By Michelle Poe, Triple 4 Creative, LLC

Is an Inconsistent (Or Non-Existent) Brand Making You Your Own Worst Competition?

What if every person you passed on the street wore the same clothes, spoke using the same tone of voice, had the same hairstyle, the same name – even the same face? Imaging being introduced to a stranger and discovering that they not only look like you, but also talk, act and dress like you.

I think you’ll agree with me that this would be confusing (and boring!) on many levels. After all, our differences make us who we are, and help others determine whether they can relate to us or not. We all have traits that make us stand out from others – and that’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, many businesses find themselves in a place where their differentiators – those characteristics that make their brand unique – seem non-existent. This can happen in many ways but two of the biggies are simply failing to identify what makes your brand stand out (or just needing some help seeing it) and creating multiple marketing pieces and logos (yikes!) that look completely different from one and other and end up becoming your own worst competition.

But in the end, some of the biggest mistakes I see with small- and medium-sized business owners are:

  • using multiple logos
  • writing a handful of different taglines with inconsistent messaging
  • creating marketing material using a variety of off-brand colors/images and
  • using language that reflects many tones of voice.

Not only does this diminish the financial value of the brand (which is a different topic altogether) but makes it impossible for your customers to remember your brand. You need multiple interactions with prospective customers before they’ll remember you and potentially take action to buy from you. (Don’t believe me? Try your hand at this popular quiz and it’ll make you realize how many times you need to be exposed to a logo in order to become familiar with it.) A consistent brand helps you stay at the front of their mind so at the moment they do need your services, they’ll be able to remember who you are and what you stand for. If your brand is using different logos, colors, fonts and disconnected marketing messages, you are missing those interaction opportunities and, even worse, looking like another company, essentially becoming your own competition.

Memorable brands mean memorable experiences for customers, who will then tell their friends and family to generate even more business for you. And one of the strongest moves you can make on behalf of your brand is to develop and refine its own unique identity and execute on it in a consistent way.

So, in a world of companies with a forgettable (or inconsistent!) look, name or tone of voice, there’s plenty of opportunity to stand out for those willing to put some extra care into their brand.

Let us help you build your brand – contact us to get started.

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