Best branding practices – Standard Operating Procedures.

Creating a strong business brand seems easy on paper – you already have an idea of what you want and how you can accomplish it, but acting upon it and following through is much more difficult. A few of the best branding practices includes having standard operating procedures as well as having an established training program to reflect them. Having these systems in place will increase the value of your business AND strengthen your brand by being consistent.

Have you started putting the proper systems in place for that? Or are you too busy working IN your business, than ON your business?

Best business branding practices – getting started.

Standard operating procedures are the guidelines in which employees operate on a daily basis. They should indicate how to perform the task efficiently in a step-by-step manner, include troubleshooting, and an explanation of why the task is relevant.

Best branding practices focus on delivering consistency with either a product or service, which is achieved when you have effective SOPs established.

It’s important to remember – having these procedures in place only works when someone is upholding them, otherwise, they’re useless.

Three areas of focus when writing SOPs:

The details.

This is the bulk of the work, writing out and documenting what the procedures are. They serve as guidelines for employees, instructing them what tasks they are to do and how to do them.

If you include too many details, the message will get lost. On the other hand, not having enough details will leave gaps, leading to misunderstandings. Having the right amount ensures your message is clear, and every step is accounted for. It is a delicate balance; you want to ensure you have all the proper information included.

Check out this post for more info on how to create your SOPs.

Your audience.

During the editing process, you should have your target audience in mind.

Define the following questions:

• Who is my target audience?
  • Highschoolers, young adults, college graduates, etc.
• What level of understanding do they typically have?
• Will most of them have prior experience?
• Is this an entry level job or does it require higher levels of education and/or training?

More often than not, it’s better to assume you have to teach everyone from the very beginning to prevent misunderstandings.

Check out this post for tips about editing your SOPs.

The length and format.

One of the great things about creating SOPs, is there is no right or wrong way. That being said, there are few dos and don’ts to consider.

DO:

• Make the instructions clear, concise, and easy to read.
• Have clear breaks when a step is completed, or a new topic is being introduced.
• Use an appropriate size, font and layout that’s easy to follow.
• Use a list format when appropriate.
• Include pictures or diagrams when necessary.

DON’T:

• Make the guides too long.
• Use run-on sentences.
• Use a fancy font that’s hard to read.
• Shove too much information into a small portion.
• Use unnecessary complicated words.

Begin sooner rather than later.

The next time you are working in your business, be conscious about the tasks you’re completing. Take a moment and think of what you’re doing from the perspective of a new employee.

• What tools will I need for this job?
• What information is necessary to know about this particular task?
• How can I find the information I need, and where can I find it?

Need help writing SOPs, or need revisions to existing ones? Contact us today!