Almost every time my father goes out to eat, he goes to the same restaurant.
As someone who prefers novelty, I often propose that we try somewhere new. Sometimes, he reluctantly agrees.
But in a way, I’m just like my father. I shop at the same stores…I buy the same type of phone brand over and over again…I revisit the same coffee shop day after day…
Turns out, there’s a reason for this: People are drawn to things that are familiar to them.
And what breeds familiarity?
Consistency. Which is why consistency is the number one key to a successful marketing strategy.
So with that, here are the six areas where your brand should be focused on consistency (hint: it’s everywhere).
1. Frequency
How often do you post to social media? Publish a blog post? Send out emails? People engage with brands that maintain a frequent and consistent presence. How can you expect to stay top of mind and increase your social media or blog following if you only post once in a blue moon?
On the other hand, if you post to social media, publish content and send out emails frequently and consistently, you will start to become more familiar to your audience. They will start to expect to hear from you—and if you’re really providing value, maybe even look forward to it.
2. Style
People should be able to recognize your brand without even seeing your logo. In order for that to happen, your website, social media and emails must maintain a consistent style and formatting. Your brand should have its own font, colors and overall look that are used across all platforms. Having a consistent style will fortify your brand identity and make your brand recognizable.
3. Language and Voice
Is your brand voice playful or formal? Funny or serious? Whatever tone you decide on, you should use it consistently across all platforms. If one minute you are speaking to your audience like a close friend and the next time you are very distant and formal, they will probably be a little confused, to say the least. They won’t know what to expect from you. In other words, you will become the opposite of familiar to them.
4. Customer Experience
I buy almost everything on Amazon. Why? I know that (thanks to my Amazon Prime account), everything will arrive within two days, I can easily track my shipments through the website, and if there’s some issue with a shipment, returns are easy and amazing customer service is only a phone call away. Why would I ever shop anywhere else?
That’s the type of experience that your customers should have with your brand. Your customers should know exactly what they’re going to get when they interact with your brand—and their experience should be nothing less than remarkable every single time.
5. Quality of Content
Think about your favorite restaurant. If one week the food was amazing and the next week it was really disappointing, would you really continue to go back there…or would you venture out and try somewhere new? Chances are, you would do the latter.
Your content is no different. For that reason, make sure that everything you put out there is high quality, valuable and representative of your brand. That way, your readers will always be hungry for more.
6. Values and Overall Message
My friend once ordered high quality towels from a brand that claimed to be very eco-friendly. So she was actually visibly upset when she opened the box and saw that all of the towels were unnecessarily wrapped in plastic. My guess is that she never ordered from that company again.
When you send mixed messages to your audience, they are inevitably going to lose trust in your brand and take their business elsewhere.
So make sure that the message you are sending to your audience is consistent. Practice what you preach.
Unlike the company that my friend ordered towels from, the cosmetics company, Lush, does a great job at this. Lush is known for its handmade products and all natural, organic ingredients; for that reason, the cashiers wrap up the products by hand. The brand also prides itself on being eco-friendly, so they have even eliminated packaging for some of their products.
Bottom Line
Consistency makes your brand more powerful, familiar, recognizable, reliable and trustworthy.
And your marketing strategy needs it in order for your brand to survive.
