How to build brand consistency and why it matters
Your branding plays a huge role in who people think you are and why they do business with you. And if you want to build trust and loyalty, you must be consistent.
As the market shifts, consistent branding now is the gateway to success in the future. And today, I’d like to remind you why it’s so important, how to build a cohesive brand identity, and how to keep your branding consistent.
Why brand consistency is important
Demonstrates your brand is dependable
One of the first ways you begin building trust with people is through your branding.
Imagine if your brand was a person who showed up at an appointment early in a suit one day and then late in a rumpled maxi dress the next day. Or maybe it’s silly and fun on social media but super dry in its print materials. In a nutshell, you never really know what you’re going to get with this brand—it’s unpredictable.
People like predictability and they definitely prefer consistency when it comes to a large purchase like real estate. Your brand is the first taste people get of who you are and what it would be like to do business with you. Your brand is more than your logo and colors—it’s all about demonstrating your mission and values, every single day.
Builds trust with your audience
Developing a seamless experience across your website, social media platforms, print materials, emails, and phone calls help people get comfortable with your brand.
When your brand makes people feel comfortable and proves it’s dependable, you begin building trust. This helps people get to know your brand on a more personal level and establish an emotional connection.
Creates an exceptional experience
When a person’s experience of your brand is consistent and complete, you no longer have to convince her to do business with you.
Engaging her consistently is a reminder of her positive experience with you—and this drives referrals and future business.
How to build a cohesive brand identity
Define your purpose, vision, and audience
You must know who you are, why you do what you do, and who you’re trying to reach to build a cohesive brand identity. Every decision you make—now and in the future—is based on it.
Tell your story
Your story isn’t your biography, it’s driven by your personality and it’s authentic. A good story is simple and basically describes three things:
- the problem you set out to solve
- how you solved the problem
- Your excitement about the success your solution produced
The story your brand tells gives shape to your purpose and tells people why you exist and how it relates to them. It shows them you understand who they are. And, when executed successfully, a story establishes an emotional connection between people and your brand.
Develop your brand elements
This is where most Realtors start—with a logo and colors. But I hope you can see how defining your purpose, vision, audience, and story makes developing your logo, color palette, and other brand elements more meaningful and effective.
Other brand elements to consider include name, tagline, graphics, typography, voice and tone. Basically, how your brand looks, feels, and sounds.
How to keep your branding consistent
A brand style guide is essential because it’s a reference tool that demonstrates what your brand looks, feels, and sounds like. It’s a useful tool for anyone who has a hand in presenting your brand to the world—including team members, freelance contractors, and even you!
Working with others is incredibly easy when you can give them your brand style guide. It eliminates a lot of back and forth about your brand and that means it saves you a lot of time and hassle. And it ensures that everything you do—and have done on your behalf—is consistent.
Believe it or not, a brand style guide is even a useful tool for yourself. It’s easy to go off-brand and having a written reminder is incredibly useful when you have a decision to make. And, let’s face it, it’s also useful for tasks you do on the reg—like writing. Imagine having a handy reference that outlines how to handle things that are easy to forget, like words you commonly misspell (to, too, two—gah!), words you capitalize (Internet or internet), or how you style book and movie titles (quotes, italics, nothing?).
Brand style guides typically include:
- Mission and vision
- Target audience
- Brand story
- Logo
- Color palette
- Typography
- Imagery
- Voice and tone
- Guidelines for digital and print
Brand consistency, defined
Brand consistency is how well your marketing adheres to your brand identity and guidelines.
Your turn
What are your struggles and successes with brand consistency? Please share in the comments below.
