How Consistency Drives Brand Success
Being consistent is the key to getting the most out of your branding
If you’re not going to be consistent, having a pretty brand won’t matter much.
The more we see something, the more likely we are to remember it. One of the oldest principles in marketing is The Rule of 7. It posits that, on average, it takes seven exposures to a brand’s message before a person will make a purchase. Whether that specific number is still relevant is up for debate, but it points to a core truth: humans really, really like consistency.
This is true on a biological level. The human brain is all about pattern recognition. It’s kind of our specialty. It’s how we learn skills and adapt to our environment. When our ancestors learned to hunt, they did so by repeatedly observing others and practicing, over and over and over. When they needed to figure out what’s safe to forage, they relied on recognizing the color and shape of certain plants to differentiate between them. Pattern recognition is literally a survival instinct. And pattern is all about consistency.
This is why branding works.
In fact, the primary purpose of design for brands is to achieve consistency.
Consistency Creates Value
Branding done right builds value over time.
As we know (because I’ve said it about one million times), branding is more than cute design. It’s a long-term investment that increases in value over time through consistency.
A brand is not the sum of its visual components like logos and colors. A brand is the perception your audience has of your business. Branding is what you do to shape perception to your advantage. This requires design, yes, but even more so, it requires your actions to align with how you want to be seen.
Consistent behavior and messaging is the core of what makes branding work. Without consistent implementation of your branding (from design to tone of voice), branding is a complete waste of your time and money.
Consistency in branding achieves three things:
Recognition
Credibility
Trust
Those are the three essential characteristics of a valuable brand.
You need all three of these to create a brand that holds value for people. By value, I mean a brand that people will go out of their way for. A brand that has loyal customers who truly appreciate what you do. A brand that people tell their friends about.
How Consistency Empowers Your Brand to Grow
In order to achieve each of these building blocks, you need to implement your branding consistently.
This includes design as well as the less tangible aspects of your brand: how you communicate through language, the way you convey your expertise, and delivering the right message to the right people. While you can’t control what others think of you, you can control how you behave. When you act in a way that’s consistent with how you want to be perceived, you’re on the right track.
Let’s look at how brand consistency helps with these three characteristics, including through visual design:
Brand Consistency Builds Recognition
Recognition is brand awareness. It’s a mental trigger. It’s “oh yeah, I know them!”. It’s familiarity. And if there’s one thing I can say for sure about human beings, it’s that we like what’s familiar.
Familiarity is why bars and restaurants have regulars. It’s why we buy the same shirt in three different colors. It’s why we tend to stick with one therapist for several months or even years. Familiarity is safe and comforting. We like what we already know we like.
Recognizing something familiar triggers positive emotions (assuming the associated memories are pleasant). It’s like walking into a party where you don’t know anyone, and suddenly spotting a face you recognize. Even if it’s someone you don’t know well, seeing them will instantly make you feel more comfortable in the space.
The more consistent you are with applying your branding in person and online, the more you’ll cultivate recognition.
Of these three building blocks, this one is where design can save your butt. We remember colors and images easily, and the more people see your brand’s logo, colors, typography, and overall style, the more likely they will be to recognize you. The caveat is, shitty design can be repeated, too. People build up negative associations with bad design. This is why it’s best to avoid cheap designers and stock logos.
Brand Consistency Builds Credibility
When a person, organization, or brand has demonstrated knowledge, skill, and a track record of doing good, and doing it well, they have credibility. Credibility is a form of earned respect. It takes time and consistency.
A former boss of mine opened her own cafe twelve years back. She spent most of her life working in the service industry in every role from bartender to consultant. Over time, she amassed a ton of expertise in the industry and a huge network of other professionals. She was known around the city for being a hardworking, knowledgeable badass. When it was time to open her own business, she had gained so much respect that all the other restaurants in the neighborhood were promoting her cafe through word of mouth and supporting her business on a daily basis. Over a decade later, her spot is still one of the best and most loved cafes in the entire city. Because she had a consistent track record of good work and a ton of expertise, she hit the ground running.
This is credibility.
Building credibility requires consistency of quality, of communication, and of behavior. This goes for both your product or service, and for your brand messaging. You’re not credible after one instance of demonstrating quality and expertise. You’re credible after demonstrating these things over and over and over. Predictably.
Design helps you build credibility through visual communication. People associate high quality design with good products and professionalism. When you have branding that reflects your quality and expertise, it reinforces credibility, even in a first impression. The more consistent you are with good design, the more credible you seem.
When your brand demonstrates consistent credibility, you build trust.
Brand Consistency and Credibility Build Trust
Trust is the end point of the equation. Regonition + credibility = trust. Your brand needs all three, and all three require consistency. Trust is the essence of brand-building for small businesses because it’s what creates loyalty. Loyalty is the ultimate long-term success strategy.
Credibility happens in the mind. Trust happens in the heart.
Credibility is what we know a brand can do well. Trust is what we feel about the people behind the brand. It can’t be manufactured, it has to be felt.
Think of someone you buy from who you trust. It could be in any facet of your life: your mechanic, your hair stylist, your favorite bartender who knows just how sweet you like your old fashioned. Where does the trust come from?
It comes from repeated interactions wherein they’ve demonstrated consistently good results from their work, yes. But, more importantly, it comes from knowing that they always have your best interests in mind.
You trust your mechanic because they understand how critical your car is to your life. You know they’ll handle it with care, explain to you what steps they’ll take to fix it, and won’t overcharge.
You trust your hairstylist because they get how much your hair can affect your confidence. They’ve taken the time to understand your hair texture, your lifestyle, and what you like. They make you feel comfortable when you’re in their chair.
You trust your favorite bartender because they know how much it means to you to feel at home in your neighborhood bar. They remember your name, your drink order, and take the time to say, “Hey, how’s your dog?”
That’s why you keep showing up. The same is true for your audience. When you cultivate trust, you cultivate return clients.
When it comes to design, you can cultivate trust through design, too. Good design shows your audience that you’re paying attention to the details and to the quality of their experience. It shows that you care about delivering a great experience, top to bottom. Nothing says “I don’t give a shit" like a cheap logo from Fiverr or a hodgepodge of mismatched fonts and colors.
Bottom line: brand consistency is the name of the game. This is why branding is a long-term investment. Consistency only happens over time. The more consistently you show up over a long period of time, the more you encourage folks to come back to you.