Each business has touchpoints, from driving the consumer to our business all the way through to the point of sale and beyond. As business owners, we have the opportunity to customize each touchpoint in a way that sets us apart from our competitors.
A strong brand is a consistent one, both from a visual and messaging standpoint. One method we can use to improve the consistency of our brand is to write down each touchpoint along with the products and interactions associated with each of them. This exercise gives us a broad view of how our overall brand is working and helps us to find the strengths and weaknesses that lie within it.
When looking at each touchpoint, we can ask: Does the messaging, tone, and design accurately reflect my brand's personality? Does the messaging and design align correctly? Is the design consistent? Am I using the same color scheme, type, and photography style throughout or does everything feel disjointed? Is my logo and call to action on every piece? Is there anything in each of these touchpoints that isn't clear or could be easier?
Imagining each touchpoint from the customer's perspective will provide us even more meaningful information. What type of feedback are we receiving from them? Have we even asked for feedback? Sometimes asking for feedback can be scary but if we look at it as a means to do better then it will only strengthen the way we do business and ultimately grow our following.
Looking for opportunities to improve the customer experience whether through design, process, or how we speak and behave can ensure that we stay one step ahead of the competition. It's also a great way to get creative and think of ways to do things differently in order to captivate our customers and be more efficient.
A graphic designer can help bring consistency to a brand by taking a high-level audit to see how each product fits within the context of our processes, goals, and target audience. These products can be anything we use for our business, from marketing collateral to web sites to package design to the napkins on the table. All of the visual products and assets are designed to sow a common visual thread throughout each touchpoint. Each designed piece will work in harmony with the messaging to reinforce the "vibe" of our business and evoke the right feelings from our audience. How do we want them to describe us?
If our brand was a song, how would it sound? Do the vocals work well with the music? We all know bad music when we hear it. When the melody and vocals don't align, it creates an awful or confusing experience for the listener. If our messaging and visual identity don't align, this could have the same effect for our audience.
If we can't enlist the help of a designer yet, there are some choices we can make on our own. Adopt a consistent color palette and font choice; use the logo consistently and correctly (don't change the color or font style because you are in the mood for something a little different); select images that are consistent in style and coloring; and keep the messaging similar in tone. Going through this brand assessment periodically will ensure that we are always keeping our customers at the forefront and continually getting better at providing a great experience for them.
What challenges do you face with your brand?
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