5 Ways to Make Your Online Branding Consistent Before the Q4 Holiday Season

Have you ever walked into a store and left with an item that wasn't on your list? Well, chances are you were influenced into making the purchase by the branding quality of the merchandise. Every detail from product placement to signage was consistent, which created a sense of trust and familiarity.

If customers can't find what they're looking for or they get lost in the selection process, they'll often quickly abandon their shopping cart. They will move onto another place or product that they feel more confident with. With Q4 holidays approaching fast, it's time to make sure your online brand is consistent so shoppers enjoy their experience.

To stay on top of search results and at the forefront of shoppers' minds, keep your content relevant and fresh. The goal is to make people think of your brand when they think about a specific product, quality, or service and that happens by consistently communicating an appealing message to your core audience.

How to Make Your Branding Consistent Before the Q4 Holiday Season

Before we start, allow me to define what Brand Consistency is. It is the process of making sure that all marketing content aligns with a company's core values, brand promise, customer experience, and branding elements. It ensures your business identity has a constant message across multiple channels which creates positive experiences for your existing and future customers.

Now, here are 5 ways that ensure your branding looks professional, polished, and consistent during this holiday season:

1. Focus on One or Two Key Messages and Stay Consistent with Your Visual Elements

The simpler and more concise you are, the better it is for consumers who are being bombarded with multiple outbound messages per day. People aren't following brands on social media to be marketed at - they're following to learn more about the brand, be entertained, and share in a company's success. If messages aren't clear or are inconsistent with previous posts, followers will stop paying attention. In fact, a study from 2015 established that 57% of consumers ignore brands that bombard them with multiple marketing messages.

2. Keep Your Design Consistent

Use colors that align with your overall branding strategy (an online color scheme generator such as Adobe Kuler is recommended). Make sure fonts are similar throughout and avoid complicated graphics or images. While it might be tempting to get creative and try new things to stand out from competitors' holiday posts, it's best to stay consistent with your social media design and messaging so you don't get lost in the mix.

3. Promote Your own Holiday Giveaways

Let customers know that now is the time to buy. This will not only bring more sales during the holidays, but it'll also keep your current customer base coming back for future purchases.

You can make this fun by hosting a contest or giveaway on social media. For example, if you sell something like eco-friendly home decor, create an Instagram story that tells followers about your company's Instagram Sweepstakes. To enroll in the sweepstakes, followers need to post a picture of their favorite item from your store, then you select 4 people at random to win a $50 gift card. This will keep your page active and engaging throughout the holidays while also helping you stand out from competitors.

4. Stay Relevant With Your Content Calendars

Make sure you're sticking to deadlines when it comes to creating new social media posts. This keeps your page proactive (rather than reactive) throughout the holiday season. If you aren't quite sure what kinds of posts are working best for your brand, review previous campaigns and see which ones resonated most with the audience.

A great way to do this is to make sure you have enough content by scheduling posts in advance. By doing this, you'll have more time to think about your next post and won't feel rushed to create something that isn't quite up-to-par with previous holiday content.

5. Measure What Matters the Most

Review numbers from previous campaigns (engagement rates and actual sales conversion), so you can learn what's working best before it's too late. If certain images, colors, or messages are outperforming others, make note of these as you plan out this year's campaign. It will save you lots of time and effort, and you'll have a better overall campaign.

Keeping up with holiday branding can be tricky, but it's important to stay focused on what matters – whether that be sales or engagement.

Your Checklist for the Q4 Holiday to Grow Sales

It's that time of year again. The holiday season is approaching and it's the perfect opportunity to grow your eCommerce business. Here's a checklist for eCommerce retailers to get ahead before the Q4 holiday and keep up with demand:

• Make sure your website is optimized for mobile users so they can easily purchase from anywhere, anytime.
• Offer free shipping on domestic orders over $50 or otherwise incentivize shoppers by offering discounts for purchases over a minimum amount.
• Utilize email marketing by sending out promotional emails to increase customer engagement with your brand while also building relationships in advance of the busy holiday season.
• Monitor social media accounts closely and respond promptly to comments, questions, and concerns; don't let negative sentiment go.

Want Your Brand to Look Stronger? Acton Circle can Help!

This holiday season, it's not just about getting more orders; you need to grow your eCommerce sales. To be successful in the Q4 holiday season, you need to ensure that your branding is consistent and well-established before it's too late. You've spent hours planning, designing, and executing your brand. Now you need to stand out in the crowded marketplace while also maintaining consistency with your branding efforts.

Acton Circle can help you stand out and maintain brand consistency with our graphic design services. Contact us today to learn more about how we can improve the way people perceive your business by giving it a unique identity through designing logos, marketing materials, social media graphics, and much more.