Competition for customers is fierce, and branding is the key to differentiating yourself from the competition. Brands are built through the consistent delivery of the brand promise through all customer touch points. Branding is more than just creating a slogan and a logo that people will recognize and remember. Brand consistency is a pattern of expression, through words, design, offerings, or perspective, that affects what people think about your company. It is the consistent, desired experience that builds brand trust, and that trust is the foundation for customer loyalty. Every part of your organization has a role to play in branding, from research and development to finance to sales. Successful brands are based on authenticity, drawn from real achievements, and use real strengths and emotions.
Brand Consistency: Consumers Trust Brands They Recognize
Even without seeing a slogan or brand name, with consistent branding a customer will be able to recognize your brand. Brand consistency takes you to the next level in marketing. It’s no longer about convincing consumers to buy your product or service; your brand is so synonymous with your product experience that when a consumer sees your signature brand logo, they are already thinking about making their next purchase from you.
When you are first getting to know a person you start to develop opinions, ideas, and assumptions about them based on your interactions. If they show up to a meeting in a suit one day and Bermuda shorts the next, it can be hard to quantify who they are and what message they are trying to portray. It’s the same for your business if you aren’t careful. If your social media voice is whimsical, but your product packaging is sleek and modern, you’re sending mixed signals that will confuse consumers and leave them feeling like your brand can’t be trusted. Consistency makes your brand feel more dependable.
Brand Consistency Builds Trust
Why do people buy the same brand of pens or the same brand of milk? Because it’s predictable, consumers know what to expect, and they know they will like the outcome. Purchasing is often more of an emotional decision than a practical one. It’s important that consumers feel like they know your brand and that it can be trusted.
Brand recognition and consistency aren’t just about getting your name out there, it’s also about helping consumers get to know your brand. Make sure that you are giving customers a dependable experience across all your channels of communication. Develop a seamless look for your brand across your website social media channels, product packaging, and physical signage.
Consider putting together some brand style and usage guidelines so that you don’t leave your brand open to a variety of interpretations and customizations. It’s essential that every interaction customers have with your brand embodies the brand promises and values in a dependable and understandable way. Brand and style guidelines aren’t just for the marketing department, they are helpful for all departments and employees. The guidelines are there to ensure that all messaging and brand access are on-point, consistent and align with a company’s vision and mission.
Let Consistency Drive Content
Refer to your brand and style guidelines as you plan your online and offline marketing efforts. Use your logo and design elements consistently. It’s important that your logo is never stretched, pixelated, or appears with the wrong colors. Create a shared folder for employees to access approved visual content and include instructions on how the content is to be used, both online and offline.
When picking topics for your brand’s content calendar choose topics that are consistent with your brand’s mission and goals. Always look for opportunities to create content that makes sense for your brand. When you are communicating as your brand, it’s important to keep your brand’s tone and personality consistent across channels. Make sure that you participate on platforms and channels that align with your brand’s identity and with your prospects’ and customers’ preferences. Don’t worry about following the crowd, take time to ask yourself if your current or target customers congregate on a particular social platform.
Being consistent doesn’t mean that you can never change. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Having brand consistency gives your business a firm foundation for evolving into offering even more options for even more people. After you have built a positive reputation through the consistent delivery of your brand promise, you will find that you have plenty of room to evolve and expand.
When you let your customers know you, they will identify with you and trust you. Safeguard knows that interacting with customers through a consistent brand voice and appearance is a major step toward building customer loyalty. We are here with the business solutions you need to manage and market your company. Contact us today to see how your local consultant can help with everything from increasing brand awareness to keeping customers longer.