Why is brand consistency so important?
Is your branding consistent throughout your business?
Are using one logo for some parts of your business and another version for other things, or you have changed the colour palette on some things but not across the board?
It is easy to get distracted by a shiny new logo idea or see a new colour and think that it would be nice to use in your branding. You may even think that you have made a mistake and wish that you had branded differently to begin with.
Consistency builds trust with your customers and cements who you are and what you care about. It will help a customer to identify your company and your values and will allow them to quickly decide if your values are aligned with theirs. This builds a stronger connection with that person and makes them more likely to use your company.
Conversely, inconsistencies within a brand dilutes the brand recognition and subconsciously can instil a lack of trust in a business.
Branding is a huge topic and goes so much deeper than just the colours that you use. It encompasses everything about you, your company, and your values.
You might have become known for the way that you do something in your business. Perhaps your company does loads of Facebook live videos. When people that follow you see a live video starting they will probably know it is you before they have clicked on it. This is a part of your brand and is instantly recognisable.
Think about eco-friendly brands - if this value is very important to a person they will often only buy from eco-friendly companies. If you visualise an eco-friendly company, it is likely that you have imagined that there is green used somewhere in their branding, as well as natural products or imagery. There may even be an image of Earth somewhere or trees. This strong branding speaks very clearly to customers that they care about the planet and being eco friendly.
This branding speaks strongly to their ideal customer. The customer wouldn’t have to do too much thinking about whether they want to buy from this brand because it is clear from the branding that their values are aligned. The customer can trust that the company sells products that are in keeping with their own eco-friendly beliefs.
You need to make it easy for customers to identify you. There is a lot of noise in the marketplace, whether that is your actual high street premises or online. If you are using lots of different logos the customer has to really look and work out if you are the company that they were expecting to see.
Now look to your own branding. What does it say about your company and ethos?
Do you use a bit of a new logo in some of your things and the old one in others?
Do you portray your values in the branding?
Perhaps you decided to start using a different colour sometimes?
Having brand guidelines written for your business will ensure that your branding is always the same. The exact colours and fonts used are the same across all aspects of your business. This will strengthen the brand presence and awareness, build trust with your customer base and ultimately, improve sales.
It is ok if you want to change things, but you need to do a full rebrand, and a press release to publicise that you are the same company but with new branding. Don’t just change a bit here and there.
If you have questions about your branding or would like to have your brand guidelines written for your company, get in touch at hello@kellyjeffriewrites.co.uk.
