So You Have A Nice Logo – But Is Your Brand Consistent?

I have come across a few rather large companies recently with inconsistent branding. What is interesting to me is that these entities are all medium to large businesses yet their brands go unrecognised by the general public… some go unrecognised by most of their industry peers.

There is no denying that investing good branding is crucial – but failing to recognise the importance of implementing consistency in branding can be extremely damaging to your business growth. When you introduce your business to a new market, the goal is for your branding to slowly become your visual language. With time, your branding becomes the tool to get your messages across quickly and effectively. It is what helps you gain visibility in people’s minds, and what can allow you to rise above the competition.

Consistency starts with investing time and funds in developing Brand Guidelines.  These guidelines should ideally become your Brand’s holy book. They should be able to guide anyone in applying your brand consistently across channels and mediums. When you have a thriving business, things happen quickly and there is a lot to attend to. Branding is most likely not at the forefront of your priorities but if not addressed properly, it can reverse all of your efforts very quickly. Trust me. I have witnessed ongoing branding chaos and you do not want it 🙂

The hardest step to branding greatness. To achieve this, you need to think of your branding as an essential part of your marketing machine. A great logo and brand guidelines is a fantastic start but the rules regarding your branding won’t enforce themselves. If you don’t end up hiring an in-house designer or outsourcing to a professional, it is a good idea to train your employees/self to make sure branding is applied consistently.

If you think you have a strong brand and great product/service but not much recognition, then maybe the missing link is in your branding consistency. Invest in a branding professional now, a brand audit cannot hurt and will give you clarity about what steps to take to make sure you get value out of your brand.