What Techniques Ensure Consistency Across Content Teams?
ContentGap.io
What Techniques Ensure Consistency Across Content Teams?
To help you maintain consistency across multiple content creators or teams, we asked CEOs and founders for their best techniques. From creating a brand voice guide to defining strict style guides, here are the top four strategies these leaders shared to ensure uniformity in content creation.
- Create a Brand Voice Guide
- Emphasize Brand Consistency Through Communication
- Provide Accessible Content Guidelines
- Define Strict Style Guides
Create a Brand Voice Guide
One technique I've used to keep our content consistent across multiple creators is creating an easy-to-follow brand voice guide. Think of it as our brand's secret recipe book, where we’ve sprinkled in all the ingredients that make our voice unique and memorable.
This guide is packed with examples of how we like to sound—whether we’re being cheeky in social media posts or professional in email campaigns. It includes specific dos and don’ts, like 'do use humor and wit' and 'don’t sound like a robot from the '90s.' Through spelling out our tone, style, and preferred language, we ensure everyone’s singing from the same hymn sheet.
To keep things fresh, we also run regular training sessions and workshops. These are our brand boot camps where new recruits get up to speed, and seasoned pros get a refresher. This way, our voice remains consistent and recognizable, no matter who's behind the keyboard. It’s like having a choir where every voice blends perfectly, hitting all the right notes.
Emphasize Brand Consistency Through Communication
At Rocket Alumni Solutions, we emphasize brand consistency through regular video calls with content creators at different schools. We share examples of what's working well and have open discussions about voice, tone, and messaging. Our team knows that consistent, high-quality content is how we build trust and gain new clients.
We also have strict guidelines around using our brand assets like logos, fonts, and color palettes. All designs must be approved by our in-house designer before publishing. Little details like this help present a unified brand image to our audience.
Weekly meetings with department heads keep everyone aligned on goals and priorities. We review metrics together to identify opportunities to improve. If some schools perform better than others on a campaign, we analyze why and share key lessons. Consistency comes from constant communication and a shared vision of success.
Provide Accessible Content Guidelines
Have content guidelines that are accessible to the whole company as well as freelancers and that encompass the nitty-gritty of how you spell and format things, as well as more general brand rules. Include a link to this document whenever you assign a brief to have a new piece of content created, and someone who rigorously checks that each piece of content follows these guidelines. This could be an editor but also a content manager.
Define Strict Style Guides
To ensure consistency across my teams, I focus on defining strict style guides and enforcing consistent terminology. Our style guides provide specific rules around formatting, voice, and tone for all content. For example, we maintain a casual-yet-knowledgeable tone across platforms.
We also compile lists of approved nouns, verbs, and phrases for discussing key products and actions. Teams are required to use terms from these lists without exception, which significantly improves clarity and comprehension for our audience. During meetings, I review published content to ensure guidelines are followed. If any inconsistencies arise, I address them immediately with the teams involved.
Lastly, I have found scheduling and planning tools invaluable for keeping teams aligned and on schedule. By mapping out content calendars in advance, teams know exactly what is expected of them and when. This level of organization and transparency has been key to developing a culture of consistency across our company.
