So firstly, let’s talk about why is consistency important.
Consistency is important because it leads to brand recognition and when customers recognise your Brand (and have positive associations with it), they’re more likely to buy and become customers for the long term which of course equals business growth!
There are many aspects to a maintain a consistent brand image and messaging which include;
- Your Logo
- Your strapline or slogan
- Your brand colours
- The fonts you use
- The images or graphics you use
- The tone of voice you use
Here are my top tips to maintain a consistent brand image and messaging
Research
In order to avoid changing your brand image and messaging over and over it is essential that you do your research before you start creating collateral. You need to KNOW
- What products or services you will be selling (be specific)
- Who you will be selling them to (your target audience)
- What are the features and benefits
- What are your Unique Selling Points
- Why should people buy from you
- What are the competition doing
Once you have established the specific and detailed answers to these questions then (and only then) can you start to build your brand.
Design and Development
Start with your logo, creating several different concepts and show them to your target audience (not your partner, Mum or best mate – unless they are your target audience) before refining to a final design. Ensure you have a set of logos in various colourways and layouts so you can use it consistently on light backgrounds and dark…in landscape and portrait…and if you have an icon have a version that is just the icon by itself.
Once your logo is complete you can move on to deciding fonts and colours (from the logo). Then slogans and tone of voice and of course any other images or graphics you will use.
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Brand Guidelines
Now you are all set to create your Brand Guidelines. This could just be one page which shows the logo versions, gives the codes for the colours and demonstrates the fonts. Larger organisations have an extensive bible which outlines rules of using the logos, tone of voice, vision, mission, layouts – loads of things.
The most important thing about your Brand Guidelines is that they are shared with everyone in your organisation and out of it who may have responsibility for creating content or using the brand collateral. Make sure you include contact details for the person responsible for checking and signing off all communications.
Colour
Colour can be a tricky issue when you are looking at different platforms. There are several different ways of creating colour – known as CMYK, RGB and Hex Colours. CMYK is generally used for print and RGB or Hex Colours for Digital. Some colours look dramatically different in CMYK and RGB so it is worth checking this at the design stage. Also bear in mind that colour reproduction is not a perfect art…different papers will absorb ink in different ways to give different results and different resolution screens will display colour differently.
Consistency
Once you have your brand and guidelines in place every message you put out on any platform can be consistent. You’ll have a portrait and landscape logo so you won’t have to mess with it to get it to fit. You’ll have a slogan which you can use on your website, flyers or social media. You’ll know your tone of voice so all your communications can sound the same. All of this will appeal to your target audience and create brand loyalty.
Of course, sometimes in business change is required, but this should ONLY be if
- You are changing direction in terms of what you sell
- You are changing who you sell to
- The market you work in has changed significantly
- What you are doing is not working (back to research stage for you)
Lather, Rinse, Repeat…as needed
Now you can go forth with confidence…keep doing what works and you will reap the rewards.
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By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!