Brand Consistency

Building a brand is serious business. One that takes insight, perseverance, personality, and patience.

Here at graphic, web and branding firm Go Media, we love building solid brands with strong voices. We believe that a solid brand identity is one that is authentic, memorable and consistent. The consistency is key, as we emphasize that a consistent brand builds loyalty. And loyalty, well, that’s what we’re all after. Consumers love to buy from a brand that they can depend on and trust.

If you feel you’re struggling to maintain a consistent look or feel, here are some ways you can tighten up your brand and make it more consistent overall:

Develop Brand Guidelines / a Style Guide and Stick to It
What people love about Starbucks is the consistency they experience from one store to another. The store looks the same. The environment feels the same. Their coffee of choice tastes exactly…the same.

You, too, want your consumer to feel a similar comfort throughout your brand experience. Use the concept of consistency to make sure that your consumer or client knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are interacting with your brand at every touchpoint. Developing distinctive style guidelines, that you’ll hold true to true, will really help you stay consistent. So, if you’ve yet to develop brand guidelines / a style guide for your brand, jump on it! This will ensure that your design and marketing team is on the same page regarding your messaging and brand assets. If you need help creating one, use our template.

Drill into the Heart of Your Company
Sure, many elements represent your brand from the outside perspective – everything from your mark to your logo to your product itself. But who is at the core of your brand? What are the values you were founded upon and what human qualities would you like to have the brand embody? Without that human touch, your brand can seem unrelatable. A great example of a brand with an unfailing and fun personality is Mailchimp.

Mailchimp’s tone and messaging seems as if it is based on a real, human quality instead of something manufactured in a stuffy conference room. Their personality rings true and can be seen everywhere the Mailchimp brand appears – whether it’s on their official site, on their social media profiles, or on their YouTube channel. Their staff even carries out this fun persona when you meet them face-to-face. Now that’s consistency.

Think About What You Don’t Want
Part of being consistent with your brand isn’t about only knowing what you will, but knowing what you will not offer your consumers. Early in your brand building process, make a list of the services you will refuse consumers and the standards you will not budge on, no matter what. Standing firm on these issues will help you stay consistent in both who you are and what you represent in the long run.

Assign a Brand Boss
Whether you’re a small company or a large corporation, it’s always a good idea to have someone (or several folks) ensuring that your brand stays consistent across all platforms. Don’t think that you can simply set yourself up for success at launch and leave it on autopilot from that point forward. Brand consistency is something you have to work on continually.

We wish you the best of luck building a brand that people love and trust. Go Media has been building quality brands for over fifteen years, including names like Honda’s Indy 200, Jim Beam’s Red Stag and West Palm Beach’s SunFest. If you need assistance with yours, please contact us and mention this post.

Cover photo from our work with Jack Frost Donuts