Brand Consistency

The concept of projecting a professional image about oneself is incredibly familiar. I am sure many people can relate to the thoughts and feelings you get when preparing for an interview or important meeting. You think about the language you use, the way you dress, how your personality comes across: do you give off that friendly vibe? Do you come across as knowledgeable?

The internet is flooded with information on this topic. There are endless streams of tips and techniques to ensure you are coming across in ‘the right way’. You can book courses, buy books – you can even pay for private coaching if you have the money.

There is no questioning the intrinsic value of projecting a good personal image. It has been proven; backed up with copious arguments, statistics and psychological reasons. So why not apply this principle to business?

The image you build about your company extends further than just the visuals you produce, it runs right through the whole organisation. You need to consider the personality of the business – think about it’s identity. The marketing director of personalised printing clothes brand Banana Moon said it well “Branding is more than an emblem, colour or typeface, it is a representation of a business, what it stands for and the way in which a customer perceives a company” [1].

You want to establish trust with your customers, this will give them confidence in you and your products.

Referencing Apple as an example of a company with great customer loyalty seems cliché, but the fierce loyalty they have acquired is staggering. With the launch of the iPhone 6, tens of thousands of customers globally queued up outside Apple’s stores to wait for the new release. In some cases, customers camped overnight – one man in New York even managed to sell his spot in the queue for £1,500! [2].

Well maybe this can be accounted for by the ‘cutting-edge technology’ and ‘powerful platforms’ Apple prides itself on [3]? Not necessarily. Simonlycontracts.co.uk polled 2,275 iPhone owners and found a staggering 59% admitted “blind loyalty” to the handset, when asked why 78% said they “couldn’t imagine having a different type of phone now” [3].

While this may be a rather extreme example of the trust customers establish with a brand, the point it gets across is clear. You may have an amazing product or idea but that is almost irrelevant if investors and customers will not by into it. Do not underestimate the power of a creating professional company image.