In a digital world where consumers expect businesses to be transparent about who they are and what they stand for, companies that send mixed messages make it difficult for consumers to connect with their brands.

1. HOW INCONSISTENT MESSAGING CAN
KILL YOUR BRAND
BY RONN TOROSSIAN
In a digital world where consumers expect businesses to be transparent about who they
are and what they stand for, companies that send mixed messages make it difficult for
consumers to connect with their brands.
Even though every brand has a purpose, not all brands know how to effectively
communicate their vision, voice and values to consumers. This is compounded by the
fact that most marketers manage more than one social network and simply don’t have
the time or resources to create a cohesive brand experience for target audiences across
all digital channels.
However, businesses that don’t take the time out to define their brand message, risk
confusing their fans and followers on social media. While brand content doesn’t have to
be identical across social platforms, a brand’s value proposition can’t change and must
be consistently communicated to consumers.
Regrettably, inconsistent messaging on social media is often the result of marketers
trying to imitate the success of the top brands they admire. While imitation may be the
sincerest form of flattery, copying another brand’s voice, tone or look and feel isn’t the
best strategy because it comes off as being inauthentic and may even clash with a
brand’s existing value system.

2. All too often, brands desperate to build a larger following will change the way to
communicate with audiences on their social media channels and owned digital
properties. However, many marketers tend to forget that one brand’s communication
strategy may not always work for another.
Social media has drastically changed the way brands communicate with consumers.
Brands that want to compete have learned to adapt their content for multiple short- and
long-form social publishing platforms. While their messaging tends to vary (especially
with regard to length) based on where brand content is being posted, smart marketers
know that a brand’s overall personality must be consistent.
Even though it’s a good idea to adjust and optimize messaging for specific content
channels, mimicking the voice and tone of a brand with vastly different values can be a
death sentence for an aspiring brand. How one top brand communicates with its Gen Z
following on Instagram may not be the right approach for another brand trying to appeal
to female consumers on Facebook, which is why brands that attempt to communicate
their values to consumers in borrowed voices are in grave danger of losing the qualities
that set them apart in the first place.
Some marketers even go so far as to experiment with different brand identities on each
one of their social channels. Unfortunately for them, this “let’s see what works and what
doesn’t” mindset can result in long-term problems for their brands. While this approach
may provide marketers with insights into the type of content that resonates with broader
target audiences, it also risks confusing their core brand messaging and values.
Too often, brands that don’t have clearly established identities will choose to inject other
brands’ personalities into their own messaging without realizing that their adoptive
identities are in conflict with their existing value systems. As a result, this type of
copycat behavior leads to fragmented identities and inconsistent messaging that
alienate consumers from the brands they love by breaching their trust.