5 Reasons Consistency is Important in Marketing

Marketing is essential to build a successful business. As businesses hunker down and try to determine their next steps in this unprecedented time, it’s important to remember the power of consistency and why that is so important when it comes to marketing efforts.

Many business owners struggle with marketing.  They aren’t sure whether it’s worth their time, they are often distracted by their core work, and they are confused by what marketing is and what it isn’t.  Marketing is not Sales. Although the goal is for your marketing to impact your sales, the relationship between the two is not 1 to 1; for every marketing action you take, you cannot necessarily expect a sale or a bunch of sales).  Marketing is also not the same as Advertising. We will delve more deeply into both of those topics in separate blog posts.

So what is marketing? In short, marketing is the way you present your business to the outside to the outside world.  It is what and how you communicate about your company to customers and potential customers. It includes your visual communications (your logos, signage, color choices), and your voice.  Your voice is the tone and patterns you use across all communications, both mass and one on one.

If there is one thing that you can control, it is your marketing. And we find that, because so many people are confused by what marketing is, they end up with mixed messaging.  Logos and colors, mass communications and individual communications should all mesh. They should all work together to create an image of your company in the minds of your customers and prospects that is cohesive, concise and clear.  They should tell people what you do and why. They should inspire action and loyalty.

Consistent marketing across and within all media and communications forms is critical to building a single story about your business that will be memorable, and will allow your business to grow and thrive, even when it is not apparent that anything is happening.  It will create a “buzz”, generating inquiries, loyalty and referrals. Consistent marketing is a building block for business.

Consistency in marketing will help you:

Build Your Brand

We’ve heard about (and maybe understand) brand-building when it comes to larger corporations, but it is just as important for small and medium sized businesses.  That top of mind recognition can be just as powerful for a local business as it is for a regional one.  

Ensuring that your “branding” is consistent means that people who are doing a quick scroll through social media will recognize posts that come from you based on the layout, the introduction, etc.  It means that when people receive a mail piece, they will stop to read the message, when they see your ad, they will pause to read or watch it, when they hear your name mentioned in public, they will be interested to hear what is being said. 

Build Awareness

People are more likely to purchase from a brand they recognize.  Maintaining regular and consistent communications through a variety of channels ensures that when customers have a need for the product or services you offer, they will use you.  Consistent marketing allows you to stay “in front” of customers (and prospects) so that they can refer you out to people that are looking. 

Build Trust

We are a society built on trust, and all of us have competitors.  They might not do exactly the things that we do, but their solutions compete against ours.  (Think pizza and chinese food…they might not appear to compete, but most consumers only eat dinner once a day, so they have to pick one or the other.) In order to compete, our customers have to trust us.  They have to trust that we will fulfill their order, that the product will be what they asked for, that we stand by our product, that we will work with them to resolve any differences. Consistent marketing has the power to convey that. It says to the world what we offer, what we believe in, and how we communicate. It tells the story of why we can be trusted.

Build Revenue

Yes, there is a correlation between marketing and sales. Every business is different, but the ultimate goal of marketing is to build revenue. Marketing consistently, across the same platforms, using consistent language and visual cues, will ultimately lead to increased revenue as customers in your market grow to recognize, trust and value you.

Build Relationships

Our businesses, regardless of the markets we serve, are all built on relationships. There are a few national companies who get this wrong. Sending messages through advertising that is not consistent with customer experience can be damaging. Consistent marketing is absolutely critical in building long-term loyal relationships. Consumers want a dependable brand they can use time and again…show them that that is who you are.

For more assistance in developing a consistent marketing communications strategy to build your business, please contact us at [email protected]  or by phone at (509) 842-0782.