand bible starting today. Let’s get started!

What is a Brand Bible?

A brand bible is a brand guideline for your business. It’s a living document that you can change and edit as your business evolves. So don’t think that once you create your brand book you are done forever. This is something you should refer back to at least every 1-3 months to see if there’s anything to tweak so it aligns with your current brand goals.

 A brand bible usually includes:

• Brand story 
• Vision
• Mission statement
• Logos
• Color palette
• Fonts
• Photography style
• Voice/tone/identity
• Description of target audience
• Design for business card, letterhead, signature, etc.

Have you taken the time to think about any one of these listed items for your business? Are they written down somewhere? It’s time to get super specific on the goals you have for your business and creating this brand guideline will help you do it.

Why Your Business Needs a Brand Bible

If you’re just starting out, maybe you don’t see a need for a brand bible. However, if you’re serious about turning your side hustle into a money-making machine creating this brand bible will give your business the firm foundation it needs to thrive in the online marketplace.

A brand bible helps your business in lots of ways, but there are three that stand out the most.

1. Your content shows up consistently across multiple platforms.
2. You have a super clear understanding of who you are and what your purpose is–and you convey it that way.
3. It provides a level of professionalism needed to reach your business goals.

Let’s take a deeper look at each of these three brand bible benefits.

1. Consistency

Your brand bible acts as a reference tool for your team to find information about your brand. This will help your brand show up consistently throughout different online platforms. You don’t want your team members picking colors or fonts they think look good. It needs to be the exact same thing with every pin, post, email header, etc. and it needs to be what you picked for your brand.

Whether you have a design team creating ads for you, a writing team creating content for you, or a sales team nailing pitches for you, they can refer to the brand bible to help create the content they need. 

When you have multiple teams working for you, it’s hard to keep things consistent. And you can’t be there to answer every single question your team member will have about their projects. Having a brand bible in place will help answer many questions before they are even asked. 

Plus, when your brand appears consistently across multiple platforms, it’ll be easier for people to recognize and remember it. You want to be as consistent as possible with your branding because consistent branding leads to consistent sales.

2. Clarity

Whether you are a solo CEO or have a handful of team members working for you, you always want clarity. A brand bible will help clear up any confusion among team members creating content for you–and quite frankly, any confusion you have when creating content for yourself.

I cannot emphasize enough how taking the time to build a brand bible will finally free up some mental space in your head. As the CEO of your business, you have tons of things to remember (not to mention all the things you need to remember outside of your business). 

Anytime you can get things out of your head and onto paper is going to be a good use of your time. Especially if it’s content that will be referred back to over and over again. Your brand bible will help your brand messaging be more clear and laser-focused on your target audience and their needs.

When you can show up for your audience this way they will notice it and start to trust you more. And when they start to trust your branding they will trust your products. Having a solid brand bible will lead your audience to become loyal customers.

3. Certification

When I say certification, I’m thinking of professionalism. (I just had to use a C word because you know I’m a succor for alliteration!) When you take your business seriously that means taking the time to set up documents and systems that move you toward your business goals.

When you show up professionally you are proving to yourself and everyone around you that you are ready to take your business to the next level. Having this brand book will set up a solid foundation for your business no matter what phase you are in. You are the certified professional in your niche and it’s time to start showing up that way.

How to Create a Brand Bible

Now that you know what a brand bible includes, it’s time to create one. Looking at the list all at once can be overwhelming so start with one thing at a time. Perhaps breaking up the list into sections will help you focus and feel ready to jump in with content creation.

I recommend using Canva to create your brand bible. My team and I use Canva for EVERYTHING in my business and for my clients’ content. It has a low learning curve but produces high-quality designs. Get started creating your brand book on Canva HERE!

Main Takeaways

• A brand bible is a living document you regularly update that includes things like your brand vision and goals, color palette, fonts, voice, etc.
• Having a brand bible promotes consistency, clarity, and certified professionalism for your business.
• You can create a free account on Canva and use it to build a brand bible today. Click HERE to get started.

Building a Brand Bible

I hope you feel ready to create your very own brand bible for your business! Remember, start with one thing at a time and slowly build it out until it’s completed. I am so excited for you to show up more consistently and clearly as the CEO of your brand. With this new document, you will feel more confident about your brand identity and how your business serves your target audience. 

If you found these branding tips helpful and want to learn more on this topic, check out these other posts:

• 3 Affordable Ways to Uplevel Your Visual Brand
• How to Create a Killer Brand from Start to Finish
• The Secret to Creating a Brand Message that Sells

If you don’t know the first thing about creating your brand book, you can order my brand package HERE. It includes fonts, social media templates, and more. Plus, make sure you’re following me on Instagram @iammichellegifford so you can get more tips on building a thriving biz on Instagram and beyond!