Why should you care about branding your business consistently online? It can have a significant positive impact on sales and growth of your business, with one study finding that having brand consistency can increase revenue by 23 percent.
In particular, having a consistent brand in your online communications and marketing is especially important for new entrepreneurs who are establishing their businesses and need to create a strong brand and message. Here are six ways you can standardise your branding and in turn create and build a great brand for your business that will drive growth, customer loyalty and make you stand out from the competition.
Standardising Style & Voice
Whether you prefer a formal or friendly tone of voice in your business communications, it is essential to have a standard style. As you are establishing a new company or brand, it may be tempting to experiment with different voices, but this can create inconsistency. Your customers and clients need to see the same style and voice in all of your emails, blogs and other areas.
Consistent Imagery
The images you use on business cards, websites, blogs and social media profiles have to reflect your brand, also they have to be consistent without being boring or repetitive. You may not have time to take your pictures, so business stock photos are a good alternative.
Logo and Symbol Standardisation
A standardised logo is one of the most critical parts of an entrepreneur’s business online, not only does it create brand recognition, but it also sends a consistent message to your audience. Although you can find logo creation tools online, you may want to invest the time and money in a professional designer.
Make sure you have a high-definition logo that is also available in a transparent format and can be used in a variety of ways. It is crucial that you use the same logo in all of your business communications.
Mirror Header Assets
Not using the same headers on social media is one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make online. Instead of having a different header image for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or another platform, consider using the same one and resizing it.
You can find free graphic design software that makes it easy to change and crop an image based on each social network’s preferred header size. Make sure you are using the same photo and text in all of your headers because this creates brand consistency.
Applying Colour Palettes
The colour palette is a unique combination of different colours that represent your brand. Often, companies pull the colour palette from their logos and other design elements. The key is to have a consistent colour palette online and use it on your blogs, websites or social media. Make sure your colour palette is in line with your other branding assets including logos, websites and more.
Setting Signatures
When you sign off an email or letter, do you use the same signature and include your business name? Brand consistency should be a part of all of your signatures. Check your business signatures to make sure they have the same colour, font and size.
Brand consistency affects multiple parts of your business. It is a crucial part of establishing your name and getting it recognised. Entrepreneurs have to create consistency online to attract clients and customers.
Final Thoughts on Consistent Brands
Ultimately standardising your branding is about giving a clear image that represents your business, a brand that customers can feel loyalty too and finally a brand that becomes a signature for your business.
Being consistent across your branding assets and marketing channels is thus a critical but straightforward part of any branding or marketing strategy.
