Let’s talk about brand consistency. If this term scares you, let us be the first to tell you that you are not alone. And the fact you are reading this suggests you are aware of brand consistency, even if you’re not an expert in the subject.
Brand consistency is the delivery of your brand’s messaging. It includes everything from your brand’s design elements such as your logo and graphics to your social media posts, profile photo and the words you use – both written and spoken. For your branding to be consistent, it must dependably align with your brand’s identity and values.
Why is this important, you ask? Well, brand consistency guides all of your decisions, it keeps your brand reputable and, most importantly, it builds trust with current and potential customers. Let’s dive a little deeper…
Brand consistency guides all of your decisions. By this we mean, all of your business decisions – both the font on a flyer to a holiday sale event – should be in line with your branding. We commonly see small business owners making decisions based on things they like or their personal preferences – but this is a mistake. Businesses, both small and large, need to base their decisions on their branding, as branding is designed to candidly grab the attention of their desired target audience and demographic.
Brand consistency keeps your brand reputable. (A.K.A. you need to have a clear and concise brand voice that speaks directly to your target audience, otherwise your brand will look messy and that will quickly become your unfortunate reputation.) Businesses that have no clear brand voice often show it most on their social media. They may have multiple admins that post willy nilly with no clear consistency guidelines, and as a consumer and potential customer this is confusing. To put it bluntly, we as consumers are not compelled to purchase a product or service from a brand that confuses us. To put it even more bluntly, having no clear voice makes your brand look messy to potential customers and search engines, and that is no bueno for business. By keeping your brand voice consistent you are therefore keeping it reputable.
Brand consistency builds trust. In building and maintaining your business’s reputation with a consistent brand voice, you are also building trust with current and potential customers. Simply put, if you stick with what you say that you are, you build trust with your target audience. Think about it, our brains recognize repetition and consistency. It takes time for us to go from becoming aware of your business to trusting your business. Brand consistency is the bridge from that awareness to that trust.
Also, keep in mind that there is a large difference between building a customer base and maintaining a customer base. It is important to know the difference between the two because once you have that trust, you have to take the necessary steps to keep it while continuing to build trust with additional potential customers. (A.K.A. you can’t slack on your brand consistency.) The success rate of selling to a customer you already have is 60-70%, while the success rate of selling to a new customer is 5-20%. Successful branding should address both potential and current customers.
Interested in learning more about brand consistency and our areas of expertise? Contact us now for a free consultation. We’d love to help you level up.
