Brand Consistency is paramount for an engineering company’s marketing efforts.
For most companies and businesses out there, branding is everything. They want people to be aware of their brand, to recognize a product of the brand just by looking at it and remember their brand. They also want their brand to have something unique that makes it stand out from the rest. A muddled brand that is not even sure about its policies, branding, and other things doesn’t sell out that well and customers are also gonna forget about such brands.
For a business or startup to perform, it should have consistency all across it. Customers are more likely to remember a brand that gives the customers the same vibe every time, meaning that there is repetition. Users aren’t gonna stick with a brand that gives mixed signals. Customer memory is all about repetition, getting the same message every time. An inconsistent or muddled brand never impresses the customers. So, how can one improve brand consistency? Well, that is what we have discussed below:
1. Brand Guidelines
The first thing that any brand needs to work on to achieve and improve brand consistency is brand or company guidelines. Just like any sport or game such as Klondike Solitaire has its own rulebook, these guidelines can be considered the company’s rulebook. These guidelines need to be followed strictly and they create consistency for a brand. Even if a brand has multiple branches in different locations, if employees follow the guidelines then customers would get the same experience in every branch.
Guidelines tell employees how your brand works and how to communicate with customers. These guidelines ensure that the same language is used for communicating with customers, no matter where they are from so they get the same experience. If an employee is unsure about what to do or say then simply checking the guidelines would do the job for him. Brand guidelines ensure consistency and these are essential for any business or company that wants to sell in the market.
2. Review
After brand guidelines are made and implemented, it is time to review everything to evaluate what kind of a message is given out to the customers. Whether the customers are getting the same message or there is some ambiguity. Everything needs to be reviewed and examined, from website & social media pages to marketing & ad campaigns that are being run. Is the tone the same everywhere? Are users getting the same consistent message? Is everything perfectly aligned just like cards are aligned in Solitaire at the end?
These important things need to be reviewed and if there is any ambiguity or something isn’t aligning with the message then it needs to be changed or removed. This review or audit, whatever you may call it, should be done after every few years to improve brand consistency.
3. A Short, Catchy Slogan
Having a short, catchy slogan is also gonna help you improve brand consistency. If a slogan is catchy then we all remember it. Let’s take the example of Nike, the famous “Just Do It” slogan is remembered by everyone and it has become the identity of the brand. Catchy slogans are important and these become memorable to the brand. A simple, short, and catchy slogan is going to stay in the minds of people and it can also boost the brand’s consistency.
We see bigger brands changing their slogans after a couple of years but smaller businesses and startups should focus on one slogan and stick with it until they are able to achieve their goals & objectives.
4. Brand Development Team
It can be difficult for one person to manage everything regarding the development of a brand and if the size of the business is huge then it can become really difficult for one person to boost and manage the brand’s consistency. If the size of your business is large and it is difficult to manage then perhaps it is time that you set up a proper brand development team.
This team should be handed the task to look after all the elements of brand development including brand consistency. Having a proper set of eyes to look after the brand consistency is gonna boost it.
5. Collaboration
You can take brand consistency to the next level by collaborating with other brands that have the same style as yours. We have the example of KFC and Pepsi partnering up together which increases the brand consistency of both the brands and benefits them both. If you are running an ethical tea brand then you can collaborate with a special handmade mug designer or an ethical coffee brand. Such collaborations are a win-win situation for both companies and also improve brand consistency.
