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BKSB link for online maths and English support

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Homework please: complete the four online training modules.

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A guide to Brand Standards

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Brand standards are a set of guidelines that provides the colors, graphics, logo specs and fonts that comprise your brand. They're the glue that holds your brand together and help to create and protect your company's brand identity.

Once they're established, it's imperative that all employees understand and uphold them. Many firms invest a considerable amount of human and capital resources into developing a solid brand with a unique logo and brand identity, only to see them diluted along the way.

Here's why brand standards are so important and why you should implement them within everything that you do.

Visual representation correlates with brand recognition

Having a brand standards guide that is strictly enforced throughout the company creates consistency, which in turn creates brand recognition amongst clients and prospects. One of the most important elements that should be defined is a logo specifications guide. This document gives strict instruction on how the logo is to be used-and not used. No one should ever be able to adjust the look of your logo.

In addition to defining the rules for your logo, the brand guidelines should also identify a primary set of Pantone colors to use for the majority of your communication materials. You may also have a secondary color palette to use as accent colors that enhance the design of marketing materials. By adhering to specific Pantone colors, graphic elements and logo specifications, customers are able to easily recognize a brand at first glance. That's why it's so important to solidify what your brand should look like across all platforms (i.e. your website, marketing materials, stationery, etc.).

Messaging is key for brand voice

From speeches by top executives to every day communication materials, your brand voice should be communicated clearly and consistently in every channel your customer encounters. Defining a set of key messages you want your organization to convey helps ensure your people are providing a consistent representation of your brand. As a rule of thumb, three to five messages are about the most anyone can easily remember and consistently deliver. In addition to speaking them, be sure your key messages are implemented throughout your company-from marketing materials to your website.

Standards help guide your employees

The whole point of brand guidelines is to help every person in the organization to understand your mission and uphold the brand in everything that they do. Once you establish these guidelines, they'll be able to do this better, which will translate into a better customer experience. Additionally, if you use an external agency for creative or have new hires, they will be able to reference these guidelines for communication materials.

Is it time for brand refresh?

Brand standards are only useful if you have a solid brand to enforce with your team. If you brand is tired or dated, it may be time for a brand refresh. Once you have a positive, modern logo and brand, then implementing brand standards will be paramount to keeping it consistent and increasing brand recognition. So if you do a brand refresh, be sure to quickly get rid of any old brand materials, and be sure your employees have access to materials with the new brand.

Alex is an ambitious branding and marketing professional who brings a youthful yet well-refined perspective.

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Why Your Firm Should Have Brand Standards

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Brand standards are a set of guidelines that provides the colors, graphics, logo specs and fonts that comprise your brand. They're the glue that holds your brand together and help to create and protect your company's brand identity. Once they're established, it's imperative that all employees understand and uphold them.

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Information about mission statements

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A mission statement traditionally acted as a way to tell potential shareholders and investors more about a company and its purpose; however, nowadays it's as much a statement for employees and customers. Mission statements allow companies to define and establish their brand, telling the reader exactly what the company does and how, in as concise and specific a way as possible.

For our latest infographic we sought out the most inspirational mission statements around, from Google's simple but effective mission to Virgin Atlantic's more poetic aims. From looking at the 24 inspirational examples, it's clear to see that a well-crafted mission statement can be a great way of focusing a business, and sharing the business' overall goals. For businesses without a mission statement creating one can allow you to determine your core business model and strategy, while establishing the brand and giving employees a focus for their efforts. Does your business have a mission statement? If not, what do you think it should be? Take a look at the infographic below for some inspiration.

Add this infographic to your site by copying this code:

Add this infographic to your site by copying this code:

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The 24 Most Inspirational Company Mission Statements

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A mission statement traditionally acted as a way to tell potential shareholders and investors more about a company and its purpose; however, nowadays it's as much a statement for employees and customers. Mission statements allow companies to define and establish their brand, telling the reader exactly what the company does and how, in as concise and specific a way as possible.

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Vision Statement Information (unit 2)

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Vision & Values. Powerful leadership tools.

By Ruth Tearle

Vision and values are two of the most important leadership tools used by new leaders or anyone involved in transforming an organization or rebuilding a department.

Values and vision provide employees with a clear focus.

Values provides the trust and appropriate behaviours needed for organizational and team success.

Vision provides direction and a sense of purpose.

In terms of the 20/80 principle, which says that 20% of leadership tasks account for 80% of leadership results, vision are values are the most effective leadership tools used in transforming an organization or team. Visions and values can also be used to transform teams operating at any level inside an organization and to help individuals focus on what is important for future success.

What is a vision?

A vision is a clear, comprehensive 'photograph' of an organization at some point in the future. It provides direction because it describes what the organization needs to be like, to be successful within the future.

A vision describes the WHAT. i.e. what you are trying to achieve in the future. It is the end result of a strategic planning process.

Benefits of a vision

When people build a dream/vision together in a participative way, they achieve the following benefits:

If you have already developed a vision, and now want to implement it, look at our case study on implementing strategy.

What are values

Values describe the HOW. i.e. how will we behave towards one another, and towards our stakeholders in the way in which we achieve our goals.

Values are the starting point of any cultural change programme.

Values explain what is important in people's or organizations lives.

When we understand our own values, and those of others around us, we find it easier to:

Understand each other's behaviour.

Tolerate differences between one another.

Trust one another.

Benefits of values

When teams or organizations build a common set of values, they achieve benefits such as:

Sharing values in a group, is an powerful way of building an effective team.

Resolving conflict.

Building trust.

Building a code of conduct that can be used to control team behaviour.

If the leaders of the organisation or team behave consistently in line with the new code of conduct, they will be amazed by the trust and energy they release amongst their followers.

Values can transform an organization's culture.

One way to change an organization's culture is to begin by developing a new set of organizational values.

Then the organization communicates, rolls out or cascades these values to every team and every employee throughout the organization.

If the values roll-out process is planned carefully, it can be used as a powerful way to change the behaviors and habits of every employee and manager, which in turn can transform an organizational culture.

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Vision, Values, What is Vision, What are Values, Organizational Vision, Organizational Values

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By Ruth Tearle Vision and values are two of the most important leadership tools used by new leaders or anyone involved in transforming an organization or rebuilding a department. Values and vision provide employees with a clear focus. Values provides the trust and appropriate behaviours needed for organizational and team success.

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What is a brand? Unit 2

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https://goo.gl/images/hP3BVH

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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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Good discussion point ‘Customer is Always Right’

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https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/

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9 Protected Characteristics

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Thought provoking video about what other people may be going through! Discussion.

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Powerful video  Can't explain it  just watch

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Reality of Retail

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Recap from Customer Service sessions (unit 1)