Good Branding With The Echo Factor

Posted by admin on Feb 8, 2012 in Blog | 0 comments

A client recently commented that she liked an ad we had done because it “echoed” their business cards. At first, I thought, “What the heck does that mean?” Then it occurred to me that she had just given me a new favorite phrase to describe what I do for them as a Brand Manager.  (I’ve already used it in a meeting with a prospect.)

If I am doing my job, everything a client does that their customers and prospects see should be an echo of everything else…a consistent message, a consistent look, and a consistent voice.

Echoes say the same thing. Think of it. When you stand at the edge of a canyon and yell, “Hello!” what comes back? Gibberish? Of course not! You yell, “Hello!” and a bunch of “Hellos” come back to you. So when we do branding, we don’t have dozens of confusing messages… that turns into marketing gibberish.

That doesn’t mean, of course, everything we produce in the world of branding, marketing, and advertising is exactly the same. My usefulness would expire pretty quickly if that were the case. But in the world of echoes, some are loud and clear while others are distant and soft…but they are still echoes. All of your messages, regardless of media, should echo each other, either loudly or softly, but echoes none-the-less.

Echoes have the same voice. Your business should have a “voice” that comes through on your website, social media, advertising, collateral, even in-store signage. That “voice” is a very subtle but important part of your long-term branding and can be difficult to achieve, and is frequently overlooked. That’s why it’s a good idea to find a good writer to write most of your stuff. Different writers typically write with different voices…unless they are really top professionals who can copy the voice of another writer.

Businesses who bid out their work to different writers for different projects are making a mistake. Find a good writer. Use him or her for most everything you do. It’s another way to make the “echo” factor work for you. In most cases, the same thinking applies to graphic designers. They all have a unique style or look. And the longer they work for you, the more they become part of your “look.” They can make subtle or major changes without compromising your brand look. As with writers, why would you keep changing artists? Marketing gibberish.

Remember the echo factor. It will help keep you on track.