Why Brand Consistency Matters for Your Business

Brand consistency is more than just ensuring your logo looks the same on your work truck and your company signage. Although your logo is a big part of your brand, it isn’t the only thing that represents your brand. Your brand is the set of an individual’s associations and perceptions of your business. So, how do you ensure your brand is consistent to your customers and prospects? Pay close attention to these three areas within your business in order to carry your brand consistently.

Logo

Your logo is your brand’s most visual component. It should appear everywhere: your work trucks, company signage, business cards, bids and estimates, invoices, letterhead, website, work uniforms, social media pages, ads, email marketing, and promotional items. The list could go on and on. Regardless of where your logo appears, it should be consistent from the color to the layout. The only thing that may be inconsistent is the size, as a logo on company signage would obviously be larger in comparison to a logo on an invoice. Ensure your logo is clear, recognizable and readable, especially when it is placed on highly visible assets like your work truck and company signage.

Messaging

Whether you want your business to be known for something or not, your customers will talk to others (think prospective customers) about their personal experience with your business. Many businesses have a core statement or “tagline” that sums up the company and the products or services offered. It is great to craft a message that appears on your marketing materials but is your business living up to it? For instance, if a plumbing company touts a tagline of “Don’t wait a week for a plumber to fix your leak” yet customers complain of having to wait for repairs, the company tagline isn’t genuine. Regardless of what you decide on for company messaging, do what you say and say what you do. With customers, actions speak louder than words … and taglines.

Customer Interactions

Your business interacts with current and prospective customers day in and day out. It could be as small as responding to a question someone posts on your business’s Facebook page and as big as a meeting to review a bid with your biggest client. Regardless of the scale, these interactions are all vitally important to your brand consistency. Consider this scenario, a prospect emails you with questions regarding a possible future project and you reply within the hour. That individual will more than likely be pleased with your prompt reply. A few days later, you receive a call from a current customer requesting a status update on a job. You ignore the call, don’t follow up with the voicemail they left and a week later they call again requesting the same information. The current customer acquires a completely different perception of your brand when compared to the prospect. Customer interactions and experience, whether they be offline, online, in-person, over the phone or computer, need to be consistent to maintain your company’s positive brand perception.

A consistent brand ensures your business is remembered the way you want it to be. Take small steps to achieve universal brand consistency and soon your company will reap the benefits.