While many view branding as a marketing strategy, this is actually a process with a life of its own. Sure, you can use a strategy in order to guide the branding process according to your company goals, and define a good image for your company. Nonetheless, branding will take place, whether you like it or not, from the moment that your first customers will come in contact with your company. Every interaction that your customers will have with your business will define the identify of your brand. As such, in order to ensure that your branding strategy is aligned with your business goals, you must be consistent with all your branding efforts. In the following lines, we will give you some tips, to help you improve the consistency of your brand.

1. Create and follow a brand guide

A brand is more than just a logo and a slogan. A brand has a mission, a value proposition, a voice, a logo, colors, fonts, typography, graphic styles, and company values. Make sure that the brand guide is clear and that it is circulated in the company, so that all your employees have access to it, and that they understand how to apply the guide in all their tasks.

Moreover, make sure that your employees have easy access to basic promotional materials, from shirts to paper flyers. Consider items that customers will use regularly, such as branded mugs. These are great for gifting to employees, but also good for giving out at promotional events where they’ll be taken and spread across your local area in an act of free advertising.

It is also good to think outside the box, and consider using items like custom socks, which you can order here. If they can’t find an updated logo when they need one, many employees will use outdated versions from old documents or they will create their own fuzzy version, in an effort to save time. Outdated or fuzzy branding elements can make your business look very unprofessional in front of your customers or your business partners.

2. Make sure your staff represents your business properly

Your ads may say that you are a reputable and professional business, but if your staff don’t behave accordingly, your customers will have a hard time trusting your business. First of all, you need to make sure that the way your staff dresses in a way that matches the identity of your brand. Depending on your industry and the type of business that you run, you can opt for full uniforms, or you can impose a dress code that you can complement with some branded clothing pieces like custom scarves, ties or caps.

There are certain businesses that don’t call for full uniforms. For example, if your employees work in an office, there is no need for full workwear, but something as small as a custom scarf or tie will create consistency among your staff it will make them look more professional in front of your customers. Aside from the workwear, you must also instruct your staff on the proper way to deal with customers, how to talk to them, and how to address their concerns. You can also use a feedback system, to see whether your customers are satisfied by the services provided by your company, and whether there are any areas that you could improve.

3. Evaluate and update existing branding strategies

From promotional materials to company uniforms, make sure to regularly audit your branding efforts, to make sure that they still follow the overall brand guide. This is particularly important for growing businesses, that are still developing their brand identity. If you encounter promotional materials or other marketing efforts that no longer align with the existing branding strategy, make sure to update them accordingly. Hiring a digital marketing agency can help to make things a lot easier.

4. Delegate a brand ambassador

The marketing team has countless tasks to perform, and it can be easy for them to overlook the importance of brand consistency. As such, make sure to employ a person, whose sole purpose is to be a brand ambassador. This person will not only represent your brand at fair and events, but they can also be responsible for the overall marketing strategy, making sure that it is properly understood and implemented by all your employees. Needless to say, the brand ambassador must be properly trained, and they must understand the brand guidelines better than anyone in your company.