The most common mistake we see small business owners make regularly is inconsistent branding.
To some, this might seem like a trivial matter. After all, what really matters is sales, right? As long as your business is hitting its sales goals, why should branding even matter?
“All that is just social media nonsense… It has absolutely nothing to do with getting a paying customer.”
Well, if you think this way, maybe you’re right. But also, maybe you’re wrong.
One thing’s for sure: people love buying from brands they trust and recognise. People are far more likely to become repeat customers when a brand feels consistent and dependable. Trust us when we say this: if you want to build trust, you need to care about how your product or service shows up visually.
We hate to break it to you, but your business isn’t exactly the only one offering your product or service. You’re not that special (in the nicest way possible).
Presently, your competitors are just a scroll away, and with an infinite pool of choices, customers are gravitating towards brands they can connect with emotionally and visually. The brands that get their attention and don’t look different every other day.
So, even if you don’t believe social media plays a role in sales, the truth still stands, and it’s still an important part of the digital marketing sales funnel. First impressions happen online, and if your brand feels disjointed or forgettable, you might just be leaving money on the table.
Let’s break down exactly why your brand looks inconsistent, how it’s holding you back, and what you can do to fix it.
The Impact of Inconsistent Branding on Sales
A study by Lucidpress revealed that maintaining a consistent brand across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.
Let that sink in. That’s not a design opinion, that’s purely data.
So if we flip that coin, the same study is also implying that inconsistent branding could be costing you up to 23% in lost revenue.
That’s not just a missed font or a clashing colour palette. That’s real money, money lost because your audience doesn’t recognise or trust your brand when they come across it online.
Visual inconsistency creates confusion. Confusion creates hesitation. And hesitation at the point of sale? That impacts purchase decisions.
Your potential customer might be wondering if your business is disorganised or worse, not even legit.
In fact, 81% of consumers say that trust is a prerequisite for purchasing from a brand (Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 2020).
So let’s do the math:
Poor design = lost trust = lower conversions.
Do you see where we’re going with this?
Now that you understand the consequence of inconsistent branding, let’s explore the reason you’re dealing with that in the first place:
You Don’t Have a Visual Identity System
Always the culprit!
Before we get into why this is often the root of visual inconsistency, let’s define what we mean by a visual identity system.
According to HubSpot, a visual identity system is “a guide that demonstrates the full visual experience of a brand including colour, texture, photography, videography, type, and more.” Its purpose is to guide how your brand is visually presented across all touchpoints from your Instagram feed to your website, packaging, and printed materials.
The problem is that many small business owners never take the time to create this system. They’re in a rush to get the business off the ground, start marketing, or simply keep up with the pressure to post consistently so the branding is handled on the go. A logo is quickly made. Some colours are picked. Fonts are chosen based on personal preference. Random stock images are thrown in the pile and then… it’s straight into content creation.
When there’s no structure behind the visuals, it shows and over time, what was meant to be “consistent posting” becomes a patchwork of mixed styles, clashing fonts, off-brand colours, and graphics that all look like they’re from different businesses entirely.
This is how brands start to look unreliable, not because they don’t offer value, but because they fail to present that value in a clear visual manner.
You’re Posting Without a Strategy
You can’t win a battle without a plan.
It might sound a little harsh to compare your brand to being at war, but when you’re competing against countless other businesses offering the same products or services, it’s not far off.
Every post you make is a chance to make you seem different from your competitors, make you more relatable to your target audience.
Once you’ve established a solid visual identity system with your colours, fonts, logos, typography and style guidelines all clearly defined, the next critical step is developing a visual strategy to go with it.
A visual strategy is a deliberate approach businesses use to communicate using visual elements. You need a plan for when, where, and why you use certain visuals which templates, image styles, colours, and layouts will best engage your audience and support your sales goals.
A well-done visual strategy will be a guide to your day-to-day content creation efforts.
A visual strategy answers key questions like:
Which types of posts work best for my audience?
How do I adapt my visual style for different platforms while staying consistent?
What kind of tone or mood should my visuals convey?
How can I align my visual content with sales goals or campaigns?
You’re Using Too Many Designers or Tools
Today you’re on Fiverr searching for a graphic designer, and next month you’ll be on Upwork doing the exact same thing all because the freelancer from Fiverr didn’t deliver what you wanted for the sixth time this week.
Switching between several designers isn’t exactly a smart small business move.
Graphic design, at the heart of it, is a creative field and it’s rare to find two designers on the same wavelength. Each trained designer interprets briefs in their own unique way, and that difference will show up in your branding if you’re constantly rotating designers every other week.
Plus, mixing up design tools isn’t going to make matters easier either.
One day it’s Canva, the next it’s Photoshop. Then you dabble with Figma, or try something new like Visme or Snappa and all of this is happening without a hint of design experience. So, naturally, you and your brand are bound to look lost and feel lost.
You’re Not Reviewing Your Content for Visual Consistency
Fine, you’re posting every day and honestly, we applaud the effort. Consistency in showing up is no small feat.
But have you actually looked back at your feed?
Have you scrolled through your feed lately to see if it feels like one cohesive brand or does it look like a collection of disconnected designs stitched together like a visual Frankenstein?
If your own feed confuses you, just imagine how a potential customer feels. One quick scroll, and they’re gone, taking their money to a brand that looks the complete opposite of yours, a brand that puts its best visual foot forward.
Something you might not be bothered about, but your customers certainly are.
Why Visual Consistency Builds Trust and Drives Sales:
So many brands have benefited from the trust built on how consistently their digital marketing visual is always being portrayed
Take Duolingo as a modern example.
No matter what, you will recognize their brand anywhere. The bold green colour and the cheeky animated owl made sure of this. It’s on all the social media platforms, it’s on their website, it’s in the email reminder you get, it’s in the app store. Duolingo looks and feels like Duolingo every single time.
That’s the power of a well-executed visual identity system backed by a strong strategy.
Consistency makes people feel like they know you, sometimes even in a parasocial way. When customers and target audience know your brand, they begin to trust it over time. That trust is what leads to repeat engagement, sales, referrals, and long-term brand loyalty.
What To Do Instead (Quick Wins + Long-Term Fixes
Well, if you have made it this far and you realise that your brand might just be a little bit all over the place, fret not because it’s fixable.
Let’s break it down into quick wins you can implement today, and long-term fixes that will future-proof your brand.
Quick Fix
- Audit your current feed: Scroll through your Instagram, website, or LinkedIn feed and ask: Does this look like one brand? If not, take note of what looks off, fonts, colours, images, layout.
- Stick to one design tool: If you are hellbent on doing the designs yourself then pick one design platform and learn it well. Jumping between tools when you are not professionally trained will end up showing in your designs
- Use One Colour Palette and Font Family: If you haven’t already, choose your brand colours and fonts and stick to them. No need to get fancy. Just be consistent.
- Create 3-5 Go-To Templates: These will save you time and keep your brand looking uniform.
Long Term Fix
- Create a Solid Visual Identity System: This is your foundation. Work with a skilled designer to develop a clear visual identity system that defines your colours, fonts, layout styles, logo usage, and overall visual tone. This isn’t something you should DIY with Canva templates pulled from five different creators. If you’re not sure where to begin, a design agency like Brand Mavins can help you build a system that actually reflects your brand and that you can stick to, long-term.
- Work With a Consistent Design Partner: Consistency can’t come from a rotating door of freelancers. Build a long-term relationship with a dedicated design partner who understands your brand deeply. When your designer knows your brand inside out, they can create designs that feel right every time. Brand Mavins offers monthly design subscriptions for exactly this reason to give small business owners consistent, reliable creative support.
Conclusion
You don’t need to post more. You just need to post better with a visual strategy, visual structure, and a foolproof brand identity that makes your customers and target audience recognise you.
If you’ve been doing it all yourself or bouncing from one designer to the next, maybe it’s time to try a different approach. At Brand Mavins, we offer monthly design support that helps small business owners like you build a brand that not only looks good but sells better too.
From just £399 a month, you get access to on-demand graphic design, consistent visuals across all your channels, fast turnaround times, unlimited revisions, and a dedicated account manager.
Ready to get started? Book a discovery call with us today.