When we talk about branding, we’re talking about something essential — your company’s visual, public-facing representation. Globally renowned brands aren’t embedded in our brains just because of a memorable logo, dependable color choices or catchy jingles and tag lines; these brands are notable because they’re consistent across every facet of their branding.
Brand consistency leads to brand recognition, so innovative companies take every opportunity to reinforce their positioning and reputation. They create a cohesive and consistent brand through font choice, spacing, colors, logos (including where, when, and how the logo appears in content), and even the people and the voices they use to describe or promote their work.
The success of consistent branding will depend on several factors, including establishing clear boundaries — whether it’s for a new company or a brand relaunch — and using software tools effectively. Here are some big-picture ways to establish consistent branding for any business.
Create Guidelines
This is an extensive subject, but ultimately, creating clear rules or a style guide for corporate branding will show team members how to correctly use and implement branding assets. Provide these guidelines both online and by hosting an in-person or virtual presentation for team members so that you can discuss branding and how to use it. Further, using asset management software and having a strict and clear vetting process for outgoing communications will ensure uniformity across all channels.
Be Consistent at Every Opportunity
Brand presentation assets should be used for every facet of business communications, including e-signatures, headers, excel sheets, social media content and presentations — whether they’re B2B, B2C or for internal use. Crafting templates for each of these elements is a great way to ensure consistency and to save employee time.
For elevated assets, consider outsourcing and connecting with branding experts for help refining these tools; for example, seek out a presentation company for events and meetings if presentations and their design go beyond your in-house specialty. Not only will carefully branded and custom-made PowerPoint presentations strengthen your brand identity, but they’ll also boost internal productivity.
The Importance of Consistent Branding
Now that we’ve covered a few keyways to implement and maintain consistency, here’s why consistent branding is so important.
It Builds Loyalty and Trust
A consistent brand can boost customer reliability and faith in the product or service. In fact, in one study, 41% of surveyed respondents identified consistency as being more important than authenticity, with brand loyalty in mind.
It’s an Easy Identifier
Core, uniform branding gives your customers an easy way to pick your brand out from the crowd.
It Boosts Your Brand’s Reputation
Core branding allows you to easily stand out from the competition by sharing brand values and giving your business a distinct personality.
It Increases Sales
Consistent branding can even help your brand secure sales. It’s estimated that the average revenue increase is 23% for brands that present themselves consistently.
Takeaway
Consistency in your branding is essential; it’s also crucial to avoid having your brand stagnate. Run a brand audit semi-regularly. Do this not only to ensure that consistency is being maintained on every platform, but also to identify areas for improvement, areas of strength and places where you may be missing an opportunity. Every business has its own style; allow your branding to flourish by being as consistent as possible.
