Joined Up Brand Identity And Social Messaging

Building and maintaining a consistent brand identity across a variety of diverse channels and platforms on today’s search and social web is no longer just about creating a good looking website.

Potential customer touchpoints can be anywhere, anytime and the right content delivered with the right voice can have more influence over instant buying decisions…

The quality of customer experience and a meaningful engagement with the human voice behind the brand have become the key indices of trust, authority and customer advocacy. In other words, the price may be right but it may no longer be enough to convert.

The challenge of clearly communicating recognisable brand messages on different channels, online or offline, is not simply overcome by focusing on logo, font and swatch. The big game changer in how potential audiences connect with brands has come about through social media networking. Social business is reshaping eCommerce by appealing to the ‘person’ instead of the ‘customer’.

It’s become a crucial starting point, from which audiences make an emotional connection with a brand’s presence, in whatever format, product, service or channel it may appear, and is more likely to be ‘liked’, bookmarked, shared, ‘retweeted’ and a ‘favourite’. Online marketing has become more personal. Developing a connection through shared interests and values are social marketing strategies which aim to speak more directly to the individual ‘human’ rather than selling to the mass target consumer.

Brand identity is located in a brand value and consistency of voice recognisable on all channels in all guises. It must also apply to all company departments and employees. ‘Joined up thinking’ – the holy grail of most organisations – must always extend beyond the office walls and into the online spaces.

The branded package, which must take central stage on the web, must be the look and feel of authentic social engagement, in response to the understood needs and observed behaviours of social followers and site visitors.

It’s not such a revolutionary concept! Traditional marketing wisdom has always stated that in order to sell your goods and services, you must first sell yourself. Sharing of the ‘personal’, in voice or content attaches to logo, font or swatch – or social pic!

It should continue on every Facebook update, blog post or tweeted message.