In last week’s blog (which you can read again here) we looked at some of the reasons that your business might not be growing as quickly or as well as you’d like it to. One of those reasons is related to consistency – providing the same coaching or consulting service over a number of years, in order to build up a solid reputation; and giving out a consistent message in your marketing.

If you’re a coach, consultant or trainer, you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of other people doing just what you do. But have you noticed how they go about promoting themselves? Do they say the same thing each time you meet them, or do they mix up their messages? Many business owners I meet say something different every time they stand up at a networking meeting. One week they’ll tell me that they work for a certain type of business and the next week, they say they’re looking for completely different clients. On their blog they will tell you one thing and their LinkedIn profile will give you a very different story. One day they might put a blue logo onto a PowerPoint presentation and the next time you look, there’s a green logo on their flier.

What’s the problem with this lack of consistency? The problem is that if you don’t put out a consistent message, your prospective clients will find it hard to remember who you are and what you do. At Appletree we’ve used the same logo since the business was set up in 2000. People recognise it and remember it. We’ve been writing Scribbles, our email newsletter, for many, many years. It’s always been called Scribbles and it is always full of marketing advice and ideas. Many of those ideas are repeated in this blog and we use the same ideas to provide material for our tweets (at www.Twitter.com/TopMarketingTip) and LinkedIn updates. This consistency has helped us to build and maintain our reputation.

Is your marketing consistent? Take a look at all the points I’ve covered in this blog – your logo, your blog or website, how you present yourself at networking and anything else you use for promoting your business. Do they all have the same look at feel, or do they seem different? Do all the marketing tools that you use give the same message and say the same things about your business. Take some time to carry out a bit of an ‘audit’ on your marketing and next time we’ll talk about how to make your marketing message more consistent. If you’d like us to give your marketing a free audit, just get in touch by calling 01635 578 500 or by clicking here to email me.