4 ways to achieve a cohesive brand

For the past few weeks I have been digging in deep, and sharing how you can strengthen your brand, through a

branding

blog series. This week, I am unlocking a few ways that help build your brand through achieving consistent quality.

Maintaining consistency in quality is one of the best ways to strengthen your brand. This may mean you have higher prices than your competition, or lower depending on your business vision, but it will also attract the type of clients/customers.

For instance: If Anthropologie opened a furniture store (wouldn’t that be awesome!?!), you can bet that it would only have high-quality materials, beautiful design and amazing store displays. Would Anthro be likely to open up a store that has similar furniture + style as Walmart? Heck no. That is because they really 

value

 the vision + intention behind their brand. You can even see their consistent attention to high-quality details through their clothing hanging tags, store signage, down to the tissue paper + custom tape used to wrap up your purchase. I might be getting carried away with this example, but I am simply pointing out that maintaining consistent quality, even amongst the minor details, further reinforces your brand.

How to maintain consistent quality:

Brand Identity

As a designer, I whole-heartedly believe that your brand identity, accompanied by your vision, dictates to consumers the level of quality you provide. Do you currently have a “logo” you designed yourself in Powerpoint? Is your business card printed on cheap paper, with a generic design? Are you still using Publisher for all of your branded documents? These decisions impact how you are presenting yourself to consumers/clients. You set the bar for how you are perceived, so it is necessary to be intentional about the details of your brand identity.

Social Media

One easy way to maintain a consistent quality, is through having consistent social media avatars + handles (if possible). The profile images can vary, but they need to have the same tone and aesthetic. If your images are not consistent, the viewer might be confused, and think they were directed to the wrong business. Also, be sure to share similar content on each platform. This helps reinforce the identity + quality of your business.

Presentation Documents

Most companies neglect the basic Microsoft Word documents, and opt for pages and pages of 12pt. Times New Roman. These documents are a great way to display your brand identity, through utilizing your brand fonts + colors. Again, through paying attention to these details, you are further strengthening your brand and reinforcing the quality that you maintain.

Website + Brand Collateral

Once you have an established brand identity, the next step is to take it to the web and to print. This is not an area where you will want to save money and do it yourself, as your website is most likely your largest marketing tool. A brand is at its strongest when there is cohesion through various platforms. This tells the consumer that you care about quality + consistency. This applies to both online and print design.

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