Why do you need a style guide for your B2B content?

Have you ever stopped mid-sentence and thought, “how do we write email or e-mail?” or, “is it recognise or recognize?” Well, you’re not alone. You might think these are minor details, but they matter. Apart from being annoying, pauses like these can break your chain of thought. But, if you don’t check them and get them right, it can make your writing look unprofessional. This is why a style guide is so essential.

What exactly is a style guide?

A style guide is a document that outlines how your company communicates, in writing and visually. It ensures consistency in everything from spelling and grammar to tone of voice and branding, irrespective of who creates the content or where it appears. In short, it’s your company’s reference manual for anyone. It saves time, removes ambiguity and strengthens your brand.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing web copy, social media posts, emails or brochures; your style guide makes sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Without it, even the best marketing teams can end up delivering mixed messages that dilute your band’s impact.

Why does your company need a style guide?

A style guide ensures consistency. People notice when your writing or visuals feel off. Inconsistent messaging, where one blog sounds casual and chatty, and another is overly formal, can make your business seem disjointed. It doesn’t matter who writes the content; a style guide helps keep your brand voice consistent and recognisable across all platforms and materials.

Just think about how many times you’ve reviewed a copy and found yourself repeatedly flagging the same issues. Should bullet points end with full stops? Do we say “clients” or “customers?” A style guide answers these questions, helping writers, designers, and marketers work more efficiently and streamline approvals.

And when it comes to onboarding new staff, it’s easier to give them a go-to guide. They’ll know from day one how your company writes and presents itself and won’t have to second-guess your brand’s tone or formatting preferences.

What should your style guide include?

A well-rounded style guide isn’t just about fonts and colours, although these are important. A good style guide should also cover word choices, including what to use and avoid, as well as narrative styles (first, second, or third person). It should also state whether to address the reader as “you.” And remember to include that your company, team, etc, are always singular. You'd be surprised at how many people get this wrong.

"Graham Waker Interiors is a highly experienced fit-out and refurbishment company."

"Our team is here to help you work safely and efficiently."

A good style guide would typically include the following:

Tone of voice

How does your brand sound? You need to define how your brand ‘speaks’ to its audience.

Is it friendly and approachable, or professional and authoritative?

For example: “Our brand voice is confident but not arrogant, helpful but not condescending, and expert but not complicated. We use a conversational tone that makes complex concepts understandable.”

Or you could have something more detailed. Take a power tool company selling to the professional trade where the tone is defined as professional, confident and no-nonsense.

Overview: We speak to skilled tradespeople who know their tools and take pride in their work. Our tone reflects their standards and is clear, direct and trustworthy. We don’t oversell; we deliver facts, performance stats, and benefits. We speak their language, value their time and get straight to the point.

❌ Our new cordless drill is the best one we’ve ever made

✔ Built for all-day use, 2x battery life, 40% more torque. No compromise

Your company’s tone of voice will vary slightly depending on who you communicate with and how.

Spelling and word choices

Decide early on whether you should use UK or US spelling (specialise vs specialize, centre vs center, metre vs meter). Create a list of the preferred terms so everyone knows what to use.

Do you refer to your customers as “clients,” “partners,” or users?

Grammar and punctuation

Cover those niggling questions that pop up regularly.

One space or two after a full stop (one is now commonly accepted, but people who learnt how to type on a typewriter were taught two spaces).

Do you use the Oxford comma (final comma in a list of things) or not?

"The Contractor’s Kit includes a cordless drill, a circular saw, and a set of drill bits."

You don’t have to use the Oxford comma, but it can help to avoid confusion:

"We’d like to thank our partners, Williams & Smith, and Franklin Building Materials."

Without the Oxford comma, you could read this as William & Smith and Franklin Building Materials as one partner, not two separate companies.

Should you capitalise job titles like “Marketing Manager?” If you follow standard style guides like the Guardian’s, all job titles should be lower case. But not all companies like this, so if your company prefers job titles to start with a capital letter, make sure it’s noted in your style guide.

Formatting and structure

Erratic formatting screams sloppiness. H2 headings in different font sizes, some in capitals, some in bold, make your copy look unprofessional, and people will question whether they really want to work with you.

Detail how to structure a document, including heading styles, bullet points, numbering and subheadings and how words will be presented.

10 o’clock in the morning, 10am, 10 am, 10 a.m. etc?

28.4.2025, April 28th 2025 or April 28 2025?

Bullet points – capital first letter for each line, ending with a full stop?

Numbers under 10 are spelt out, 10 and above in numerals

Written documents such as reports and proposals could include:

MAIN HEADING: Capitals, 16pt Arial Bold

Subheadings: Capital only the first word, 14pt Italic

Body text: 12pt Arial

While a website guide could include the following:

Main heading [H1]: Capital only the first word, 24pt Arial Bold

Subheadings [H2]: Capital only the first word, 20pt Arial Bold

Body text: 16pt Arial

Branding and visual elements

This overlaps with your brand guidelines, but it’s still good to reference logos, fonts, colours, and imagery styles.

For example, specify your brand’s colour palette and which fonts to use in headings and body text. This will ensure consistency across all your marketing materials.

A living document

Your style guide shouldn’t be a static document that’s read once and then left to gather dust. As your brand evolves, so should your guide. Review it regularly and update it as needed, especially when you add new services, markets or communication channels.

A style guide is much more than a set of rules. It’s how your audience sees your business. It keeps your message clear, consistent, professional, and true to your brand, no matter who’s writing the content.

Do you need help creating your company's style guide or additional support with B2B copywriting, content creation, copy editing, or proofreading? Then why not get in touch? I'm here to help.