Consistency, branding and marathons

Image credit: Toby Lee

Last week I had the privilege of opening the very first Speakers Den event at Rocket-X in Grantham.

It was only my second public talk, and although speaking in front of an audience is something I find well outside my comfort zone, it was another opportunity to share a subject I’m passionate about – how consistency helps businesses build stronger brands.

I’ve spent more than 35 years helping organisations present themselves professionally through branding, graphic design and marketing. During that time, I’ve seen one principle make a bigger difference than almost anything else.

Consistency.

For the talk, I used an analogy that a surprising amount of attendees could relate to: marathon training.

I’m currently training for my first marathon later this year in Turin, and one thing has become very clear. You don’t wake up one morning and run 26 miles. You build towards it through small, consistent efforts that often feel slow and, at times, quite repetitive.

Building a recognisable brand works in exactly the same way.

• One advert won’t transform a business.

• One LinkedIn post won’t suddenly generate dozens of enquiries.

• One brochure won’t instantly build trust.

But when your branding, marketing and communication remain consistent over time, people begin to recognise your business. That recognition develops into confidence, and confidence eventually becomes trust.

Those three qualities: recognition, confidence and trust – formed the core message of my presentation.

The evening itself was a fantastic experience. While I was naturally nervous beforehand, the audience was incredibly supportive, and I received some valuable feedback afterwards, including encouragement to develop the talk further (still not sure about that!)

It also reminded me that growth rarely happens inside our comfort zones. Whether it’s public speaking, marathon training or helping a client strengthen their brand, progress usually starts by taking that first uncomfortable step.

Image credit Toby Lee. Paul Green engaging with the audience.

I’d like to thank Paul Green for creating The Speakers Den, along with fellow speakers Kaffy Rice-Oxley and Grace Spicer, whose presentations demonstrated just how engaging and impactful great communication can be.

Although I still much prefer helping businesses ‘Look great’ through branding and design, I’m beginning to enjoy sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned over the last three decades.

And, perhaps fittingly, I’ll continue doing that in exactly the same way I encourage my clients to build their brands: Consistently.

If you’d like to read more about the ideas behind the presentation, you can also read my article on why consistency builds stronger brands.