In an omnichannel universe where consumers interact with brands across various channels and
devices, providing a seamless, cohesive content experience is critical. Editorial guidelines are
the crucial components that ensure this kind of consistency. They enable writers and editors to
maintain a consistent message, tone, and style on all platforms. When an organization follows
such defined and detailed expectations, its corresponding audiences experience consistency
and reliability at every online touchpoint, fostering engagement and loyalty.
Why Omnichannel Consistency is Key
Consistency builds trust, brand identity, and user experience across digital touchpoints. A
brand’s message is the same, the tone is consistent, and imagery creates one perception of the
brand that ultimately equals a better, positive perception of the brand. Leveraging the best CMS for ecommerce further supports consistency by ensuring content and branding remain aligned
throughout the customer's buying journey. Inconsistent channels do the opposite, creating a
suspicious sense of credibility concern and a confused audience. Instead, editorial guidelines
foster a sense of understanding, meaning content teams can create reliable, consistent
experiences for audiences who appreciate direction and brand consistency across all platforms.
How Editorial Guidelines Help Define Your Brand Unique Voice Consistently
Editorial guidelines should detail what the brand's voice is and how it should be achieved across
platforms. Whether the voice is straightforward and jargon-related or more colloquial, the more
researched and established within the guidelines, the more successful content teams will be at
replicating this consistency across omnichannel platforms. Editorial guidelines should clarify
personality (funny, stern, sensitive), anticipated communication approaches (passive voice vs.
active voice), and tone expectations (cursing common in vernacular or avoided). Ultimately, the
more guidance to define consistency, the better audiences will feel comfortable and at home
with similar content as opposed to receiving different outcomes based on where they seek
information.
How Editorial Guidelines Establish Structure and Formatting
Consistency Across Platforms
Part of editorial guidelines should include considerations of structural and formatting
consistency that can enable consistency across omnichannel efforts. For example, if an editorial
guideline suggests that articles should always be a specific number of words, there should be
certain types of organization for paragraphs, and headings should have a hierarchy with
avoidance or acceptance of bullets and images, this also creates functional pursuits for content
teams. Additionally, when an established format is consistent across the board, it proves that
articles can seamlessly travel from websites to apps to emails and other platforms without losing
their integrity in a transfer.
Justifying Channel-Specific Differences in a Transparent Manner
Although all channels should feel like a part of the same brand, there are definitive differences
per channel that need to be noted in the editorial guidelines to ensure that messaging done on
social, email, mobile, and web does not stray too far from the brand as long as effective use can
be made of the differences. A transparent justification of such differences allows content teams
to remain on-brand across channels while possessing the authority to exploit each channel's
quirks.
Ensuring Strong Editorial Review
Consistent omnichannel content relies upon strong editorial review. Whether the content
creation editorial guidelines include review expectations, approval processes, and responsibility,
the content in question will surely be up to par before going live. Also, consistent review of
editorial content keeps mistakes at bay, champions brand voice, and quality control, and content
consistency continues to champion audience trust across channels.
Justifying Authorized Terms and Messaging on Content Creation Editorial Guidelines
The editorial guidelines should clarify critical terminology, taglines, product names, and what's
preferred over other suggestions. This allows for consistent usage across all channels. If there
are certain keystrokes and capitalization preferences i.e. like 'eBook' instead of 'ebook' the more
content creators know how to present this effectively and consistently, the better. This fosters
audience trust and less confusion over time while strengthening brand positioning through
perceived clarity.
Examples and Templates for Added Clarity
Examples and templates within editorial guidelines go a long way for ease of content creation
and for consistent content efforts across the board. Whether real examples of where the literally
desired formats or scope of voices were successfully generated or what successful
omnichannel efforts appear like and come from, these details enable a content creator to see
their end goal. Through the eyes of a content creator, templates ease creation from the onset,
prevent misinterpretation, and ensure that the paths paved have been traveled, acknowledged,
anticipated, and accounted for to create consistency where applicable across the most diverse
content efforts.
Ongoing Training of Teams on Standards
Editorial guidelines create a connection between content creators and the founders/marketers
who come up with branding in the first place because standards change over time. Continued
training and education about such editorial guidelines foster awareness of what's expected over
time. Branding standards do not stay the same, nor do best practices for consistency across
omnichannel efforts. Therefore, ensuring continuous updates and keeping content creators
aware of the latest guidelines means that every effort is made for maximum exposure for quality
content and improved potential for consistency over time.
Feedback Mechanisms to Maintain Editorial Guidelines Across
the Board
Feedback continues to be one of the more effective means of evolving anything in work product
or practice. Editorial guidelines that foster ease of understanding and application for clarity
should welcome feedback from editors, producers of content, and financiers alike on whether
the guidelines made sense, whether they were helpful, and whether they lent any clarity for
success. Such feedback can quickly pinpoint holes, miscommunications, and raise issues that,
with speed of adjustment, can be addressed to maintain consistency in the future, across
channels.
Continuous Monitoring and Auditing of Content for Compliance
Continuous monitoring and auditing of content post-publication ensures continued compliance
with style guidelines. Scheduled audits can occur and be easily adjusted to give real-time
feedback on mistakes and variances that can be corrected on the fly. Moreover, monitoring
highlights trends in compliance or noncompliance and areas of the guidelines needing
clarification or additional training sessions. Continuous auditing and monitoring of content
ensure the greatest level of omnichannel uniformity while protecting brand image and ensuring
audience trust and loyalty.
Technology Utilization for Implementation of Consistency
Compliance
Using technology and content management systems makes compliance implementation easier.
Many content management systems, especially headless CMS, allow for automated features
checking compliance with expected content standards, approved terminology, and formatting
rules. Implementing technologies for compliance implementation makes compliance easier to
achieve, reduces human error, and fosters quicker approvals, all of which enhance consistent
omnichannel delivery while satisfying time-sensitive editorial needs.
Editorial Guidance for Localization/Regional Content Changes
The editorial guidelines should provide special attention to how to change content for regional
markets/languages but maintain brand consistency overall. If there is room for localization, the
editorial guidelines should specify what types of changes are appropriate (cultural references,
language and spelling preferences) to make sure that the overall global content makes sense
but remains authentic to its regions. Addressing localization within the guidelines fosters better
global partnerships while allowing for easier local connections and overall, consistent brand
messaging across global audiences.
Creating and Maintaining an Omnichannel Guidelines Repository
Creating and maintaining a one-stop, easily accessible guidelines repository ensures content
teams have everything they need at their fingertips relative to the latest standards and tools. An
omnichannel repository from guidelines to guiding examples, templates, and vetted terminology
acts as a seamless editorial experience, free of distractions and allowing for consistent
application. Regular updates to a singular repository and communication of compliance changes
to the guidelines keep them current while ensuring teams are on the same page relative to
organizational needs and audience requirements.
Evaluating Success of Multichannel Consistency Efforts
Measuring attainable goals and evaluating consistency efforts makes the comprehensive
editorial guidelines worthwhile over time. For example, measuring audience engagement,
assessing brand awareness, and evaluating content performance across channels enable
organizations to see hard numbers related to consistency efforts. Evaluating success cements
compliance with the guidelines, encourages adherence as they become results-driven, and
advocates for incremental improvements that can enhance the quality of content and
performance across channels.
Mandating Easy Access Across All Channels of Content
Accessibility is one of the most important factors in consistently operating across channels. The
ultimate goal is that all users including those with disabilities can access and experience the
content across multiple platforms as intended without hurdles. As such, editorial guidelines
should include accessibility features from alt text on imagery to headings, legible font choices,
and effective ordering of content. When guidelines include such tenets, it broadens reach for
seamless engagement for all audiences while enhancing audience satisfaction.
Editorial Expectations for Visual/Media Assets Across Channels
Some of the largest decisions that impact brand awareness and usability stem from the
consistent use of visual and media assets. Editorial guidelines champion the expected imagery,
coloring, video, and even icons and graphics used across channels. Thus, where the standards
for these renderings would come from an internal or external brainstorming of needs,
articulating and documenting such needs ensures a consistent look and feel for branding that
not only aids in audience recognition but also creates aesthetic appeal and integrity that fosters
seamless and consistent omnichannel experiences.
Crisis Communication Editorial Guidelines
Editorial guidelines support crisis communication efforts to ensure when things go wrong, they
are handled appropriately and reliably. Established expectations for the appropriateness of
various messages, how quickly they should be released, where they should be published, and
who should communicate with the audience should all be contained within editorial guidelines.
By establishing such rules ahead of time, teams can work quickly, efficiently, and consistently in
times of emergency to ensure their image is protected and their message delivered with integrity
especially when team members on the back end are in a state of chaos.
Conclusion: Sustaining Omnichannel Excellence Through
Effective Editorial Guidelines
Creating comprehensive and clear editorial standards and ensuring their use through consistent
training is a crucial part of omnichannel assimilation in an integrated digital world where users
should be able to engage with a brand at any given time across multiple platforms and
touchpoints for any experience they seek. Editorial standards represent the one-stop shop for
creators, editors, and marketers to ensure everyone is on the same page regarding brand voice,
consistent messaging, and even structural considerations across diverse communication banks
including websites, apps, email, social media, podcasts, and any bustling new digital frontier.
The more opportunities to reinforce the components of brand voice tone and persona, for
example and the preferred vocabulary used by organizations to build credibility in their
respective industries, the better. With extensive editorial standards comes assured quality;
when teams understand how to create persuasive and authoritative pieces that support brand
acknowledgment, emotional consistency will remain across the board.
Similarly, the opportunity to utilize format preferences and structural components within the
editorial guidelines allows creators to understand how to easily achieve branding without too
much conceptualizing time. In addition, allowing for nuance within the editorial standards
relative to channels gives teams the ability to learn how to differentiate key messages across
channels while maintaining allegiance to the overall brand voice.
Finally, encouraging compliance with and periodic assessments of established editorial
standards develop performance excellence every step of the way. Assessing whether released
pieces live up to expectations or fall short prior to readers assessing quality is key to
maintaining brand integrity and quality control efforts. Organizations can utilize myriad content
management systems, automated digital response, and analytical capabilities to not only assess
but promote compliance and mitigate potential human error which brings inoperable efficiency to
the effort.
Ultimately, when editorial standards are created effectively and put into action through
consistent training beyond the hiring process, teams are set up for consistent success in
creating great content across all channels. Teams work within a consistently applied standard of
best practices, audiences learn to trust great work, and rely upon avoidance of inconsistencies
to achieve their goals, improving customer retention (trust lends brands authority over time) and
omnichannel achievement for everyone involved.
