The Value of Consistent Branding

Now that your Web site is up and running, it’s important to consider how it will look compared to your other marketing materials. If your Web site looks—or sounds—markedly different from your other marketing materials, such as brochures and ads, then customers may not be clear that they are from the same company. And this kind of “customer confusion” is bad for your business.

For maximum effectiveness, a Web site should have a consistent brand with the rest of your marketing materials. What does this mean? It means that all of the materials in your marketing campaign—including your Web site, brochures, and any ads you may be running—have a similar design and message.

Maybe you’ve already got a large marketing effort underway. Or, maybe you’re just thinking about it. No matter what stage of the marketing game you are at, make sure that you incorporate your Web site as seamlessly as possible into the rest of your campaign—making your company image and message appear smooth and consistent to your customers. This is called “branding,” and with a little planning, it should be fairly easy.