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Why You Should Keep Your Branding Consistent Across the Customer Journey

6/20/2021 | admin

Loyalty is a key component of building a strong customer relationship. One that supports the success of any business. Loyal customers are brand advocates within your community, referring their family and friends and helping your business grow. In order to foster loyalty with your customers, it’s important to nurture a positive customer experience. Each interaction needs to have a positive intention behind it. Each intention needs to align with the company brand. Strong branding helps customers feel secure in their decision to work with you. It solidifies the trust and loyalty between both parties, creating a long-lasting partnership. Contemplate your customer journey… how is your brand represented within each phase? Let’s first start with the following:

What is a customer journey?

We understand every business has differences but the overall skeleton of the journey is nearly the same. In general, most customers or prospective customers follow a basic framework when considering your business. The experience roadmap is what leads customers to their purchasing decision. This is called a customer journey. Milestones along the way include:

Awareness: A prospective customer has a need and discovers your brand.
Discovery: A prospective customer researches your brand to see if your product or service meets their needs. This is the same phase in which they will compare your offerings to a competitor.
Purchasing Decision: A decision is made on whether or not to purchase.
Retention: Continuous engagement after the purchase is made in order to have a returning customer.
Advocacy: The now loyal customer supports your brand by encouraging others to as well.

Why is consistent branding important?

Generally, it takes 6 - 8 interactions with prospective customers for them to consider purchasing from your brand. To strengthen your marketing efforts, staying on brand through each touchpoint is helpful and cultivates a positive customer experience. Your main objective should be to keep the branding and messaging consistent in the early stages so prospective customers trust your business and build recognition. This process encourages them to move closer to a purchasing decision. Once the purchase is made and delivered, consistent branding engagement keeps them coming back to your business because it is one they know and trust.

How to build consistent branding

Consider these steps to ensure your branding is consistent in every step of the customer journey.

Awareness

Prospective customers may initially discover your brand through an advertisement online, on TV, or in print. Every advertising touchpoint used should display a clear brand promise with your company name and logo prominently placed. This provides clarity on who you are and what you have to offer. Helpful Hint: Entice your buyers with customer-centric messaging that aligns with your brand’s voice and style.

Discovery

One of the first things potential clients will do after discovering your company is research it. Making sure your design is true to brand across all digital channels is essential. You will want to ensure your color palette, fonts, imagery and logos are on point. Include a clear value proposition and deliver on your promises. Use imagery and storytelling to demonstrate how you fulfill your promises. Helpful Hint: Your customer service channels are important! Team members should be providing solutions and guidance in a way that is on-brand with tone and terminology.

Purchasing Decision

Once the decision is made to purchase from you, it is important to make customers feel secure in that decision. Carrying the brand from digital channels to in-store experiences is just as important as all the rest. Signage and decor should match digital channels. Outside graphics such as banners, flags and window graphics share the same messaging. Inside collateral such as point-of-sale signage, brochures, business cards, wall and floor graphics and product displays match as well. Is your packaging part of your brand experience/? If not, it should be. Pay attention to shipping boxes, product boxes, printed materials, taps and bags, make sure they all match your branding.

Retention

Hooray! You have a new customer! So what's next?! Spend time engaging with customers after the purchase is complete. Pay attention to the small details in your follow-up communications, such as logos, color palettes, tonality, and design. All post-sale marketing initiatives should use the same branding elements to reinforce understanding of the brand.

Great customer experiences start with strong branding

There is no understating the importance of branding when it comes to cultivating and nurturing positive customer relationships. All parts of the journey are important when building a loyal customer base to grow with. The more they understand and trust your brand, the more likely their return and the desire to encourage others to support you.

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