Keeping your business branding consistent
If someone landed on your website from your Instagram bio link, would they be confused about where they were? I don’t mean that you used the wrong link, I mean does your website match the brand that you share on your social media platforms?
Consistency in your business is one the biggest factors that will lead to growth and it comes in lots of different forms – each equally important. Of course we know we need to be consistent about ‘showing up’ online and in our marketing but what I’m talking about today is being consistent in our branding. So, not how often we are showing up but how we are showing up.
The how of showing up for our business
In this case, I am speaking about your brand and everything that encompasses. To simplify it, I think you can break it down into two areas – your visuals and your voice. The visuals and voice of your business brand will cover everything from social media graphics and captions to your website design and copy to any printed materials you produce, and more. Building consistency between all these elements will strengthen your brand, building recognition, reputation and trust from your audience.
The benefits of being consistent
I just touched on the trust and recognition that can come from consistency in your brand but why is that important? The more consistent you are across all parts of your business, the more people will start to see you as a dependable business who they can rely on for a good quality service. It will set you apart of the safe and secure option when they are weighing up who to work with or buy from (even if this is subconscious).
How being inconsistent can harm you
To look at this flip side of this, being inconsistent in your branding and messaging can be confusing for your audience, potential customers and clients. You don’t want anyone who plans to work or buy from you to be confused because it will ultimately put them off and they will go elsewhere.
Example of inconsistent visuals
If you are always sharing social media posts that use wildly different colours, your audience might just skip over the post completely not realising it was from someone they want to hear from.
Example of inconsistent voice
If the personality you share on Instagram stories is quirky, friendly and bubbly but when they click through to services page on your website everything is written in cold, formal language they will wonder if it’s even you they will be working with or just be completely put off because it doesn’t match what drew them to you in the first place!
So let’s break down each part of your brand and see how we can ensure it’s all as harmonious as can be!
Your brand visuals
As I spoke about previously, you want people to know instantly know your business at one glance. They see a pop of your signature teal and pink colour palette and know immediately it’s you.
When I talk about your brand visuals, I mean:
Logo
Colours
Fonts
Brand images (of you and/or your products)
Stock images
Graphics and icons
This all comes together to form your brand guidelines. You don’t always have to include every element listed above in every place your business shows up but the elements you do use should look like they are part of the same family.
Apart from all the great pros of making your business look trustworthy, dependable, and well-recognised, having brand guidelines will also make your life so much easier. When you come to build a website, create a social media graphic or design an invoice, you know exactly what colours and fonts to use – no guesswork!
Your brand voice
The visuals are certainly the most obvious part of your branding because they are typically what people will notice first, however your brand and business voice is just as important.
Your voice can refer to:
Literally, your voice, what you say when you meet people
Social media captions
Website copy
Video
Articles and blog posts
The way you ‘speak’ as your business whether it’s in written or verbal form should reflect the personality and ethos of your business. This will stop any confusion from your audience or potential clients. They will get to know you, and connect or resonate with what you have to say. If this is an accurate representation of your service or product, it will match up with what you deliver, leaving your client very happy!
How to ensure you stay consistent
My top tip for keeping yourself on track with your brand visuals and voice is to create a document with all of the guidelines in one place. If you’ve worked with a branding specialist, graphic designer or copywriter, you will have the beginnings of this already. Whether it’s a folder on your computer where you keep these documents from people you’ve worked with, or if you’re creating something yourself, having it all in one place for easy reference will make sure you stick to it.
If you think your website could do with some work to keep it consistent with the rest of your business branding, check out my services below. I’d love to have a chat about working together!
