September 2024


Microsoft templates are a brand delivery method for professional services.

The quality of visual communication through template-derived documentation is critical in establishing and maintaining trust in the minds of clients and leads.

When documents are put together by professional staff, not designers or marketers, the integrity of the visual identity can fall short.

Since we can’t expect professional staff to be designers, the question then becomes, “What then can we supply to firms to help them stay on brand?

Below are the three key items that answer that question:

1. Well-designed and developed templates

The foundations of any structure should be robust, well-planned, and built fit-for-purpose. Templates are no different.

If your staff experience frustration or time wastage when compiling documents, then it might be time to look at the quality of your templates.

What good PowerPoint templates look like:

• Templates should be designed by a professional and executed with the same level of attention to detail.
  
• Each template type should serve a purpose (based on audience and intent). Is it a report or an onscreen presentation? These are two very different purposes, and therefore, they are two very different template approaches and outcomes.
  
• Every master page in each template should be built for a specific purpose.

2. Repeat content

All firms have repeat content, or at least they should.

Repeat content can be content about:

• the firm
  
• its services
  
• its staff, and
  
• past engagements.

These content types need to be factored in at the template design and build stage, to ensure the template is built fit-for-purpose.

Once complete, repeat content should be stored in an easy-to-retrieve location. The content can be inserted into your PowerPoint deck using the ‘drag and drop’ slide functionality.

3. Branded assets

An empty template is just an empty template. In order to stay on brand, firms need supporting branded assets to accompany their templates.

Branded assets include the following graphics that are designed specifically in your visual brand style:

• Diagrams
• Timelines
• Text layouts
• Infographics
• Maps
• And more

Like repeat content, branded assets can be seamlessly inserted into your document using ‘drag and drop’ functionality. Their purpose is to create operational efficiencies and consistency of brand execution.


For more information about well-developed templates, repeat content, or branded assets, get in touch with the team at BrandOps.