Search Strategies

Notion AI Search federates across connected sources (Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Slack, Jira, Teams), making it the most valuable single search endpoint.

Query Patterns

Direct brand searches:

• “brand guidelines”
• “style guide”
• “brand voice”
• “tone of voice”
• “messaging framework”

Sales and marketing content:

• “pitch deck”
• “sales playbook”
• “email templates”
• “value proposition”
• “competitive positioning”

Operational brand content:

• “brand update”
• “rebrand”
• “launch messaging”
• “press release template”
• “social media guidelines”

Tips

• Notion AI Search returns results from connected sources — one search covers multiple platforms
• Search for the company name + “brand” to find company-specific guidelines
• Check for databases titled “Brand Assets”, “Marketing Resources”, or “Content Library”
• Look for pages tagged with “brand”, “marketing”, “style”

Atlassian Confluence

Enterprises often store official brand documentation in Confluence spaces.

Query Patterns

Space-level search:

• Search spaces named: “Marketing”, “Brand”, “Communications”, “Sales Enablement”
• Check for spaces with labels: “brand”, “style-guide”, “guidelines”

Page-level search:

• “brand style guide”
• “voice and tone guidelines”
• “messaging framework”
• “content standards”
• “editorial guidelines”

Template search:

• “email template”
• “proposal template”
• “presentation template”

Tips

• Confluence spaces often have hierarchical page trees — find the brand root page and explore children
• Check for recently updated pages (brand guidelines evolve)
• Look for pages with many watchers — indicates important shared content
• Search attachments for PDF brand guides uploaded to Confluence pages

Box

Cloud file storage — official brand documents, shared decks, and style guides frequently live here.

Query Patterns

Folder search:

• “Brand Guidelines”
• “Marketing Assets”
• “Brand Kit”
• “Style Guide”
• “Sales Collateral”

Document search:

• “brand guide” (PDF, DOCX, Word)
• “style guide” (PDF, DOCX, Word)
• “messaging document”
• “brand standards”

Tips

• Box often contains the “source of truth” brand guides as PDFs or Word docs
• Check shared folders with company-wide access
• Look for folders shared with the marketing or brand team
• Search for recently modified brand documents to find the latest version
• Use Box metadata search to filter by content type or custom attributes

Google Drive

Google Drive stores shared brand documents, marketing materials, and official style guides.

Query Patterns

Folder search:

• “Brand Guidelines”
• “Marketing”
• “Brand Assets”
• “Style Guide”

Document search:

• “brand guide” (PDFs, Google Docs, Google Slides)
• “style guide”
• “messaging framework”
• “brand standards”
• “brand voice”

Tips

• Check shared drives — brand materials often live in team-wide shared drives
• Look for recently modified brand documents to find the latest version
• Search by owner (marketing team members) to surface brand-owned content
• Google Docs and Slides are common formats for living brand documents
• Check for Google Slides presentations with brand overview decks

Microsoft 365 (SharePoint / OneDrive)

Enterprise organizations often centralize brand documentation on SharePoint sites.

Query Patterns

SharePoint site search:

• Search marketing or communications SharePoint sites
• “brand guidelines”
• “style guide”
• “brand standards”
• “messaging framework”

Document library search:

• Check document libraries in marketing/communications sites
• “brand guide” (Word, PDF, PowerPoint)
• “brand book”
• “editorial guidelines”

OneDrive search:

• “brand” files in shared OneDrive folders
• “style guide” shared with the organization

Tips

• Check marketing/communications SharePoint sites first — most common location for brand docs
• Search document libraries for PDF brand guides and PowerPoint brand decks
• Look for brand-tagged content using SharePoint metadata
• OneDrive shared folders may contain working drafts of brand materials
• Use SharePoint search and document library tools when available

Slack

Slack channels contain informal brand discussions, decisions, and evolving brand voice patterns.

Query Patterns

Channel search:

• Look for channels: #brand, #marketing, #brand-voice, #style-guide, #creative
• Check channel topics and descriptions for brand-related content

Message search:

• “brand guidelines”
• “brand voice”
• “tone of voice”
• “style guide”
• “brand update”

Pinned messages:

• Check pinned messages in #brand and #marketing channels
• Pinned items often contain approved brand resources or decisions

Tips

• Search #brand and #marketing channels first — most likely to contain brand discussions
• Look for pinned messages — teams often pin brand guidelines and decisions
• Find brand discussion threads for context on brand evolution
• Slack is a conversational source — ranks as CONVERSATIONAL tier in source triage
• Recent messages may reveal brand changes not yet documented formally

Gong (Conversation Intelligence)

Sales call transcripts reveal how the brand actually communicates in practice.

Query Patterns

Call search:

• Search for calls tagged: “won”, “closed-won” (successful brand application)
• Filter by top performers (their language patterns define implicit brand voice)
• Look for calls tagged: “demo”, “discovery”, “closing”

Transcript search:

• Search transcripts for company-specific value propositions
• Look for recurring phrases across successful calls
• Find calls where competitors are discussed (reveals positioning)

Tips

• Focus on successful calls — they represent brand voice that works
• Compare top performer language with average performer language
• Look for consistent opening lines and closing patterns
• Note objection handling language — reveals brand positioning under pressure

Granola (Meeting Intelligence)

Meeting notes and transcripts from the AI notepad for meetings.

Query Patterns

Meeting search:

• Query for meetings related to: “brand”, “positioning”, “messaging”
• List recent meetings and filter for customer-facing calls
• Search for strategy sessions and brand planning meetings

Transcript retrieval:

• Get full transcripts from high-signal meetings
• Look for recurring themes in meeting notes
• Find meetings with key stakeholders (marketing leads, executives)

Tips

• Granola captures both meeting notes and transcripts — both are valuable
• Meeting notes often contain summarized brand decisions and action items
• Look for recurring meeting series (weekly brand syncs, marketing standups)
• Cross-reference Granola meeting notes with Gong call transcripts when both are available

Figma (Brand Design Systems)

Visual brand elements inform voice and tone indirectly.

Query Patterns

File search:

• “brand design system”
• “design tokens”
• “brand kit”
• “style guide”
• “component library”

Component search:

• Look for files with brand colors, typography scales
• Find component documentation with usage guidelines
• Check for content/copy guidelines in design system docs

Tips

• Figma design systems often include writing guidelines alongside visual specs
• Check file descriptions and comments for brand context
• Look for “voice and tone” sections within design system documentation
• Brand personality descriptions in design files reveal voice attributes

Cross-Platform Search Tips

Maximizing Coverage

1. Start with Notion AI Search (broadest coverage via federation)
2. Follow up with Confluence for enterprise documentation
3. Check Google Drive for official brand documents
4. Check Box for cloud-stored brand documents
5. Search SharePoint/OneDrive for enterprise files
6. Search Slack for brand discussions and decisions
7. Search Gong for conversational brand patterns
8. Search Granola for meeting transcripts and notes
9. Review Figma for design-embedded brand guidelines

Avoiding Duplicates

• Track source URLs to detect the same document across platforms
• When the same content appears on multiple platforms, prefer the most recently updated version
• Note when Notion federation returns results from other platforms to avoid double-searching

Recency Focus

• Focus on content from the last 12 months for operational, conversational, and contextual sources
• Only search further back when looking for explicit brand documents (style guides, brand books)
• When results include older content, prefer the most recently updated version
• Flag any non-AUTHORITATIVE source older than 12 months — it may reflect outdated positioning

Handling No Results

• If a platform returns zero results, try broader queries (“marketing”, “sales”)
• Check if the platform is actually connected and authenticated
• Note the gap in the discovery report — the absence of content on a platform is itself useful information