Does your organization maintain a cohesive brand identity at all times?
Customers look for cohesiveness in their buyer’s journey, so a unified, connected voice should be identifiable in each customer interaction.
Think of every touchpoint a customer could interact with before, during, and after a purchase: The website. A brick-and-mortar location. Direct mail. The customer service call center. Social media. Paid ads. Billboards. The checkout line.
Are you building a unified and cohesive experience for the customer in each interaction?
Consistency comes in many forms. It can be store design, uniforms, brand voice and tone, employee etiquette—even the smell of some stores remains consistent across locations. (Think Trader Joe’s Hawaiian shirts, Wendy’s ruthless tweets, or the overpowering fragrance of Abercrombie & Fitch.)
Big or small, brand consistency influences customer expectations.
Customers know what they’re in for when brands are consistent. If a company is doing it right, customers anticipate and look forward to the expected—the “my pleasure” following each “thank you” at Chick-fil-a or Amazon emailing a photo of a delivered package.
This sense of dependability, whether it’s in the form of the customer experience or customer service, is essential to creating a customer-centric company. A business that delivers consistency is rewarded with trust and brand loyalty.
So, how can a company ensure consistency? There are three steps a company can take:
- Create Guidelines
- Follow the Guardrails
- Complete Audits
First, create foundational branding and style guides. These guides are resources that explain the ins and outs of a company’s persona and how it wants to be perceived. The guides can address everything from the tone and voice behind the messaging to the rationale for the colors used in the logo.
Second, follow the established guardrails. Each employee should adhere to and strengthen the company’s identity. From customer service etiquette to social media posts, a brand’s voice should be uniform. The onboarding process is a great way to get new employees accustomed to the guidelines. Making branding guidelines easily accessible to all employees also helps ensure everyone follows the guardrails.
And last, complete regular audits of the business’s efforts to create a consistent, cohesive experience. This can include an analysis of marketing tools (both written and designed), the in-store experience, or customer service.
These three steps can be used by established businesses or those just getting on their feet. Each ensures that employees are on the same page regarding the business’s persona, but more importantly, it ensures that customers recognize a unified, cohesive voice with each experience.
Confusion and other pain points start to arise when brand identity is blurred. Each interaction needs to feel familiar and consistent. Creating brand consistency establishes a level of trust and confidence in a company.
So, how does your brand voice and character shine through?
Want more tips for creating a more customer-centric organization? Download this 12 step checklist.
