How often have you spotted a business with a completely different logo on its website vs its print collateral? Or one whose various product brochures look totally unrelated when viewed side by side?

No matter where a customer finds you, the essence of your positioning — from your graphic look to your core messaging — should be consistent across all marketing channels.

Why? From a brochure to a business card, an ad to an article, each of your marketing efforts builds momentum. By switching gears midstream, you’re bringing that momentum to a virtual standstill — and likely confusing your prospect in the process.

Creating a brand with staying power
By standardizing your mainstay marketing elements, you’re better able to leverage your unique selling proposition and send a memorable message to customers.

But the list of those elements might surprise you, because customers gain impressions from both obvious and not-so-obvious brand components:

• Your firm’s name
• The design and colors of your logo
• Your physical location, if you have one
• The style and quality of paper used for your brochure or business card
• The font(s) on your website
• Packaging, like shopping bags or shipping cartons
• Your advertising — not only what your ads say, but where they run

Even how you answer the phone is a reflection of your brand. Would you trust a criminal law firm that answered the phone in a too-flip manner, or a party planning company whose phone greeting had you wondering who died?

Think of it this way: Based solely on name and location, a shopper at Barney’s Discount Liquor Barn on the highway is clearly not anticipating the same retail experience as one entering the Fine Wine Emporium downtown. So Barney had better come through on his brand promise with fast in-and-out service and budget pricing, while Fine Wine focuses on knowledgeable wine consultants and higher-end price points. Anything else would be a disconnect.

Make sure you’re not guilty of sending mixed messages by paying careful attention to both the obvious and not-so-obvious components of your brand. It’s the only way to build true marketing momentum.