Today’s blog is all about your business branding and it’s consistency, or possible lack thereof. Have you ever looked at someone’s social media or website and thought about how amazing it looked but you weren’t sure what the secret sauce was? There IS a formula and in a nutshell it’s CONSISTENT branding. This pattern of expression that is emerging from your business is what will help take your business to the next level.
We all have our favorite style in the clothes we wear and the products we buy, and the same should go for YOUR business. Trying to constantly reinvent yourself showcasing a brand who may have an identity crisis, probably won’t do your bottom line any favors (although you want to update and refresh from time to time). You’ll want to keep your look somewhat in sync so that when someone is exposed to your marketing, immediately they will know it’s you.
You probably find yourself doing it while perusing your favorite brands. Notice some of the things that they do, and try to emulate their overarching ideas, but putting your own spin on it and make it uniquely your own. There are professionals (like me) who do this for a living, and there is NO shame in asking for help. I’ve seen more people who think they can do it all, and then other areas of their business suffer and they don’t get the result they wanted in the first place. Think about Nike, Target and Walmart. With simple recurring icons they don’t need their full logo…Why? Because their brands are on point and that swoosh, bullseye, and yellow spark is all they need. Genius marketing teams over there. You can achieve similar results with your customers with the right strategies. It just takes some work and proper planning.
START WITH THE BASICS
It’s important to start with the basics. Do you have brand standards and a proper logo that thoroughly explains who you are and what you do? This will ensure the consistency of your business across the board. All the way from internal memos to Instagram posts. This is where you fine tune your identity and choose fonts, colors and create guidelines that should be followed throughout your team on every level.
Make sure that your voice is homogeneous across any and all platforms. If you have multiple people maintaining different channels, you’ll want to ensure the tone stays the same. Engaging with current and potential customers will create awareness and build loyalty and they. The same would be true for any and all visuals you create for your business.
ASK YOURSELF THIS
So the big question is, how would you rate your brand consistency? Do you think you are putting your best foot forward to represent your business? Here is an easy quiz to help determine whether your brand could use a little updating… We are here to help YOU.
CONSISTENCY QUIZ:
- DO YOU HAVE BRAND STANDARD GUIDELINE YOU COULD HAND TO SOMEONE AND THEY WOULD KNOW HOW TO PORTRAY YOUR BUSINESS?
- DO YOU KNOW WHAT A MOOD BOARD IS AND HAVE YOU CREATED ONE TO STREAMLINE YOUR STORY?
- HAVE YOU CREATED MARKETING MATERIALS THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF?
- DO YOU HAVE DOCUMENT TEMPLATES THAT CAN BE EASILY EDITED?
- DOES YOUR WEBSITE SHOWCASE YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICE CLEARLY AND OFFER A WAY TO EXECUTE A SALE ONLINE?
- HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR BRAND IN THE LAST 5 YEARS?
- HAVE YOU EVER INTERNALLY AUDITED YOUR TEAM TO ASK THEM WHAT THE TONE AND MESSAGING SHOULD BE FOR YOUR COMMUNICATIONS?
- ARE YOUR FONTS, COLORS, AND IMAGERY SOMETHING YOU ARE PROUD OF?
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