What is a Brand Management System and Why You Need One

A brand is only as good as it is consistent: 80% of consumers forget a brand’s content three days after viewing it, and more than 50% can’t remember any details at all, based on a joint study from the software company Prezi and neurologist Dr. Carmen Simon.

However, when a person sees a brand with the same colors, font and messaging, over and over, they will slowly begin to build a brand awareness. This is why most people can recognize some of the biggest brands in the world, like Coca Cola and Starbucks; their brand is consistent.

To make this happen for your business, you need a brand management system.

What is a Brand Management System?

A brand management system is a process used to manage your brand, keeping all assets, messaging and resources centralized. In The Importance of Strategic Brand Management, Oskar Duberg, Content Marketing Manager for Frontify explains:

“Keeping your communications on-brand is one of the most vital aspects of a fine-tuned brand management strategy. Whether you’re a one-person show or a global enterprise (especially then, actually), centralizing your brand definitions, assets, creatives, and essentials is crucial.”

A centralized brand management system makes it easier to maintain consistency from one piece of content or marketing asset to the next. Duberg suggests that you can do this in a few ways:

•     Create brand guidelines to show relevant stakeholders how to use your brand. “This would often be associated with a set of creatives and assets – either on a Google Drive or in Dropbox,” explains Duberg.
•     Create “a digital brand home for your company, living in the cloud.” This enables you to have a centralized, always-up-to-date, version of your brand guideline – along with all your assets – that can be shared throughout an organization.

As Duberg says, “Whichever way you choose to go, making sure you’re centralizing and facilitating your brand flow seamlessly through your organization is your golden ticket to getting on the right track for creating and carrying out a winning brand management strategy.”

It will take time, resources and money to develop a brand management system like this, but brand recognition isn’t the only value you get from doing so. Here are a few key reasons to develop a brand management system.

Strengthen Customer Perception

From the first time a customer sees the logo on your website to the completion of their order on your checkout page, all of the touchpoints affect how your brand is being perceived – and their perception of your brand means a lot more than just being “the most popular kid at school.”

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report found that 81% of consumers base a decision to purchase on whether or not they trust the business, and another 62% are loyal to brands that earn their trust.

A brand management system enables you to create a cohesive branded experience, from one touchpoint to the next, so the customer gets what they expect.

Increase Revenue

Consumers want to purchase from a business whose name, voice and content they recognize. That’s why companies that uphold consistent messaging on their website, social media channels, print materials, and all other channels tend to see a 33% revenue increase in the long-term, according to the 2019 State of Brand Consistency.

What’s more, brands with clear narrative strategies outperform other brands by 20%, according to a McKinsey & Company study. If you’re wondering why revenue is continually falling flat, look to your brand management system – or lack thereof.

Ensure Loyalty Among Employees

Employees want to feel connected to the work they’re doing and your brand drives that connection, starting with day one. As Gallup explains:

“Only 12% of employees strongly agree their company does a good job of onboarding new employees reveals there’s a major let down after the recruitment phase is over. If only 12% of consumers felt a brand they selected delivered on what it promised, you can bet they wouldn’t stay with that brand very long – if at all.”

By creating a branded onboarding experience for your employees, just as you do for customers, you can begin to build loyalty among your workforce. Gallup continues, “As with customers, experiences are everything to modern workers, and companies need to provide onboarding experiences – not just information – that mirror the identity of their organization.”

Future-Proof Your Business

Technology advancements, consumer demands, and industry trends make the business world a shifting landscape. Still, it’s your brand’s job to be recognizable and dependable as you innovate and adapt in the midst of these changes.

In fact, a brand “accounts for 18% of the market value of an organization,” according to a report from VIM Group. This means, as you bring in new product offerings, advance your services, and offer new experiences, your brand voice needs to reflect the same values your customers have come to expect.

With a brand management system in place, you can ensure this is true no matter what changes come about.

Don’t let potential customers forget about you in three days flat. Create a brand that they recognize, and ultimately come to love, by putting a brand management system in place that makes it easy for your team to be consistent. If you can master brand consistency, you can tackle one of the largest drivers of revenue, nurture loyal employees, and stand out in an increasingly crowded market.