While ancient Romans needed to rely on praencones (think “town crier”) or carving catchy inscriptions on walls to get the word out on important messages, events or advertisements, they still had the number one rule-of-thumb down pat – be consistent with your brand. Consistency helps you make a memorable impression. It’s sounds so simple, but so many companies fall short on this and fade into the background among their more steadfast competition.
Think about it this way – how else are you going to distinguish Aurelius & Co. Wine Merchants from Imperia Vinaria? Both businesses focus on the wine trade, but it’s how they distinguish themselves that’s key. Unique branding and messaging and consistently selling the brand experience is how you’d connect with the everyday Roman, and it’s not any different now. Help your target customer find their way to you.
Don’t Defund the Brand Police
Here’s where you get over the hump and accept the need for brand enforcement in all that you do. Some people in your company aren’t going to get it, but freestylin’ can’t be allowed if you want to stamp the brand in someone’s mind. The age-old, toga-clad practices still apply – to build a strong and memorable brand, you have to be repetitive with its application (look, feel, tone) – no matter the asset created or vehicle leveraged.
1. Establish Brand Guidelines:
You can’t get around this. The lift up front may be lighter than you think, and it’s going to save you work down the road. Creating comprehensive brand guidelines that cover logo usage, color palette, typography, imagery style, and other visual elements creates a playbook for internal teams to work from, as well as external agencies to go by. This document will serve as a reference for anyone involved in creating content for your brand, ensuring a unified and consistent appearance.
2. Maintain Visual Consistency Across All Platforms:
Don’t go rogue. Whether it’s your website, email, social media, collateral, or signage, ensure that the visual elements of your brand remain consistent. This includes using the same sanctioned logo variations, colors, and design elements to reinforce your brand identity across all channels.
3. Nail the Right Tone of Voice and Use it Everywhere:
Get a handle on the tone of voice that couples your brand personality with how your target customer likes to be spoken to. Whether your brand is friendly, professional, humorous, or authoritative, maintaining a consistent tone helps build familiarity and will make your brand more relatable to your audience.
4. Coordinate Marketing Campaigns:
When running marketing campaigns, ensure that the messaging and visuals line right up with your overall brand identity. Consistency in campaign elements such as taglines, hashtags, and really how anything is written and represented in all promotional materials, helps provide a cohesive feel, reinforcing your brand message and making it more memorable.
5. Train and Educate Your Team:
Work from the same playbook. Internal consistency is as crucial as external consistency. Drink from the same trough. Educate your team members about how important it is to represent the brand appropriately, right down to signature blocks in email. Provide some training sessions on brand guidelines, and encourage communication to address any questions or concerns.
Repeat, Resonate and Reverberate
By being deliberate with how you represent your brand, you’ll build trust and recognition. Implementing the above strategies will help you create a cohesive identity, that over time, is going to resonate with your audience, giving them a map to find you when they’re ready to reach out.
– The Trident Team