The Power of Consistency in Marketing
Learn why marketing consistency builds trust and discover practical steps to align all your channels for maximum impact and customer clarity.
Hey marketer! 👋🏻
Today we'll look at a topic that's often overlooked but has a significant impact on marketing success – consistency. Marketing activities are often launched spontaneously, without regard to overall consistency. People frequently don't check whether all their channels are aligned – if they have the same names on social media, websites, and Google Business, or if they're using current logos and colors across all platforms.
When a new client comes to me asking for help with marketing, the first thing I do is a quick research of what can be found about them online. I go through their website, social media, Google Business profile, online directories... And you know what? In the vast majority of cases, I find inconsistencies that could confuse customers.
Recently I dealt with a case of a company that had a completely different name on Facebook than on their Google Business profile. On their website, they used yet a third variation. And the domain was completely different again. The owner explained it to me as historical changes – that the company was founded under one name, then renamed, the brand evolved... But the customer doesn't want to deal with your company's history. They don't really care. They have some need they want to satisfy. They want clear and consistent communication. When they encounter three different names, they don't know if it's the same company or three different businesses. And this creates a subconscious feeling of distrust.
Why Do We Complicate Things? 🤔
Another common problem I see is the effort to be creative at all costs. For example, with a language teacher I'm helping start her online business. She wanted to register a complicated domain with anagrams and abbreviations instead of a simple combination of her name with the language she teaches. Such a domain would be hard to remember and would complicate promotion.
Imagine you meet her at some networking event and she tells you: "Check out my website at 'someweirdabbr.com'." You probably won't remember that, right? And when you want to find her later, you won't recall that complicated address. But if she said: "Find me at 'germanwithjane.com'", it would be clear and memorable.
Why complicate it? People will remember you (in this case) more easily as a person, not as a creative abbreviation. And when your brand is consistent across all channels, they'll connect and remember it more easily.
The Power of Repetition 🔄
There's a theory that customers need to see a brand several times before they start trusting it. In some industries it might be seven times, in others up to thirty times. This number is called "effective frequency" and is key to building brand awareness.
But watch out – if your marketing channels are inconsistent, customers won't connect the individual contacts. Instead of seeing your brand seven times and starting to trust it, they see seven different variations and none of them reaches the necessary frequency. Trust simply doesn't get built.
Think of it like putting together a puzzle. Each consistent brand contact is like a correctly placed piece. But when channels are inconsistent, it's like mixing pieces from different puzzles – a complete picture never emerges. 🧩
Practical Steps to Greater Consistency ✅
What if you used the summer quiet time, when everyone's on vacation, to do a quick check of how you're doing?
Check Names and Branding 🏷️
Go through all your channels – website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Business, online directories. Do you have the same name everywhere? Are you using the current logo? Are colors consistent? If not, unify them.
Verify Contact Information 📞
Do you have current address, phone, and email everywhere? Nothing's worse than when a customer finds an old contact and can't reach you. Check this systematically everywhere.
Align Business Description 📝
Do you describe your business the same way everywhere? Is it current? Or do you have a different way of explaining what you do on each channel? A unified description helps customers understand your offer faster.
Cross-Link Channels 🔗
Do you link from your website to social media and vice versa? Are all links functional and leading to the right places? Create a network of interconnected channels that reinforce each other.
If you discover something's not right, think about what you can change. Sometimes it might be a simple profile name update, other times you might need to redirect a domain or update graphics. The important thing is that each channel clearly communicates your brand without needing explanations.
Small Details, Big Impact 💎
Consistency shows up in details too. Same communication tone, similar photo style... All of this contributes to the overall impression of professionalism and reliability.
It's not just about aesthetics – it's about trust. When a customer sees that you have everything aligned, they subconsciously perceive that you're a professional they can trust. And conversely – inconsistent communication can give the impression that you don't pay attention to details or that you're unreliable.
Think about it – why do you immediately recognize a phishing email? What tips you off? It's the errors, different greetings, different sender and signature – it's that inconsistency even within one email that hits you first. So don't do that either. 🚨
Consistency in marketing probably isn't a sexy topic. It won't generate as much attention as a new trend or creative campaign. But it's one of the fundamental foundations on which a successful brand stands. And precisely because it's a foundation, it needs to be regularly checked and maintained.
The best part is that you have full control over consistency. It's not dependent on budget, social media algorithms, or market conditions. It's something you can solve yourself and relatively quickly. You just need to make time and systematically go through all your channels.
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So, can you think of any of your channels where you should check consistency? Get on it – your customers deserve clear and understandable communication. 🎯
Jan Barborik
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