Consistency is a small business owner’s best friend. It’s the secret sauce. It’s why clients keep coming back. And we want that, right? If you’re not consistent with your message, your voice, your branding, your look– your clients will get confused, and might ultimately turn to your competition. Let’s take a look at areas where consistency can be achieved.
CONSISTENCY IN BRANDING
Your branding is how you present your business to the world. It’s your logo, your color scheme, your fonts, your voice, your messaging. Branding has to do with the vibe you give, the feel your business has, the people you have as clients. It is every impression your clients walk away with.
CONSISTENCY IN MESSAGE
If your clients expect everyone in your hair salon to be wearing black, to be listening to The Cure, and to be well versed in the art of permanent eye makeup, you would probably lose a few if you started playing Brittney Spears’ new release in the shop, or if you began sending tweets about your new perky pal the tennis pro. Know who your clients are! Speak to them. Be consistent in your messaging.
If you confuse, you lose
CONSISTENCY IN OUTREACH
Having a media plan is an excellent way to deliver a consistent message. Depending on your business background, you might be very prone to posting on social media. Some clients from the “old school” (aka. not Millennials) are not as comfortable shooting out Tweets every day.
I want my clients to be comfortable with their “exposure” on social media. Again, some people love being out there. Others shy away from it. But being consistent is really important. Sites like Hootsuite let you write your posts ahead of time and send them out consistently. Try sending out posts on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Your clients will subconsciously look forward to reading your posts on those days. Make a media plan and stick to it for consistent results.
REAL-TIME CONSISTENCY
As a former owner of a turn-key business in San Francisco, I saw how consistency in my branding helped me to succeed. Not only was it crucial that the website, newsletters and marketing materials be consistent in tone, look, and message, but my employees had to be trained in the ways of the brand.
How we answered the phone, how we wrapped up sales transactions, the quality of the services we provided, what we looked like to clients… All of this mattered because clients came to TRUST that our business would deliver what they expected every time. It helped my business have a 5-star rating on Yelp, which brought more clients walking through the door.
Contact me for a branding session, or for help crafting a media plan. We can look at where there might be gaps in consistency, and we can build a brand and a client experience that will keep clients loyal and coming back for more.
