Always stay on brand: this is possibly the most important thing to keep in mind as you are building your effective marketing strategy. But what does that mean? Well, it means outlining what your brand stands for ahead of time and then using the same messaging and design elements consistently, across everything you do.
Brands are like living, breathing people. Like people, brands have beliefs and opinions which permeate everything they do. If your brand stands for world peace, and you start sharing or reblogging articles that are pro war, clearly people will get confused.
So how do you navigate the stormy seas of brand development and perfection?! Easy. Before you make your first post, tweet your first tweet or even design your web page, get the basics down. What colors are you going to use? What market are you going for? What is your mission statement? What does your brand believe in? What does your brand stand for? By answering these questions, writing them down and using them as a guide, staying on brand will be easy as pie.
Once you establish your brand, make sure you apply it to every aspect of your company:
- Your sales team should use the company’s messaging to communicate with new clients
- All your marketing materials should follow the same look and feel, from website to printed brochures
- Your social media, as well as any ads, should use your brand messaging and graphics
- Your customer service team should use the brand’s messaging when helping clients resolve problems.
Staying on brand is the foundation of any effective marketing strategy!