The importance of a consistent brand

It is increasingly common for your customers to evaluate and make purchasing decisions online. Just look at your own clothing shopping: how often have you checked out the competition before you even walk into a store (if you walk into a store and don’t shop online!). This is exactly why branding is more important than ever.

So what is the brand? It essentially boils down to your customers’ perception of your business and includes personality, character, and values. The brand should extend to your store/office, all signage/printed materials, website and online presence, customer service, and team interactions.

Where do you start?

1. do your research – who are your competitors, how do their sites look, feel and sound. In case yours stands out from the crowd or is in line with the industry. What makes you unique and stands out from your competitors? Depending on who you serve (and understanding their needs) will dictate your direction.
2. Understand who you are and who you serve (a little more research!) – What do your customers care about most? Put your customers first: Meet their needs from your site first, start with easy-to-find contact information. Ask yourself if the copy is too long or full of jargon. Is your content arranged on the page to make it easy to read? Does it tell enough of the story to be useful? Do you provide testimonials to facilitate decision making? Are your packages/prices easy to find and understand? Do they know what they are getting? We have a great worksheet that helps clients understand their customer, if you would like a copy please email us! We will be happy to send it to you.
3. Define your mission and vision statement -All actions and communication should be linked to your mission and vision statement, and your brand should reflect your future goals. Take, for example, that your vision is to recreate an industry and stand out by turning the industry on its head, does that sound radical? Now, what if that’s your vision and your website is shades of gray with very formal, jargon-filled text? How does that speak of your vision?
4. design and copy – Don’t underestimate the power of visual appeal. Create a recognizable logo and choose a color palette that reflects your values ​​and voice. Your website structure should be easy to navigate, with clearly designed text that is easy to digest in a clear font (not overly scripted and difficult to read). The copy must be professional and demonstrate experience speaking in a language that everyone can understand. Your copy should be free of typos and grammatical errors (enlist the help of an editor, or at least have a trusted peer proofread your content).
5. social media it is an extension of your brand, this includes both the appearance and the content. Use social media to expand your reach with timely responses to reinforce your dedication to customer service, quality information curated and created according to your vision.

And one more tip: create a style guide with standards for tone, voice, and style; and includes standards for social networks, website design, any graphic design in the future. Don’t forget to include team expectations! This is the perfect time to create guidelines for response time, signature lines, tone, and professionalism.

The key is: you are your brand, so ALWAYS be consistent!