Posted on: 24th Feb. 2023

SME business leaders looking for transformational growth often have these two key growth principles.

1. Brand Authenticity
2. Brand Consistency

A company brand represents how you want the world to perceive your business. It includes how you market your brand visually, your messaging and ethos, and your company culture. It’s more than just a logo, it is the very essence of your company. Understanding this will enable you to most efficiently leverage your brand to grow the business.

Of course that’s all very well, but how can you use this information to scale your business? It all starts with authenticity. Maintaining an authentic company identity throughout all aspects of your brand is vital to growth, brand recognition and customer loyalty. As the leader of your business, it will no doubt be important to you that your branding conveys your ethos. Read on for our best advice on how to promote and grow your brand while staying true to your values.

1.Brand Authenticity

Brand Authenticity Step 1: Get clear on your ethos

As a brand leader, you have a unique perspective on the mission and company culture you wish to instil within your business. It’s important to consider how you can infuse this identity into your future branding. By assessing your current output you can see whether you are effectively communicating the essence of your brand.

When assessing your brand messaging, consider:

• How aligned are your personnel with your authentic ethos? Do they understand the vision of the company? Do they need briefing in this area?

• Do your website and social media profiles convey the right messaging and tone of voice?

• Does the branding of your company, including the logo, printed media, customer experience and office space mesh well with your authentic voice?

• What kind of message is your current branding giving out to your customers? Does this message accurately represent how you want your business to be perceived?

If not, recognise that awareness is the crucial first step to realign your content with your vision. If you need a little help, this brand audit professional brand audit will assess your business and provide a grade and feedback for aspects of your brand, giving you the knowledge and tools you need to build an authentic voice.

Brand Authenticity Step 2: Ensure your branding represents your services

When assessing your company identity, it is important to recognise that the messaging, tone and branding may no longer be relevant or effective. A refresh may be needed to direct you towards future growth and increase the visibility of your brand.

It’s useful to check that your current branding demonstrates what your company currently offers. Remove any irrelevant information and ensure that your branding demonstrates the aspects of your business that you wish to scale and focus upon. By spotlighting the services you believe have potential and are in alignment with your brand values, you allow your unique services to shine.

Brand Authenticity Step 3: Warm up those vocals

After pinning down your authentic brand values, evaluate the tone of voice currently used in your branding materials and consider whether they are truly representing your genuine brand identity.

If you feel your copy is a little too formal and that your authentic tone of voice is more casual for example, invest the time to alter the tone of voice in your branding to match. Brief your content creators and ensure those who are responsible for writing your copy have a clear understanding of the tone you feel is best for your brand. 

2. Brand Consistency

The second principle in scaling your business is consistency.

This factor is crucial across all aspects of your branding. Consistent messaging and tone of voice creates connections with your target audience and builds your brand. When it’s done right, this creates a loyal audience who recognises, understands and trusts your brand, and are therefore more likely to purchase, and continue to purchase, your products or services.

If you’re currently scaling your business, it’s important to remember that customer expectations, and your branding requirements, will scale along with your organisation.

For example, it’s easy to keep your branding consistent when you’re on-boarding every new employee and signing off every promotional campaign; but as you grow and delegate more of these responsibilities, it’s important to ask yourself: do your brand guidelines fully encompass what your business stands for? Does every customer-facing member of staff in your business consistently represent your brand’s values?

If you feel this may not always be the case, these branding workshops are a great place to start.

Brand Consistency Step 1: Maintain consistent updates

Consistency is crucial in maintaining a positive reputation with customers. Businesses must manage their reputation with both face-to-face clients and their online presence. With so many points of contact between your business and audience across multiple platforms, it is easy for clients to discern when a company’s branding is inconsistent.

Authentic branding means potential clients will feel they understand and can trust your business, so ensuring your messaging is consistent across your platforms is crucial to attracting new customers as much as it is to retaining new ones.

For example, do you consistently reply to your customer reviews, good and bad? If a potential customer emails your team with an enquiry, would the reply always align with your brand?

Brand Consistency Step 2: Keep your customers in the loop

The online space is dynamic and fast-paced, and businesses need to create new content and updates regularly to remain relevant and drive traffic to their platforms. Out of date information or inconsistency in updates on your social media profiles and website may cause your client base to doubt your business and in the worst case, doubt that you’re still in operation.

Create unique content that is authentic to your brand and update your online spaces often to foster trust and the unique personality of your brand. Remember: when a customer trusts your brand, they’re more likely to engage with your content, return to your business and recommend you.

If you’d like some guidance and feedback on what type of content will work best for your brand, this content creation package is where our experts help you identify the most effective type of content for your brand.

This will help you boost your online presence and attract a loyal customer base through fresh, useful content your customers will find relevant.

Key Takeaways.

Businesses who represent their authentic brand values foster client engagement, connection, and meaning. This connection is invaluable in converting one-off buyers into repeat valued customers. Rather than remaining a fixed entity, your company must continuously adapt to achieve consistent growth.

• RISUS™ is a Marketing for Growth Model. It’s a proven marketing methodology used by organisations scaling to and through eight figures.
• Recognise when your business needs a brand refresh or a redirection towards more authentic branding.
• Ensure your authentic brand values are represented by your business across all media.
• Recognise when your branding may be slipping in either authenticity or consistency.
• Keep your customers consistently updated and engaged with effective, useful and unique content.

Maintaining an authentic company brand requires consistent evolution. It’s a journey rather than a destination.

Keen to get started? Click here to arrange a free professional audit, and receive a grade for your branding performance, as well as implementable steps and actions to improve your authenticity and consistency.