When it comes to effective branding, consistency and repetition are key. Are you missing opportunities to build brand awareness and positive associations with your company’s identity? Read on for our expert advice on making your branding more effective — and how PostNet can help!
Think about your favorite brands, and what it looks and feels like every time you interact with them. You probably see the same logo, colors, and fonts. Maybe you hear the familiar brand “voice” that makes you feel like you’re seeing an old friend more than visiting a business. Employees are likely dressed the same way and offer you a familiar greeting.
You might not even notice the branding that goes into all those different touchpoints — but on a subconscious level, it’s that attention to detail and level of consistency that makes us love, and trust, brands. It’s comforting to us that we always know what to expect. It makes us more inclined to believe what the company tells us about itself.
But before you can begin building trust with your branding, you have to reach the point of recognition. It’s estimated that people need to see an advertisement an average of seven times before it really gets their attention. And if each of those seven instances looks different, has inconsistent messaging, or lacks prominent design touches that link it with the overall brand look and feel, it will still fail to resonate with the audience. Without consistency, marketing efforts fall flat.
So what does this mean for you? You may not have the budget to spread your message far and wide with billboards or TV commercials, but there are many opportunities to reach your potential customers — and we can help you make the most of them.
Think of every interaction you have with the public as a chance to build your brand recognition. Business cards, brochures, and marketing materials should instantly convey your company’s brand identity using design elements, fonts, colors, and logos. These materials will often be your audience’s first impression of your company, so be sure that your name and services are clear at a quick glance. Every time you update your logo or branding, take inventory to ensure that each one of your business essentials reflects the current look and feel of your company identity.
[Learn more about designing an effective logo.]
If that seems obvious, think a little deeper into your client interactions. Do you hand out appointment reminder cards? Quote slips? Receipts? All of these present the opportunity to reinforce your “brand story.” PostNet can redesign and print these items to ensure that they’re not just serving a practical purpose, but helping to subtly enforce your brand perception. Consider offering free pens or stickers to your customers to add even more touchpoints with your brand throughout your audience’s daily life.
Are you able to close your eyes and describe the way you want your brand to be perceived by others? What sets your flyers apart from other companies’ marketing materials? What does your brand voice sound like? If you’re not able to pinpoint the exact look and feel of your company materials, it may be time to go back to the drawing board and establish your brand guidelines.
Developing highly detailed brand guidelines ensures the level of consistency needed to effectively build brand awareness. If a piece of marketing collateral uses colors in the wrong hue (no matter how slight), incorrect fonts, a stretched or skewed logo, or an unusual background, it can completely throw off your audience’s perception of your brand — and send the signal that your brand is messy, inconsistent, and ultimately, untrustworthy. To avoid these potential issues, it’s important to be as specific and particular as possible regarding your brand guidelines. Then, get them down in writing, and communicate them to anyone who may be working with your brand.
Effective branding is complex and difficult to pinpoint. Good thing you don’t have to figure it out alone! Whether you already have a solid brand identity and just want to increase its visibility to your audience, you need help establishing your brand guidelines, or you don’t even have a logo yet, PostNet designers can help you through every stage of the process. Visit us today to get started!
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