With so much competition out there, it’s more important than ever that your brand identity is clear. But many lawn and landscaping companies don’t give their brand enough thought.

Chris Heiler, founder and CEO of Green Industry marketing agency Landscape Leadership says that lawn and landscape companies that have done a good job at branding can be easily recognized from their logo—or even their company colors. This is important because brands can do “passive marketing work” for companies. In other words, every time that an employee drives the wrapped van around town, or a crew member is seen out and about in a company logo uniform, it’s generating recognition—and potential interest.  

Heiler says one of the best ways to get a better grasp on your brand is with a brand style guide. This is a document that contains all of the specifications surrounding your brand and it should be referred to any time that your brand might be used.

What should a brand style guide contain?

According to Heiler, there are four key elements that should be part of a brand style guide. These are logo, colors, typography, and language.

In each category, there should be specific details about how your brand should be displayed or used.

“For instance, under language, you would want to describe the terminology that is preferred when talking about your brand,” Heiler explains. “If you prefer ‘landscape contractor’ over ‘landscaper,’ then you’d want to include this in your brand style guide.”

Creating a guide helps to ensure that you are able to maintain consistency. Whether it’s having a mailer created or wrapping a vehicle, you want to make sure that the way your brand looks and is talked about is consistent across all marketing channels.

“You should also give your brand style guide out to anyone that might be involved in marketing, advertising, or even editorial about your company,” Heiler adds. “If a reporter is writing a story about your company, share your brand style guide with them.”

Creating a brand style guide

When it comes to actually creating a brand style guide, Heiler says a graphic designer can help. If you’re a company that already has an established brand and has just never formalized the information in a document, it should be relatively easy—and inexpensive.  

But if you are a company that needs brand work—or maybe doesn’t even have a developed brand—it could be a larger endeavor.

Either way, Heiler says this is something that’s important to take the time to do.

“There’s a lot of value in having a brand style guide and it can make a huge difference in your company’s cohesive marketing strategy,” Heiler sums up. “It’s not something you want to overlook.”