Branding Consistency is Key

When establish and promoting a brand, consistency is key. I’m certainly not a branding expert by anyone’s definition. However, I am a consumer of products and know the importance of branding. Consider this common example:

• What is Walmart known for? Every day low prices on a wide variety of items.
• What is Target known for? Also low prices, but targeting the image-conscious demographic with trending household decor items, designer apparel and furniture.
• Now tell me, what is Kmart known for? When is the last time you’ve been to Kmart? Think of a time where you said “Hmm, I really could use a trip to Kmart today.”

So what’s the problem? Kmart’s brand is inconsistent. Their messaging is poor and their stores are a nightmare to navigate. Kmart also has trouble identifying and understanding the needs of their target audience. They claim to offer (I refuse to walk in a store to confirm this claim) exclusive designer brands of children’s clothing, but also offer Kenmore appliances? Did you know Kmart also has a grocery and garden section?

Here are 4 lessons I learned about branding and how you can apply them to your organization.

1. First impressions are EVERYTHING — It takes only a few seconds to develop a first impression about an organization on social media. By the time your brain has had time to process what’s on the screen, you’ve already made up your mind on whether you want to continue reading or find another page to browse.
2. Maintain consistency across platforms — Your profile pictures, cover photos, descriptions and titles should all match each other. Make it easy for your audience to find you and connect with you. Your colors, your logo and your identity matters. Why? See #1.
3. Know your audience — Post content that is relevant to your audience. If your audience is 50+ years old, should you be posting memes and PokemonGo references? No. Figure out the topics that are interesting to your audience and post relevant content accordingly.
4. Don’t go dark — Sure, every organization has some degree of seasonality (peaks and valleys of the quantity of customer interactions). The worst thing you can do during these low points is stop posting content. Use a post scheduling service like Hootsuite to ensure that you have content being pushed out regularly. If you’re not actively working to improve your brand every day, you’re passively ruining it.