There is often mention of the three big C’s of marketing – clarity, constancy and consistency. Most of us struggle to understand the difference between the last two. Simply put – to be constant means to be unwavering in purpose.
Coaches love to talk about ‘purpose’ and defining it. In personal branding terms, this is about being true to what you stand for – to how you want to make people feel.
Consistency is about being steadfast to that purpose. Now, what divides a good brand from a great brand is consistency. Think of Coca-Cola. Now draw its logo. Comparing your picture to the real logo, you’ll see how easily you recognised and knew the brand. That logo has remained relatively unchanged since the 1900’s.
Daniel Kahneman found what is interesting about the brain is that it will resolve ambiguity based on what it knows. So, if we see a word like BANK – and we have little experience canoeing but are worrying about how we will pay our credit card, our thoughts will be of a financial institution, not a river.
When we are uncertain of something, our brain will assume that it is the thing that we have had the most recent experience with, within the right context. This is the heart of how assumption works.
You have to realise that your brain actually makes a ‘choice’ to understand something one way. It is not a deliberate choice – it is a bias based on previous experience.
So, how can you use this to influence how your personal brand is perceived?
THINK about what you wear in what context – soccer fans would never wear their team colours into the opposition’s territory – not without expecting violence.
THINK about how you sign off all your emails, the way that you enter the workplace every day, the way that you greet people, your favourite drink…
Consistency isn’t boring, it can pave the way to creative impact while maintaining the core values of your brand. Think of when something works well. You almost never notice it. But when it doesn’t work or fit in, everyone notices.
Repetition creates recognition. Consistency creates trust. When we trust someone, we are loyal.
Written by Emily Kucukalic, Founder and MD of Brand New You
Emily Kucukalic created the Brand New You Group in 2009. It is now Australia’s number one personal branding agency.
Emily first connected with Women of Influence nearly 10 years ago when she was a Keynote speaker in 2010. In September 2019, Emily returned as a Keynote speaker and in October 2019 she will take a select group of businesswomen through a half day workshop to discover what we stand for so we can be deliberate, distincitve, authentic and consistent.
In meetings, interviews, negotiations and more, it is important that your brand delivers its content in a manner that is deliberate, consistent and authentic. If you want to win over colleagues, investors or even your partner and kids, get in touch and we’ll show you how.
