"Consistency" sounds like something your dentist might lecture you about. But the truth is that consistency really does matter — especially when it comes to your brand.
Whether it's your marketing department crafting the perfect email campaign or a sales rep talking directly with a lead, your brand message should be clear, concise, and consistent.
If it's not, you run the risk of confusing or alienating prospects and customers. And in today's ultra-competitive market, you can't afford to lose out on deals over something as preventable as inconsistent branding.
In this post, we’ll dive into why brand consistency matters across all channels — from headquarters, to marketing, to sales. Get ready to find out why you need to make sure everyone on your team is singing from the same brand lyrics sheet.
What Is Brand Consistency?
Brand consistency is the practice of maintaining a cohesive and uniform image, voice, and message across all touchpoints and interactions. It involves creating a clear and recognizable brand identity that is reinforced consistently through visual elements, tone of voice, messaging, and overall customer experience.
When you create a consistent brand, you ensure that your company is easily recognizable across all marketing, customer service, and sales channels.
Let’s look at the three biggest reasons why brand consistency is so important.
1. Consistent Branding Builds Awareness
When people don’t know your brand yet, they don’t know if they can trust you — no matter how great your first impression is. They may want to check out other options, or wait a little longer until the time is right for them to buy. For whatever reason, they may not be ready to pull the trigger right away.
That’s why maintaining awareness is so important.
When the time is right for your lead to buy, they won’t buy from you if they don’t remember you.
Building awareness takes time and repetition. You’re going to need to get in front of your prospects multiple times to stick in their minds as the best option. Branding provides the “glue” of consistency while the prospect is becoming aware of your company and the solutions you offer.
When you show up with the same logo, colors, fonts, voice, and story, it gives your potential customers context and helps them remember you. And remembering you leads to trusting you — which is the next reason brand consistency is so important.
2. Consistent Branding Leads to Trust
Human beings feel more confident when their expectations are met. When leads see consistent branding, it makes them feel more comfortable doing business with you, because they know exactly what to expect and how things will unfold.
When your company presents the same image and messaging across marketing and sales channels, it creates a sense of dependability and reliability that customers appreciate — even if it’s subconscious. Your leads and customers can trust that they’ll receive the same level of quality, service, and value every time they interact with your brand. This builds their confidence in your company's ability to deliver on its promises, which can lead to long-term loyalty and advocacy.
When people trust you, they're more likely to believe in your vision, follow your lead, and recommend your products or services to others. Trust is the foundation on which all business relationships are built.
Trust also helps to create loyalty and long-term commitment. When customers trust your business, they're more likely to stay loyal, even in challenging times. They're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and are more likely to forgive mistakes or missteps. When your customers truly trust you, you can build sustainable relationships that withstand the ups and downs of the market.
It’s like your favorite restaurant — you know that every time you go there, you’re going to get the perfect steak (or stir-fried tofu, for you vegetarians). You trust them because they’re consistent. So that restaurant is now your go-to spot for celebrations, birthdays, and date nights; and it’s the first place you recommend when someone asks you if you know any good steak places.
3. Consistent Branding Helps You Stand Out
Your customers are facing an avalanche of content every single day.
As of April 2022, here’s what happened every single minute on the internet:
- 347,200 Tweets were published
- 1,700,000 pieces of content were shared on Facebook
- 5,900,000 searches were conducted on Google
Consumers are inundated with a constant stream of information, all day every day. So how do you stand out in all that noise? Brand consistency is key.
When prospects see the same logo, colors, and messaging across different platforms and channels, they begin to associate those elements with your brand's values, personality, and offerings. This association makes your brand easier to understand and recognize.
Think of it this way: you're scrolling through your Instagram feed and see a post from a brand you follow. Without even reading the caption, you know exactly who posted the content, because of the consistent use of their brand elements. This makes it easy for you to spot their stuff in the flood of posts from other companies.
Then when you talk with a sales rep from that same company, and the salesperson connects with you using the same values and voice as the branding you saw on Instagram, it reinforces trust and helps that company really stand out.
This kind of brand recognition helps you rise above your competitors, even when your customers are struggling to stay afloat in a sea of constant content.
Why Consistent Branding Is More Important Than Ever
If you feel frustrated because your team presents your company and offers differently with every customer, you may want to talk to them about the psychology of consistency, and why prospects are more likely to buy from a company that presents a consistent brand.
After all, you spend countless hours and resources crafting the perfect brand message, honing your voice and tone, and developing a killer marketing and sales strategy. But if your message gets diluted or misinterpreted when it’s communicated by different employees or departments, it's like trying to build a house with a shaky foundation. Your “house” isn’t going to hold up in the long run.
Get a free trial of Showcase to see how simple it can be to ensure brand consistency across all your sales presentations.