Establishing and Maintaining Brand Consistency in the Mind of Your Customers

Brand consistency is one of the most important aspects of any marketing campaign. And yet, it’s probably the most overlooked part, especially by startups with limited time and resources.

As the world becomes more and more connected and customers become more and more savvy, it's critical to establish and maintain brand consistency in the minds of your customers.

Customers interact with your brand on a variety of platforms—from social media and email to your company website and even in person when they meet you at an industry event. If your customer experience differs across these channels, customers will begin to question whether they can trust your company, not only as a result of inconsistent content but also because of the way you present yourself.

Consistency is a key trait of successful companies.

The reason consistency is so important is that people tend to make decisions based on what they feel is familiar. If you're constantly changing your messaging, it can be hard for them to get a sense of who you are and what you're about.

Think about how many times you've walked into a coffee shop only to have someone ask you if you want anything else, when you've already told them three times that day that the answer is no! It's frustrating, but we do it because it's a part of our routine—and we don't want to disrupt that routine by saying something different every time we go into the store.

Consistency in messaging helps people know what to expect from your business and allows them to feel confident in their decisions about buying from or working with you.

Follow a brand style guide.

The first step is making sure that every communication from your company has a consistent look and feel. If it's not clear that everything was created by the same organization, customers won't know whether or not they can trust it—and they won't be willing to pay attention long enough to find out!

A brand style guide is a resource that helps maintain consistency in your brand's visual identity across all platforms. It can include everything from colors, fonts, and logos to how you want your product packaging to look.

A brand style guide helps establish clear boundaries for the way your company presents itself, helping to ensure that every piece of marketing collateral—from a website banner to an email newsletter—looks like it belongs to the same organization.

It should establish the ground rules for your copy and content creation and provide consistency across all touchpoints of communication – from social media posts to your website, advertisements, and signage. The same way we have style guides in media with the Chicago Manual of Style and AP Stylebook, brands need their own guiding document that ensures they remain consistent in everything they do. A brand identity should become so recognizable that consumers can identify it without seeing any text or design elements—just the colors will tell them who created this ad or brochure or app.

It’s More Than Just Your Visuals

If you're like most people, you probably don't think about your brand's personality, tone, and voice very often. But in reality, these three things are super important—especially when it comes to making sure that all of your content is consistent.

Personality: What kind of personality do you want to project? Are you going for a fun and friendly vibe, or something more professional and serious? Do you want to be seen as approachable or intimidating? These are all questions that help define what kind of personality you should have.

Tone: The tone of your brand refers to the way the words are written. Are they formal or casual? Are they informative or funny? This can vary depending on what your brand is trying to convey. For example, if your company makes products for kids, it might be better if they sound like they're written by a kid—that would align better with the product's intended audience. On the other hand, if your product is more serious in nature (like an app for doctors), then using formal language might be more appropriate

Voice: Voice is how you talk about yourself as an organization—how you describe yourself in terms of goals and mission statements, for example. This can be more difficult for some companies than others because it requires some self-reflection: are we really who we say we are? Do we want people to perceive us as being this way?

Make sure each channel shares the same brand values and vision.

There's nothing more confusing to your audience than inconsistency. If they can't tell which of your social media accounts is the official one, that could be a problem. Your brand message and identity should be consistent across all channels. If you're sharing the same content on each channel, make sure there are no discrepancies in the way it's presented. For example, use the same branded logo and color palette as well as the same tone of voice and images in every post to ensure that your audience knows it's from you.

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Brand consistency is what brings cohesion to your branding campaign and makes it powerful. With a well-defined brand identity and consistent messaging, you can be sure that your customers will know exactly what they're getting when they buy from you.

Slantics has designed many brands and launched many marketing campaigns. We know a thing or two about how to stick to brand guidelines and carry your brand voice throughout your marketing efforts. Book your Strategy Session with us today if you need any help!