Having a number of different branding messages leaves your business wide open to multiple interpretations of what you do, what you stand for, and doesn’t do you any favours in being taken seriously – not just by users but by search engines as well!
Having a ‘brand identity crisis’ online may mean that you are missing out on opportunities to collaborate, sell more products or move up in the organic search space. It’s important to understand what your messaging is and stick to it across all online marketing mediums including your website, social media and third party site opportunities.
To build brand trust and awareness, your online footprint needs to be consistent.
Here are the reasons why having consistent brand messaging is so important and the ways in which you can achieve this for your business.
It All Starts With A Plan
Before you launch into sending out PR releases and creating a social media content calendar, you need to have a strategy and map out your branding plan. Ask yourself these questions –
Why did you start your business?
What is your purpose?
How do you describe this to others?
When YOU clearly understand your Why, What and How, the content you release around your business is consistent and clear in it’s messaging. There is no confusion about your service offerings and how it can help solve a need or problem. Having a point of difference that you can clearly share will also mean that you stand apart from competitors who are in a similar market and therefore users can differentiate you from the rest of the pack.
Create Guidelines For Your Business & Brand
Having a brand style guide is important regardless of the size of your business. Guidelines take out the guesswork and mean that no matter who is handling this aspect for your business, the end result should always be the same.
As your business grows, at some point you may need to handover the reins to other team members to manage your digital and marketing campaigns. Establishing a foundation and setting out your message may take time to create, but will save you time and a lot of headaches in the long run. This includes your logo, website images and style, social media images and assets for print media reflect your messaging and brand image. Your business name, address and phone number should not have variations. We explain why further below.
Online Importance
What difference does it really make to your online visibility if you do not have consistent brand messaging? Quite a significant one. Search engines, like Google, provide search results for users based on a number of factors. In order to determine who you are, Google will extract information from various resources to work this out. If you have a different set of details about your business online, including your name, address and phone number (NAP) it can reduce the value and impact your ability to show up in the search results. Search engines are clever, but will also be confused by inconsistency and are unable to recognise that you are who you say you are if you have not been able to maintain the same information across multiple channels.
It’s A Good Time To Get Consistent!
If you are an existing business, or just starting out, now is a good time to review your current branding situation to see where you can improve. Work towards consistent messaging and brand positioning so that your online presence doesn’t leave users and search engines guessing “is that you?” Controlling what you put out there develops a healthy relationship with your consumers and builds the trust factor which is so important for all businesses to achieve.
An online audit can be a great way to identify your online positioning and where you need to update your business information. Get in touch today to have a chat about your online needs and receive a Free Website Audit.