Mixed messages cause disconnect between brand perception and reality. Historically, companies have had different messages for their internal team while other messages for their consumers take on a completely different perception of the brand altogether.  We know that brand perception is what people actually believe your brand is and it often doesn’t match what you would like your brand to be.

Consistency is king. Having multiple messages and changing them often can leave consumers and employees confused and left to develop their own reality of your brand.  By keeping a consistent message over a long period of time, you will be able to create the brand reality for both consumers and your employees.

All employees should be brand ambassadors. Employees should be your biggest brand ambassadors.  When employees are given different messages internally than you are promoting externally, they aren’t equipped to be an authentic sales force.  By ensuring your team is educated on the same brand message and aware of new campaigns before consumers, you will make them feel empowered.  In turn, your employees will help make your customer believe in the brand you are trying to convey and grow the business.

What can you do to ensure your internal brand and external brand match? One of the first steps it to conduct a brand audit.  An audit will help unify your organization and your messaging by showcasing disconnects. Next, develop a plan to build a consistent brand message across all entities – employee intranets, publications and all consumer advertising.  Having a core brand message is critical to keeping your communication and advertising teams focused on what and how to communicate with both your employees and consumers.  By knowing your disconnects and having a consistent messaging strategy, you will eliminate any grey areas of what you believe your brand is and what a consumer perceives it to be.