Are you diluting your brand without realising?

The brand world is changing. At a rapid pace, we are moving to more human-focused design, emotional branding and need to be visually consistent to maintain audience loyalty. It can all feel so overwhelming, especially as a new business owner.

We all want a successful business. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have started, right?! A lot of the clients we work with are the point in their business where they’ve stopped growing. Their growth has been stagnant and they’re struggling to take their business in the direction they want or need. They feel like their brand is all over the place and is inconsistent on so many levels. Sound like you?

This is where brand strategy and brand design step in and step up, to elevate and give your business purpose and consistency. If your brand isn’t hitting the spot with your audience, there’s a good chance you’ve diluted your brand.

An inconsistent digital presence is one of the most overlooked methods of dilution. Effective brands are consistent, in every possible way. From their website to social media, to their email marketing, even down to a brick-and-mortar store. Every business needs a digital presence and it’s easy to lose track of the visual design of each platform.

When a potential customer or client meets your business, they will, without a doubt, visit every platform. They’ll visit Instagram, your website, your Pinterest or Facebook, Google reviews etc. As soon as there’s a different look or feel, even subtle changes can be subconsciously noticed, the audience will be confused and will not see you as professional or worthy or their money.

While a DIY logo or brand isn’t ideal, especially as your business grows and evolves (read that blog), here a few tweaks you can do to keep that consistency alive and your brand consistent.

Visual Identity

Number one on the list! Having a consistent visual brand will help 100x over. It can be as simple as using the same fonts and colours and sticking with a similar layout across your templates.

Also remember to use the correct logo for each application – using a submark (learn more here) as your Instagram profile image, your primary logo if it’s used on a large page etc.

While keeping it consistent may feel a bit boring to you, it pays off in the long run when your audience is seeing the same visual design, they then recognise, recall and return to your business’ products or services.

We’d highly recommend investing in a soul-led, strategy driven brand for your business, to ensure you’re sharing your story and making connections with the right audience all while looking great!

Messaging and Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice can be a major identifier for your business. Clever copywriting, or simply having a consistent tone that shares the same message is a highly effective brand recognition tool. Consistency in messaging and tone of voice, leads to greater professionalism, sets you up as the expert and positions you as the authority.

This all works to prove your brand values, your product or service, your goals and keeps the audience coming back. They know exactly who they’re talking to and the type of business they’re interacting with. You want to be seen and heard consistently, to maintain that crucial, converting emotional connection with your audience.

Broad Audience

Speaking to everyone means you speak to no one. Knowing your audience is the ultimate key to a successful business. Understanding the person you’re talking to, interacting with and building a connection with, is crucial when it comes time to sell.

You might think that having a broad audience would work better, but it does a disservice to your brand. Modern consumers want to feel unique, special, like a product or service is made for them and them only. They want the whole experience – from customer service to an unboxing, they want a custom, high end experience.

So, work on narrowing your audience and understanding their deepest desire to effectively market to and engage an interactive and loyal customer base.

Diluting your brand isn’t the worst thing to have happened and it’s really easy to get lost in the world of business ownership, design, marketing and social media management. As sole traders and business owners, it can be overwhelming when you start, and that’s ok!

Use the tips above to make little tweaks to ensure your digital presence is on point and working for your business, not against it!