The brand of the business is one of the most important tools in marketing and establishing your place in the market. It’s the story that you share with your customers to build a connection and demonstrate your value and purpose. The one thing a story needs to be is believable. A few cracks in that believability and it can lose all its potency before you can do anything about it. Don’t let these cracks appear in yours.
Radio silence
A brand is a story for the business and the product, yes. But it’s not a story you tell and let it end. It’s a story you reinforce with regular development and news. If your site hasn’t been updated in months and your social media channels are only cranking out a post per day, then you’re not putting much energy into that story. If it doesn’t look like a priority for your business, then people won’t believe it is.
The wrong impression
Speaking of your site, you need to make sure your dedication to the visual appeal of it matches your supposed dedication to your brand message. If you’re not putting the effort in when you represent the brand, it will create the same expectation for how you’re supposed to live up it. That doesn’t only apply to the digital world, either. If you’re not keeping your business offices presentable with office cleaners and some aesthetic direction, you’re missing a key tool in backing up your brand.
Tooting your own horn too much
It’s good to present yourself in the best possible light and make it clear that you have every intention of living up to the brand. But you don’t want to take it to the point that you’re constantly talking about how you live up to your promise. It just makes the business seem like it’s full of hot air and, honestly, it will annoy your customers. Instead, get them talking about it. Focus more on building word-of-mouth so you don’t have to speak for yourself.
Inconsistency
There are few things that will erode confidence in a message quicker than the messenger suddenly changing their tune. A brand can branch out and it can evolve. However, it needs to all stem from one core, one promise that shines through all the messaging. Change that and your customers won’t know which parts of your inconsistent story to believe.
Overpromising
Your branding might be perfect. You might have customers won over with your message and presentation. So, why would you and ruin that by disappointing them? Make sure you’re never making any messages you can’t live up to, whether it’s in personal correspondence or marketing. If you find yourself under pressure, then do anything to make sure you don’t fail at the end. Get help, outsource, burn the midnight oil. Whatever you do, don’t over-promise.
The best way to maintain a pristine brand is to choose a story you believe in and emulate it as much as possible within the business. Hold yourself to high standards, but make sure they’re also realistic.
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