Do you know anyone who actually believes that MacDonalds produce the highest quality, best-tasting burgers available?
And yet, everywhere you go in the world (there is even one on the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay) the ‘golden arches’ grace the skyline. Why is that? Likewise Ikea, Starbucks and Nike are trusted brands that are well known, but not necessarily recognised as being the best you can get.
The answer is consistency. Whenever your brain sees a familiar logo that represents a strong brand it is assured that it knows what it is going to get. This only works if the brand consistency has been maintained, however. That is why these companies go to incredible lengths and commit enormous marketing spend to the process of maintaining the continuity of their image. It goes far beyond the logo itself, and that is, in fact, where the secret lies. There are a whole host of considerations alongside and behind the colours, the use of the badge and the company’s slogan.
The fact is that we come into contact with literally hundreds of logos every single day, but only a handful have the impact on us that the really strong brands can manage. Most brands vanish in the abundance of ordinary that surrounds us, simply because there is no consistency in their message.
To make a brand strong it needs to communicate the same message every time a customer comes into contact with the company; visually, audibly, by product, and in person (online and offline).
Four simple ways to make your brand consistent.
Design: A professional designer who fully understands your company’s ambition, expertise, client base and purpose will help you create a powerful brand. This will include logos, colours and images that clearly represent the key aspects of your business.
Design can play a massive role in making you stand out from the competition. Good design builds trust in the brand and that you are a serious business not some two bob con man thats thrown something together in 20 mins on Canva.
Tone: Only by identifying the relationship between what your customers want and exactly what you provide can the right tone of your message be established. Most companies start at the drawing board when developing their tone, but smart businesses look far deeper than that and start with the client need.
Message: Having established the foundation stones of your brand it is time to start developing its voice. The way that you communicate with your prospects and customers (written, visual, audio) should be consistent with the rest of your brand.
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Offer: Whenever you present your business offering to your clients be sure to address their needs – not yours. The combination of a well-crafted, consistent message, a strong image and an appropriate tone will give enormous weight and credibility to your marketing.
Congruency is King…
Studies have shown that someone must come into contact with a brand up to nine times before it has any impact on them. You will agree that it takes a significant amount of cost and effort to instigate nine contacts with your perfect customer. So, having made the effort and taken on the expense of such a mammoth task, surely it would be wise to share a clear, consistent message each time – rather than a confused mismatch…
Now go and grab yourself a burger, have a cup of coffee, go for a jog or relax at you new desk while you consider the association power of a consistent brand.
So hopefully now you can see the importance of brand consistency in your business.
Thanks, for reading.
Matt
