Mr. Marketing: There’s value in consistency

Imagine shopping at Target. You go into the toy department and it’s painted yellow. Home furnishings is green. Automotive is black.

Kind of destroys the “one store” experience, doesn’t it?

I recently encountered this issue at a North County real estate brokerage. Twenty-three in-house Realtors had their business cards at the front desk, and each had a different look. Which means these Realtors were voluntarily relinquishing the marketplace strength they’d have by keeping their branding consistent.

With business cards printed on a computer, the owner didn’t set a good example. Reproduction quality was poor, type was tiny, and his photograph unimpressive. And rather than demonstrating the quality he wanted, he offered excuses.

Staff members were no better, with cards printed in various shades of blue, inconsistent layouts, and typographical errors in job titles.

From there it was the wild, wild west. Every card was different; every shade of the rainbow appeared in abundance. Many used their own taglines instead of the company’s line. Photo usage was spotty, and one picture looked like the woman’s head had been clamped in a vise.

And did I mention the Realtors who used their own logos instead of the company’s? It was, in a word, confusing.

Erratic branding of fliers, brochures, and business cards is something typically encountered at volunteer organizations. But if you want to be thought of as truly professional, steady branding’s a must!

Consider this: McDonalds, which designs restaurants to suit local community style, always uses the same logo and branding.

Fedex has the same imagery on trucks and forms, even as colors change for each service they sell.

None of this is accidental!

Not surprisingly, this real estate broker asked how he could grow his business. I was reminded of The Sound of Music, in which Julie Andrews sang “Let’s start at the very beginning.”

That is what I advise to this gentleman, and anyone concerned their bottom line isn’t growing fast enough. Revitalize your corporate image, then keep your branding consistent throughout the rest of the company. Be sure all employees’ presentations match, and remember: this is your company, not theirs.

And if your employees have a problem with that philosophy, perhaps they’re not the right employees for you.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.