When thinking about branding consistency, you might think you know everything there is to know. Consistency looks aesthetically pleasing to the eye, customers can easily recognize your brand, and all renowned companies do it, so why wouldn’t you? But have you ever considered the importance of it and the ways it can benefit you? Let’s take a deeper look so you, as a business owner, fully understand why consistent branding should be a priority in your marketing plan.
If you’re unsure about where to start to maintain consistency, you can partner with a top digital marketing agency in Dhaka. This is a great option for businesses that want high-quality marketing solutions without exceeding the budget.
Benefits of Brand Consistency
Consistent branding is considered a building block by many when it comes to successful branding. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Brand Recognition
When you’re shopping at the grocery store, looking for, let’s say, tea bags, you may find yourself coming across aisles of hundreds or thousands of tea brands. What do you do in this case? While some shoppers (those on a budget) would check the price and choose the cheapest one, others would want a brand they are familiar with.
Familiarity comes in many ways. It could be a product you used before, something a close friend suggested, or something you came across before, perhaps in a newspaper ad or on your social media feed. Consistent branding can help with all different types of familiarity. If someone has used your product before and forgotten its name, the color on the packaging might help jog their memory. If they have come across your ad, they may recall the color and bits and pieces of the information in it. Lastly, when people can easily recognize the brand and be familiar with what it looks like, they’re more likely to remember and recommend it.
So, when a customer is shopping in an aisle, the color on the packaging and the logo will engender feelings of familiarity and compel them to choose that product. This is why increasing visual recognition through colors and typography is essential in creating a brand. A catchy tagline, slogan, or jingle can also be beneficial. By improving recall power, you can stay top of mind for your customers.
2. Brand Reputation
Something you’ll notice about popular brands such as Nike, Apple, and Chanel is that they all strictly follow certain guidelines when it comes to promoting their products, whether it’s on a billboard, social media story, or a TV commercial, in terms of cinematography, tone, storytelling, themes, etc. Needless to say, consistency in branding has become a mark of a trusted, reliable, and professional brand. It shows professionalism. And the way social media content looks aesthetically pleasing on the Instagram page is a bonus.
When a brand strays from its usual visual elements and textual tone, it can be confusing for customers. If you, as a customer, noticed that a business that has been posting high-quality content suddenly started posting Canva templates, you might think the business is struggling. If they don’t have the funds for marketing, they most likely are not selling well. And if they’re not selling well, their products and services are probably not that good. Even though this could be considered quite a stretch, customers can jump to conclusions with whatever little information they have when they’re contemplating whether to use your products and services.
Mismatched brand messages cause confusion, and it’s best to avoid them to maintain a strong reputation. Your reputation will increase your credibility and trust among the audience, bringing more customers to your door.
3. Customer Loyalty
Loyalty is a result of increased brand recognition and brand reputation. Brand recognition efforts through brand storytelling can create an emotional connection with the audience. And having a positive brand reputation can push people to trust your products and services more.
When given the option to choose a brand they’ve never heard of or yours, customers would choose yours by default. This means customers will be loyal to your brand. They will choose yours over competitor brands they are not familiar with. According to a survey, 59% of consumers in America claim that once they’re loyal to a brand, the brand has their loyalty for life. Therefore, loyalty is an aspect that you cannot overlook!
Consistency Through Brand Guidelines
Having clear rules about how brand elements are used in marketing helps maintain consistency. Brand guidelines compile these rules in one document so that when you bring on a new team member or agency, everyone is on the same page about how the brand should look and feel.
Here are five aspects to keep in mind when aiming for consistency:
- Visual Elements
One of the first things the audience notices is your color palette. Colors evoke emotion and carry specific associations. Red is often linked to power, passion, or energy. Yellow is associated with cheerfulness and energy. Blue suggests calmness and productivity. If your brand uses warm tones, keep that consistent across all marketing channels. Use the same one or two fonts throughout your content. Your imagery should follow the same approach. Avoid mixing animated infographics on your website with polished stock photos on social media. Stick with one style of visuals.
- Logo
Your logo should be memorable and timeless. Slight variations may be used depending on the platform, but the core design should stay the same over time. Use your logo consistently on packaging, merchandise, office branding, social media, your website, and any other channel your business appears on.
- Tone of Voice
Your brand voice might be fun, authoritative, or inspirational. Make sure your storytelling and word choices match that voice. Language matters. B2C brands often use simple, accessible words, while B2B brands might use industry-specific terms. Adapt to what your audience expects. For example, Dove uses a sensitive and human tone. Apple focuses on innovation and minimalist design. Red Bull centers its voice around viral content.
- Communication Frequency
How often you post also plays a role. If your business moves quickly, you’ll likely need more frequent updates. An e-commerce brand might post daily with detailed product captions. A software company may only need two posts per week. Match the rhythm of your communication to the pace of your business.
- Social Media
Choose platforms based on where your audience spends time. If you’re reaching an older demographic on Facebook, focus on thoughtful and informative posts. If your audience is younger and active on TikTok, aim for short, quick, and humorous videos using trending sounds. Your choice of platforms should reflect your brand’s message and audience preferences.
Conclusion
Making sure your brand is consistent on all platforms can take time and effort, but it is definitely worth the investment. You can develop brand guidelines to keep all the members of the team on track, train them via workshops, and conduct rigorous reviews to check that the visual elements, tone, and sound are all aligned. And if you’re on the lookout for cost-effective advertising strategies, you can hire a creative agency in Bangladesh to support you. These efforts would undoubtedly result in increased brand recognition, a strong reputation, improved customer loyalty, and numerous other benefits.