{"id":31164,"date":"2022-05-04T12:43:59","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/?p=31164"},"modified":"2023-12-15T21:12:40","modified_gmt":"2023-12-16T04:12:40","slug":"inconsistent-branding-and-business-growth-hint-one-kills-the-other-sp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/blog\/inconsistent-branding-and-business-growth-hint-one-kills-the-other-sp\/","title":{"rendered":"Inconsistent Branding and Business Growth (Hint: One Kills the Other)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It\u2019s easy to understand branding as a general concept, a set of cohesive (hopefully) elements that customers relate to your products and services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">But it\u2019s another issue entirely to get the gravity of what branding is supposed to accomplish for your business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Branding done right means far more than eye-catching logos and clever tag lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Your brand equals your company\u2019s truth. It encompasses how people perceive your identity, intentions, and reputation. It\u2019s a tangible mark and an emotional connection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Experts have long warned that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesbusinesscouncil\/2022\/02\/23\/a-dynamic-branding-model-is-needed-for-success\/?sh=571e43b87da2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">inconsistent branding can cause a steep decline<\/a> in popularity, and thus, profits. Let\u2019s take a closer look at what happens when brands lose their way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What Does Inconsistent Branding Look Like?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Since the term <em>brand <\/em>encompasses every aspect of your business\u2019 public persona, there are plenty of opportunities to mess up. Here are a few big ones:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Messy visuals: <\/strong>Your logo, images, and color schemes should create instant recognition. If you keep changing these elements, or mess with when and where they show up, it makes it difficult for customers to trust the communication (Is this really a beloved skincare brand or an imposter using cheaper ingredients?).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Conflicting values: <\/strong>Thanks to social media, businesses can engage with customers beyond a simple transaction. But if leadership and employees aren\u2019t careful, stories and activities can send conflicting messages about the company\u2019s core values.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Inconsistent messaging: <\/strong>Messaging refers to your brand voice, tone, and style. How do you sound to customers\u2014funny, casual, knowledgeable, buttoned-up? If your website is one hundred percent educational but your social media posts are all humor, what gaps have you created in people\u2019s minds? Furthermore, can your company rise above the noise if customers can\u2019t tell who\u2019s speaking?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What Does Inconsistent Branding Lead to?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Confusion. Erosion of trust. Shaky customer experience. Miscommunication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">These days, consumers have lots of options. Plus, it takes time and repetition for people to go from <a href=\"https:\/\/marketing-insider.eu\/buyer-decision-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being aware of your business to trusting it and eventually making a purchase<\/a>. If at any step along that journey they feel confused or uncertain, they\u2019re likely to jump ship.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>How to Avoid Pitfalls<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It takes countless hours of focused effort to create a worthy brand and just as many to maintain it. Here are some tips to help you along the way:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>If you say something publicly, behave the same internally. <\/strong>What your company touts on its website and other public platforms carries plenty of weight. But internal practices mean as much if not more. Most often, the disconnect pops up in customer interactions. Consider how many businesses highlight their commitment to customer service but maintain policies that obviously value profits and shareholders over customer experience. Staying consistent means choosing everyday procedures that align with what\u2019s promoted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Reward your company\u2019s values. <\/strong>It\u2019s not enough to simply avoid policies that go against your public persona. You should actively reward actions that match your stated mission and values. For example, how would it look to employees if a company consistently preaches about quality but rewards its sales department based on volume? Decide what means the most to your business and promote those beliefs in every way possible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Stay true to your core audience. <\/strong>It\u2019s easy to get distracted by younger, shinier generations. To make a grab at new customers, brands sometimes shift their messaging. But if your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/blog\/whats-a-buyer-persona\/\">primary base<\/a> is older or in a different phase of life, certain changes can feel disjointed or even offensive. It\u2019s okay to rebrand your communications, but in doing so, be deliberate and thoughtful so you don\u2019t lose an already loyal following.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Stop chasing trends that don\u2019t match your brand\u2019s story. <\/strong>Perhaps the best example of misguided trend chasing is when companies try to build an audience on every social media platform without thinking it through. Example\u2014TikTok has a massive following, but its users are accustomed to brief, entertaining videos. If your product or service can\u2019t pique interest in 10-15 seconds or your customers aren\u2019t flooding the platform, why spend your resources trying to get a foothold there?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Consolidate Vendors. <\/strong>More hands touching your precious brand elements mean more opportunities for confusion and chaos. Keep your inner circle small, and you\u2019ll more easily keep control of your branding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Invest inwardly as well as outwardly. <\/strong>Happy, vocal employees can be a business\u2019 most significant asset. As much as you try to win loyal customers, if you hold the same enthusiasm for getting fulfilled employees, your brand will be better for it. Plus, modern consumers have little patience for companies with toxic internal cultures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>Audit your brand yearly (at least). <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/blog\/yes-brand-audits-are-a-thing-heres-how-to-pull-one-off\/\">Check up on your brand\u2019s position<\/a> in the market quarterly or yearly to ensure things aren\u2019t slipping through the cracks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>About Xpressdocs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">We have over 20 years of experience helping companies streamline their marketing efforts and manage their brands through our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/brand-management-platform\/\">proprietary brand management platform<\/a>. When you partner with us, we provide a customizable storefront that lets your team effortlessly create and circulate approved branded goods. Because easy is amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s easy to understand branding as a general concept, a set of cohesive (hopefully) elements that customers relate to your (&#8230;)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":29949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[318,177,373],"tags":[282,327],"class_list":["post-31164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brand-management","category-kb","category-customer","tag-brand-management","tag-marketing-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31164"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31165,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31164\/revisions\/31165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xpressdocs.com\/s\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}