Everyone knows that there’s simply a lot of content available today out there. Right now, thousands of contents are in the process of being uploaded on the web. So, for most businesses standing out from the crowd and chaos is difficult.
As a business owner, you need to establish your brand as the special one and differentiate it from that of your competitors, if you want to cut through the noisy digital world. However, this might not be the sole strategy that will sustain your organization forever.
But first, let’s understand and define brand consistency.
What is it? It is the manner of expression that will affect the way your company connects with the minds of people. The more consistently you transmit through your communication, the more consistently you build your brand. Through words, designs or other means your brand should elicit loyalty and trust from people i.e. customers. It should also lift customer awareness levels.
A brand should not be left open to many interpretations and constant customizations. A brand that changes its character very often is not accepted well. So, it’s mandatory to create brand consistency standards both online and offline. Any communication that a customer has with the brand should consist of brand promises transmitted from you reliably, honestly, and understandably.
Now let’s find out the reasons for the necessity of brand consistency.
Consumers want reliability. They are less likely to recommend your business to other people if they encounter a different experience every time they deal with your brand. Customers will repeatedly do business with you, only if you have a consistent brand identity and you are true to your word.
If you have brand consistency, then your business can:
1. Become acceptable:
Deciding on how you want your business and its values to appear to the public is what branding is all about. Impression remains the same across different experiences if your branding is consistent. Consumers understand that your company does not fail on its promises and stands by its commitments and convictions if you keep your message consistent.
2. Differentiate your brand from competition:
Since successful brands are unique, other businesses don’t give what they do. Your uniqueness and special character should always be kept in people’s minds with the help of your branding. Not simply words but actions should back up what your brand stands for.
3. Make your audience grow:
Consistent branding will help you grow your customer base and at the same time, you can also stay true to the people who supported you from the start. Never lose track of your values even if your business grows exponentially in a very short time. While adapting on the way is welcome, you should never fail to understand your audience and try to enhance your growth together with the people who support your venture.
4. Market products and services:
Effective marketing generates an interest in your brand although sales may not happen immediately. People must realize that they can trust you if you want them to spread the name of your brand and be loyal to you.
5. Become a reputed brand:
If you want a business branding par excellence, then you must have loyal followers and customers notwithstanding the fact that you already might have a good and steady business. Consistency and effectiveness in your branding keep you alive in people’s minds. If you do not ever deviate from your mission and values, you will for sure create more authority and reputation for yourself in the industry that you are in.
The points mentioned above are all necessary for running a successful organization. If you focus on reaching a maximum number of people and want to bring them under your fold, then the mainstay of your action should be consistency in branding.
Now let’s find out what a brand is made up of.
The first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think “brand,” is the logo of the company. The logo represents your business. It visually expresses what your brand is all about and what it stands for.
The logo must possess the right colour scheme, imagery typography etc. In other words, it must have the right visual elements to grab the eyeballs of the public. Only then you have created the visual identity of your company which is very important for successful branding.
The three essential components of branding are:
1. Intrinsic values, which are the guiding principles and beliefs of your business.
2. The logo, which is how the public recognizes you visually.
3. Expression and communication of your brand message.
Let’s now try to figure out how to avoid brand inconsistencies.
For that, you must go to the source of inconsistencies.
Although it doesn’t feel good to accuse someone, it is of utmost importance to identify where you are off-brand and the reasons for it. It is quite possible that mistakes have been made by the campaign marketer who overlooked or missed a copy review or the email marketer who used an obsolete logo. Apparently, these reasons for inconsistencies are innocent mistakes but they are happening because of poor communication of brand guidelines or maybe there is no awareness about the existence of the guidelines, to begin with.
You must be authentic too.
Consumers expect a brand to be authentic and customers, especially millennials, are unperturbed about changing a brand for one which is socially more active. If you want to show your target audience who you are and what is unique about you then your brand can communicate that message very easily for you. Although it sounds simple, to make your brand promote a consistent identity not only your creative department but everyone in your company must know exactly what your brand means and what it stands for.
However, we can simplify things for you as your Brand Consultant.
You cannot afford to stand still when the digital landscape is changing fast with time because then you will be left behind. You can quickly modify yourself to changing circumstances and consumer expectations and activate the flexibility required for your team to remain savvy with the latest trends with the help of our guidelines and customized solutions. You can easily update and customize these guidelines. This means future–proof brand strategy, streamlined and current logos etc. will be available at the click of a button.
Not just designers but everyone should know the guidelines.
Although it is a fact that brand guidelines are developed and maintained by only a handful of people in a company, but it should still exhibit the ideas, values, and culture of the whole organization. Simply put, if all employees in an organization are not part of it, they will never be able to apply it correctly and consistently.
Here again, we can help you by supporting videos, rich content like images, and guides with embeddable style which will make your brand story come alive. We will make them always available across web and mobile gadgets. So, everyone in your company can use it.
However, in the end, your target audience should feel that you care about them because that is what branding means. No matter your specialty or industry you would like to do everything possible to build up a credible brand. That said, consistent branding will help you to maintain that credibility. The imagery you use together with the values you stand for are critical components of your brand. Add your brand consistency to these and you have a perfect recipe to have a hooked following.
Finally, let every action and decision of yours be guided by your brand story and you will have customers who would prefer to stay with you for life.
