4 Reasons Why Brand Consistency is so Important

We all recognise big brands like Coca-Cola, Nike and Qantas. Whether you visit their website or see their ads, these brands are consistent across all channels. You know what to expect when you hear the brand name.

Brand consistency isn’t just for big brands. Even small businesses benefit from a clear and consistent brand message. In fact, creating a consistent brand can help boost customer loyalty, attract new audiences and drive up sales.

What is brand consistency?

Brand consistency means sending a stable message to your audience across all channels, whether that be your website, your social media or paid promotions.

In other words, how your brand looks, how you sound and what you say should be the same everywhere over time. Wherever and whenever a customer engages with your brand, they should have a consistent experience.

Brand consistency is:

• Having a clear visual identity, including colours, fonts, logos, image style etc.
• Having a clear tone of voice, whether that be casual and approachable, quirky and playful or professional and authoritative.
• Having a clear message and clearly defined core values.
• Giving your customers a reliable brand experience, whenever they interact with you.

Why is brand consistency so important?

When you stop and consider the most successful brands, they’ve all nailed brand consistency.

Take Bunnings Warehouse for example. Whether you go on their website, see an ad or visit in store, you’ll get the same messaging throughout. Friendly, approachable staff, low prices and accessible hardware for everyone, not just tradies.

In fact, a customer doesn’t even need to see a Bunnings logo to know what brand they’re engaging with. Customers feel like they know what to expect and this builds trust.

Here are 4 reasons why consistency really matters for your brand.

1. Consistency makes you more memorable

Marketing experts will tell you that it takes repeat exposure to your brand before people will start recognising you. In other words, most people won’t remember your brand from their first encounter.

If you want your brand to be memorable, you have to make sure that when a customer encounters your brand again across different channels, they get the same experience every time.

Cultivating a distinct brand identity will help solidify your brand in a customer’s mind. And if your brand is front of mind, you’ll be the one they call when they need the products or services you offer.

2. Consistency improves recognition

When you’re consistent with your brand story, people are more likely to recognise your brand.

Whether they’re on your website or seeing a Facebook ad, they should feel like they’re in familiar territory.

Improving recognition is really valuable because people trust brands they recognise. In fact, if someone is buying a product, they’re far more likely to buy it from a brand they recognise than one they’ve never heard of.

3. Consistency builds trust

Consistency tells people what to expect when they encounter your brand. If you’re not consistent, they’ll be left wondering what your brand is really all about.

Being consistent means being dependable. People are more likely to trust your brand when you keep showing up with a reliable message, a familiar voice and a recognisable visual identity.

Trust is a driving force of sales. People buy from brands they trust and that can take time to build. Giving someone the same brand experience over and over again helps solidify that trust.

4. Consistency is professional

If you want to be taken seriously by your audience, you’ve got to look like you know what you’re doing.

Brand consistency is a professional standard in marketing. Without it, you run the risk of looking inexperienced or untrustworthy.

Developing a consistent brand can also help you stand out from the crowd of competitors.

By delivering a clear and stable brand message, you show your audience that you’re capable, professional and reliable. You’re saying to them: “We’ve got you. You’re in safe hands.”

How to create a consistent brand

There’s a lot that goes into building a consistent brand. Most of the time, it’s not something that’s built overnight, but should be developed and revised over time.

Keep these tips in mind when aiming for consistency:

• Create a mission statement which outlines what your business is and why it exists.
• Create a brand guideline document which details things like tone, voice, logos, fonts and stylistic choices.
• Make your brand guideline accessible to everyone who makes content for your brand.
• Stick with a specific colour palette across all channels.
• Schedule your social media posts, ads and newsletters to achieve consistency around when your audience hears from you.
• Carefully control the type of content you produce, including blog posts and social content, to ensure it lines up with your brand identity.
• Ensure your offline presence matches your online brand messaging.
• Conduct regular brand audits to find areas where you can improve brand consistency.

In conclusion: keep it consistent

Whatever size or type of business you have, brand consistency is important. Done well, it can drive up sales, increase customer loyalty and help your brand grow in a sustainable way.

Nailing a consistent brand story isn’t quick and easy. Investing in professional brand services can help you iron out your brand so that it delivers the right message to the right audience.

With the right tools and support, your business can start reaping the rewards of a consistent brand!