We are SO excited for our new swag bags! We’re in the process of revamping and creating consistency with our branding — which is so very important for companies, so we thought we should share our insights with everyone. We’ll go through why it’s important, what you need to know about it and tips on how you can stay consistent within your company!
… what is this brand consistency you speak of
Brand Consistency.
Brand consistency is basically how “on brand” your company is for all of its marketing materials, whether it be online or print, in terms of your brand identity and brand guidelines.
Brand identity refers to your company’s mission, vision, practices, logos, colors, fonts, tone and voice — basically everything that makes your company special and standout from other companies!
Brand guidelines are exactly what they sound like, they are a set of rules that a company creates to make sure that all of the brand identity pieces are being implemented and maintained throughout all medias. The main focus in the brand guidelines are the brand assets, which includes your logo, colors, fonts, etc.
But why is brand consistency so hard??
The WHY.
Time and time again, the problem that a lot of companies typically face when it comes to brand consistency lies in the personality and character of the people who create the marketing materials. We’re not saying your spunky co-workers aren’t great, however it can often outshine the character of the company’s brand and can easily get mixed up, creating inconsistent branding.
Do customers really care about this stuff?
Although brand consistency is hard to measure, there does seem to be a real benefit to cohesive branding. LucidPress states that:
the average revenue increase attributed to always presenting your brand consistently is 23%.
LucidPress
Holy smokes! A 23% increase in revenue just by making sure your colors and fonts are all the same everywhere?? Okay there’s definitely more to it than just that but you get the gist!
The reasoning behind it is with consistent branding you differentiate yourself from other brands which will make it more likely for higher top of mind recall and awareness! (For example, you’re feeling hungry for a burger, so you think about what your options are and recall different companies. In your consideration set is McDonald’s, Burger King and Culver’s… you choose Culver’s because that’s obviously the right choice).
It’s true that people’s brains look for consistency, patterns, and familiar things. Over time, if your company’s branding is consistent, you’ll gain the trust of consumers and retain your customers. On the flip side, if your brand is inconsistent, you may face losing customers and damage your company image — and you obviously don’t want that.
So what can you do?
Alright so you may be thinking this all seems a little overwhelming. It may take some time to get a game plan going but it’s HIGHLY recommended if your company doesn’t have branding guidelines to sit down with a group of creative individuals in the business and hash out some ideas. Make sure everyone is on the same page and designate someone to be the ‘enforcer’ of these rules whether it be print or online materials.
5 tips on how your brand can stay consistent…
- Make sure your entire team is on board and on the same page.
- Make sure to make a brand guideline if you don’t already have one! Some basic information to include is: company name, mission statement, company slogan, logo design(s) and what/when/where to use them, color schemes, typography (fonts).
- Make sure everyone that creates marketing materials has access to the right tools and materials.
- Designate an internal enforcer or ‘branding police squad’ to make sure marketing elements are being used correctly.
- Don’t fall into the trap of thinking consistency is boring! Consistency is key in a brand’s success.