Consistency is more than a marketing checkbox, it’s the foundation of how your firm is perceived across every touchpoint, from LinkedIn posts to PowerPoint decks. From the top of the funnel, to the bottom. In professional services businesses, your brand is your business. You’re selling expertise, something intangible, which means that credibility, trust, and familiarity carry a lot of weight in the marketing and sales process.

Brand consistency quietly builds all three. When your firm speaks in a clear, unified voice (visually and verbally), clients feel confident that they can expect the same level of service and the same outputs every time. This is what moves your business from one that is recognised, to one that is respected. Over time, the familiarity that has been built turns into preference, that illusive ‘top of mind’ recognition that you’re striving for.

To achieve this, take these three steps:

1. Identify where inconsistencies creep in

Inconsistencies in your brand are likely unintentional, everyone thinks they are following brand guidelines, but dilution happens. Common problems include:

• Outdated proposal and pitch templates that haven’t been updated with your latest brand assets
• A mismatch in brand tone of voice across outputs that are produced by different colleagues or functions
• Documents created for internal use which end up being seen externally without being checked for correct branding
• Touchpoints such as email signatures, phone covers, or notepads that could be branded but aren’t seen as a marketing channel.

2. Align your strategy, message, and visuals

To achieve true brand consistency, you need alignment across your marketing strategy, your messaging, and your visual identity. At a strategic level, are you clear on your positioning and proposition? If you don’t know what sets your firm apart, everything created afterwards will likely muddy the waters. But when you do know what you stand for and why, every message across every touchpoint should reinforce this. Regardless of who creates the output, what you say and how you say it should be consistent. Finally, brand assets should be understood and used by all colleagues. The implicit message that your brand identity conveys should match the explicit message you put out there. Is your style formal, fun, functional, or feminine? Whatever it is, remain consistent.

3. Build a system for brand consistency

You can choose to identify inconsistencies and leave it there, or you can build a system that prevents them in the first place! This might include:

• Brand guidelines that include correct use of logos, colours, and fonts, but also tone of voice, image selection, and what not to do with your brand assets.
• Messaging frameworks that help all colleagues to craft the right message at the right time for the right prospect or client.
• Templates and tools that make it easy for colleagues with no design training to adhere to brand guidelines with little effort.

You know that brand consistency matters for your professional services firm, but you might not always see this is a priority, or you may not know how to tackle the cracks that have appeared in your brand over time. It’s never too late to get your brand assets in a row, and start reaping the benefits of greater familiarity, trust, and credibility that a strong, cohesive, and consistent brand affords.

What are you waiting for?