What is Brand Consistency? 

Brand consistency, according to Mailchimp, is ensuring that the way you present your company—and what it stands for—remains the same across all your marketing channels, unifying the image and message your customers and potential customers see. 

 

So why does having a consistent brand matter? Creating a coherent image of your brand across all channels of communication is essential for building connections with your customers. By using the same voice and tone in your writing, brand guidelines in your designing, and having parameters around communicating, you can help customers connect who you are as a company and why they should buy from you over your competitors. 

 

Common Brand Consistency Mistakes to Avoid  

 

Don’t: Jump Right In 

One of the most common mistakes we see in small businesses when it comes to their brand strategy, is skipping the research phase. We understand that small business owners wear many hats and that means there isn’t always time for extra work like research. And we aren’t talking just browsing competitors’ websites. We mean taking meaningful initiatives to help you define company goals, target the right audiences, and recognize your space in the competitive landscape. 

 Do: Research  

Define how your company stacks up against competition through a comprehensive competitive analysis. Try a buyer persona exercise where you can help identify your ideal audience and start to shape how your brand can speak to them.  

 

Don’t: Design Without Brand Guidelines 

We understand, creating well thought out brand guidelines takes a lot of time that small business owners don’t always have. It can be tempting to jump into Canva and design something with a cool looking font, but that’s just a clear path to inconsistency.  

 Do: Take the Time to Design Right 

There is no way around it, implementing brand guidelines is one of the most effective ways to boost your brand consistency. It can be used as a guidebook for both internal and external parties to reference. 

 

Don’t: Skimp Out On Strong 

There are five key components of a strong brand strategy. Skimping out on one or two when developing yours can set your brand consistency up for failure.   

• Unique – Your brand should be distinct from your competitors and uniquely you.  
• Memorable – Break out of the monotony with a brand that people are going to remember.  
• Scalable – Growth of your brand alongside your company will save you time and money in the long run.  
• Evolvable – Your brand should be able to evolve to gain competitive advantage. 
• Good Synergy – All of the elements of your brand should work together cohesively. 

Do: Build a Lasting Brand 

Build your brand around uniqueness, memorability, scalability, evolvability, and good synergy to have a lasting brand that can remain consistent year over year. Behind all aspects of your planning should be a clearly defined purpose that bleeds into all materials. Why does your business exist? What greater purpose do you serve? Answering these questions can help you be consistent in your brand’s tone and voice across all marketing materials. 

  

More than just the logo, color selection, and preferred comma use, brand consistency is about the intangible, the feeling someone gets when they think about your brand that truly makes your strategy a success. Have questions about branding? Contact us today.