Your brand is one of your business’s biggest assets. It makes you stand out from the crowd and should be immediately recognisable to your customer base or audience.
81% of consumers say they need to trust a brand to consider buying anything from them, and a consistent brand identity plays a huge role in building that trust. Branding allows businesses to build relationships with their customers and it attracts new customers too.
But you don’t have to be a big business to benefit from the power of consistent branding. Below is everything you need to know about maintaining a cohesive brand identity and why it’s so important.
What does consistent branding actually mean?
A strong brand will be presented consistently at every point of contact with its audience. Consistent branding is like keeping a brand’s look and feel steady across the board – from the visual aspects such as the logos, typography, colours, graphics and imagry to the tone of the messaging. It’s all about making sure a brand comes off as a solid and cohesive package.
The Importance of Brand Identity
Recognition is one of the biggest and most obvious reasons why brand identity is so important. People are more likely to take notice of a business with a strong brand identity than one without.
We know that 80% of male and 76% of female customers purchase products from brands they know and that whilst it only takes people an average of 7 seconds to form an impression of your brand they will need to see it at least 5–7 times before those same consumers recognise your company logo.
What does that mean in real terms? That you must increase your brand’s presence in all media to increase brand recognition. And that the identity you are showing to consumers must be the same each time they see it, or they won’t remember you anyway!
In our increasingly digital age, the brand identity you are presenting should be consistent across both online and offline channels to reach the right audience.
Having a clear brand identity also helps businesses to build trust with their customers. Brand trust can help you to retain loyal customers, as well as attract new ones. One of the best ways to build trust is to build relationships with your customers. You can do this by being present on social media, responding to enquiries across all outlets, and being authentic. A part of this authenticity will come from having a consistent brand identity: make it clear who you are and what your brand stands for, and ensure that this is reflected across all of your brand presences, both online and offline.
Is keeping it consistent only important for Big Businesses?
Not at all, any sized business can benefit from a well-crafted, consistent brand identity. In fact, it’s just as important that small and medium businesses establish a strong and consistent identity as soon as possible so that their business can grow and attract a wider audience.
A solid brand identity will make it easier to market your brand and establish yourself as a player in your field, so you should see it as an investment in the long-term growth and success of your business.
How can I ensure my brand is perceived consistently?
When a brand identity is created consistency is one of the most important considerations. If you pay someone to create or improve your brand identity you should receive a very important document called your ‘brand guidelines’. Brand guidelines are like a rulebook that outlines the way a brand identity should and shouldn’t be used.
To ensure brand consistency these guidelines should be supplied to your design agency so they can be followed precisely whenever any new material is created.
