When you think about the reasons for building a brand, you probably think of things like branding your website, your communications, your marketing materials, and so on. But the fact is that your brand will – or at least should – become integrated with every single aspect of your organisation.
On the one hand, this is a good thing. It means that every process that’s undertaken within your business, from recruitment and onboarding to sales and investor relations, is shaped by that underlying message you started with. It helps you to remain true and loyal to who you are.
On the other hand, this creates a bit of a challenge. Quite simply, the more present your brand is across your organisation, the more you’re going to have to work to maintain complete consistency.
Why is consistency important?
Imagine you’ve got a favourite local restaurant that you visit regularly. Each time you go, you’re greeted with a warm welcome by the front-of-house staff. They’re dressed in cowboy-inspired clothing in keeping with the Texas BBQ theme. It’s a place that’s busy and loud, and where you can enjoy a great meal with excellent beer. It’s a fun venue, where everyone is encouraged to be themselves.
Now imagine that you find out this restaurant is part of a small chain, with 7 locations across the country. Excited, you book a table at your next closest venue to see if it’s just as good. But when you walk in, you find the place to be quiet and still, with a harpist playing delicate music in the background. Staff are dressed in chic black shirts and trousers. The atmosphere is formal and stiff.
How do you feel? Confused? Surprised? Disoriented? Not sure if you’ve got the right place?
This is exactly how your audience will feel if there’s no consistency in your branding.
The core purpose behind building a brand is to connect with your audience. To tell them who you are, without them even having to ask. To make your business more familiar; more recognisable.
However, when your brand is portrayed in a different way depending on where it’s present, it’s harder to create this connection. You may present an approachable, conversational, friendly brand across your website, for example, yet a more closed-off, professional brand in digital ads. This can make audiences question whether they want to keep moving forward on their journey with you.
How to stay consistent across all channels
There are three effective ways to help keep your brand consistent, wherever it is.
- Develop brand guidelines
Create a ‘cheat sheet’ that clearly outlines the main points of your brand. Over time, it can be easy to stray from the original path, especially as you grow. Guidelines keep you anchored in the right place.
- Communicate
One of the biggest reasons for inconsistency in branding is simply that different individuals have different ideas of how the brand should be portrayed. Strong communication can remedy this.
- Conduct a brand audit
As you add more channels and extend your branding to more places, it can be helpful to conduct a brand audit. This can help identify any existing inconsistencies, and prevent future ones.
