Originating in journalism, the term editorial line is used to define the selection of subjects that interest consumers of a given brand and that, at the same time, express the values of that institution.
In Digital Marketing, this is essential for content planning because, whatever your business niche, your communication with the public at the most diverse points of contact is fundamental to achieving better results!
And if you think that this business communication story is “perfume”, it is worth highlighting, right now, some benefits that a well-defined editorial line can bring to your business:
- Strengthening brand identity;
- Generation of public identification and trust;
- Customer loyalty;
Want to know how to create an editorial line for your business? Here, you will see a simple and educational step-by-step guide, as well as some examples from the market that will help you establish guidelines for your company’s communication!
Recap: what is an editorial line and how do you know if yours is correct?
Editorial line is the set of guidelines that define how your brand should communicate with the most diverse audiences, including employees and customers. It includes aspects such as tone of voice, visual identity and brand positioning, which covers the topics your company talks about.
It is important to keep in mind that communication is responsible for, among other things, creating a connection with your audience — which is a big differentiator when it comes to winning over customers and boosting your business results. After all, if there are other companies selling the same product or service as you, it is the essence of the brand that will make the customer choose one or the other!
And do you know how you can show the essence of your brand? Through content! Selling is important and necessary, but before that, you need to talk about the topics that interest your potential customers, making them create a connection and start trusting your company — and that’s where the importance of a Content Marketing strategy comes in.
It is through a well-defined editorial line and content created from it that your customers will realize that your company not only sells what they need, but also offers important information for their daily lives .
The elements that make up a brand’s identity
As I said, the editorial line is directly related to the brand identity and how it positions itself in the world. Check out the elements that make up a brand identity below and see some examples to inspire you:
Brand positioning
- What place does your company want to occupy in the minds and hearts of your audience?
- How do you want people to remember and talk about you?
- What causes does your company want to join?
All of this is part of brand positioning, which is essential for your company to communicate its purpose!
The set of Mission, Vision and Values is what will define your brand positioning and can be a great differentiator in the market.
Coca-Cola, for example, has positioned itself as the most complete beverage company. In other words, the brand works to be seen as much more than just a soft drink and is positioning itself as the most complete company in the sector, with a huge variety of beverages, including juices, teas, dairy products and sports drinks.
Tone of voice (or Tone and Voice)
How does your company communicate its brand positioning? This is related to tone of voice, which is essential for defining an editorial line that makes sense for your company’s strategy.
And the tone of voice is so important that it often dictates who the company is in the public’s mind. Want to see?
Ifood, for example, is a company that has a young and cool tone of voice , which uses technology in the simplest tasks of your day to day, such as ordering delivery.
Itaú, in turn, despite also having a more digital footprint, adopts a slightly more formal tone of voice, since talking about its products and services requires a little more seriousness.
McDonald’s is another excellent example of a company that works well with its tone of voice. Knowing that the brand was affectionately called “Méqui” by its audience, the company appropriated the term and began using this name in advertising campaigns and store signage. Connection, remember?
Visual identity
It is impossible to talk about brand identity and editorial line without talking about visual identity — in fact, the two concepts are closely linked.
Visual identity is the set of visual elements that represent your brand, including:
- Logo;
- Colors;
- Typography;
- And graphic icons.
When you hear the word Nike, for example, the symbol that makes up the brand’s logo automatically comes to mind!
It is worth mentioning that the concepts of editorial line and visual identity are semiotically connected, since, together, they are capable of building effective and coherent communication.
Want an example? Duolingo is a language learning platform that has been making great use of its visual identity — represented by the famous little green owl — to create connections with its audience and participate in conversations that interest its customers .
How to create an editorial line? Step by step to create yours
If you understand the concept, but still don’t know how to create your business’ editorial line, I’ve put together a simple and educational step-by-step guide for you to develop a content plan capable of strengthening the connection between your brand and your audience. Check it out!
Consider your target audience
The right way to speak will always depend on who you are talking to. This maxim applies to companies that sell to the end consumer (B2C) and even to those that sell to other companies (B2B), and that is why knowing your audience is essential to define the editorial line of your business!
By defining your persona, you will know what their pain points, needs and desires are. This is how you will be able to establish themes that can help your client in their routine. In other words: thinking about your target audience is the first step in building your editorial line.
Set elements such as visual style and tone of voice
Even if your company already has a well-defined brand positioning and visual identity, it is essential to understand how they apply to the content you are going to create.
One thing is certain: it is not possible to apply all the elements at once, and it is essential to think, for example, about the semantic cloud and the graphic elements that will be present in each content.
Define relevant topics aligned with the company’s objectives
The topics your company will talk about are the basis of your editorial line and it is essential that they are aligned with your business objectives. If you have defined your brand positioning and know your target audience well, this process will be much easier!
It is important to say that, of course, every company has the goal of selling. But this cannot be the only objective of communicating with the public, after all, each potential customer is at a different stage of the purchasing journey and is not always ready to buy.
Choose the most suitable content formats
Attention: form and content go hand in hand! Therefore, in addition to defining the themes and content you want to produce, you need to understand which formats make the most sense for your audience and on which channels you need to broadcast the content you produce.
Here, you also need to take into account the stages of the funnel and understand the specificities of each one. Instagram Reels, for example, is a great format for top-of-funnel content.
And don’t forget to take your production capacity into account when choosing formats, okay?
Establish an editorial calendar
Themes and formats defined, it’s time to document the planning and create an editorial calendar!
This is an action plan to put the defined editorial line into practice, deciding where (which channels), how (which formats) and when (date and time of publication) the content will be produced.
Make sure the editorial line is working
It is essential to be clear that your company’s editorial line cannot be written in stone , especially if you are just starting to produce content now.
So, test and monitor whether the content production is actually effective.
Is your audience connecting with what you’re sharing? If you have doubts about the answer to this question, it might be time to rethink your editorial line (and even your brand positioning) and look for different ways to communicate with the market!
Ready to win customers with content?
Creating content is essential for your brand to connect with your audience and, if you’ve come this far, you’ve certainly understood that you can’t do this — or at least, it’s going to be very difficult to do so — without having a defined editorial line.
After all, a successful Content Marketing strategy starts with an editorial line that is consistent with the public’s interests and built based on your brand’s positioning.
Now you know what to do and all you need to do is get to work to reap the results that a good content strategy can bring to your business!
Want to learn more about how your communication will help you connect with your audience and sell more? Enjoy Minder has a complete library with various materials on the subject. Be sure to check it out!
