Tips for Keeping Brand Consistency

When you think of Starbucks, Disney, Apple, Nike, and Target, each company has certain elements in common: they offer brand recognition, quality products and experiences, and longevity. And, the reason for each of these qualities is the same: brand consistency.

If you want a slice of their successful pie, you have to follow a couple of rules:

Train your employees: When you go to any Disney location, regardless of whether it’s in Florida, California, or France, there is a common denominator: Cast members go out of their way to make sure you have a magical experience. They treat you like a priority, and they bend over backwards to make sure you’re enjoying your visit. That’s the way they do business.

The same applies to any type of company: Train employees to create a consistency any time a client, customer or visitor approaches them. The excellent service becomes synonymous with a company, and that’s a crucial part of your brand.

Develop a brand identity: Providing consistency goes beyond providing a quality product. Logos, uniforms, store decorations, website design, business cards, mass emails, catalogs, brochures and video graphics all need to work cohesively. When Victoria’s Secret first opened, their stores were all decorated like vintage boudoirs, all sales associates wore black suits, and every single store played classical music. Their striped pink paper bags were recognized from anywhere across any mall in the United States.

Even with their more modern image overhaul, they have maintained conformity throughout all their locations. Thanks to their conformity, you can see the word ‘Pink’ on a person’s backside, and you know where they bought those sweat pants. That’s clever marketing.

Pay attention to language: How you communicate is part of your business identity. If your target market is the college crowd, being verbose is useless. If you want to appeal to law firms, you want to come across as having a more somber tone. The possibilities of how to write content are endless: Funny, jovial, irreverent, esoteric… When you do your market research, you’ll know what works best for your ideal client. Tailor your content accordingly, and keep it consistent across landing pages, blogs, social media posts, advertising, videos, etc…

When you’re selling a product, you’re also selling your brand. Nowadays, people don’t just buy a computer. They buy from their favorite brand, whether it’s Apple or Microsoft. They don’t mind paying $5 or $6 for a cup of coffee, as long as it’s loaded with sugar and has their name written on the Starbucks cup. Brand consistency results in consumer loyalty, and at the end of the day, that’s what will keep your business running.