Brand consistency is the practice of always creating touchpoint experiences that align with the core brand values in the same tone/personality, displaying the brand logo within particular guidelines, and repeating the same colors throughout your visual brand elements. With repetition, these elements become fixed in the minds of your audience, and they’re more likely to remember and recognize your brand across marketing channels and touch points.
Touchpoint Wheel by Anne Wheeler
BENEFITS OF BRAND CONSISTENCY
Brand recognition is the most obvious benefit of brand consistency. Every business should aim to be instantly recognizable by its target audience. Not only does it help to build a strong connection between your core messages and values and the visual components of your brand, but it also sets your brand apart from your competition.
In a competitive market with tons of similar offerings, brand consistency often means the difference between winning a customer’s business or losing them to the competition. Leverage brand consistency to communicate, over and over, what it is that sets your business apart from the rest.
Brand consistency creates confidence among consumers that they’ll have specific experience when they engage with your brand. That confidence is translated into trust. Coca-Cola is an excellent example of trust in a brand. Since brand consistency ensures that the experience of drinking a Coke always the same, no one ever wonders what a can of Coke will taste like. Therefore, people trust and are very willing to continue buying Coke. [Remember: brand consistency is about ALL customer experiences, not just visuals.]
COMMON BRAND INCONSISTENCIES
Visual Communication
Your logo, color scheme, images, and typography should create instant recognition for your customers. However, discrepancies in your visual style make it difficult for them to trust the authenticity of your communication. It also distracts from your core message. The elements chosen in your branding should all convey a unified emotion, vision, and personality.
Voice
How do you sound to customers? Business-casual? Fun? Serious? Calm? The lack of a single brand voice causes brand inconsistencies. This happens when your business uses content created with different, and perhaps conflicting, styles. Using an inconsistent voice is creates missed opportunity to connect with your customers. The tone used to communicate your message can help your business rise above the noise. You need to maintain a unified voice in your social media channels, website, blog or emails to create a stronger and clearer brand reputation.
Brand Values
In brand management one of the most overlooked areas is how businesses share their values to the world. Problems occur when different stories and activities present the wrong values on behalf of your business. It is essential to identify the real values of your business, where it takes a stand, and to determine whether they are in alignment with your overall vision.