I’m about to say something unpopular. What I have the audacity to suggest should have some marketing professionals scratching a line off their resume or LinkedIn profile. It will also create a lot more work for those who claim to crave meaningful change in their organization.

Branding is more than your logo.

*gasp*

Don’t get me wrong, a logo is a huge part of your brand. One of the most visible and important touchpoints of your brand. However, if you’re relying on a logo to tell your brand story, you’re quite certainly falling short. And if you’ve been told by a “branding specialist” that a rebrand will fix your organization’s identity and reputation problems, you’ve been scammed.

Here’s the thing you have to understand about your brand. Unless there is 100% buy-in and intentionality on every platform and every interaction, your brand will break down and you will leave your member confused about your identity at the least, and annoyed about your flip-flopping at the worst.

That means your brand voice and messaging on your social media platforms need to match the tone and feel of your website. It also means that every single person in your organization needs to embody your mission and your brand.

Do you want to show members that you’re professional and responsible? Make sure your staff portrays those attributes in all interactions with members and dresses appropriately every day. You also need to take a look at your market position to ensure you are differentiating yourself from that other financial institution down the street. And you better not be using Comic Sans as your website or email font.

Want to project a family atmosphere? Every single member that walks through the door should be greeted warmly and affectionately. Your website and social media feeds, in turn, need to feature imagery that suggests inclusion and acceptance and familial love.

Want to be known as a convenient, tech-savvy organization that the younger demographic will flock to? Make sure staff is up to date on the latest apps and convenience features you offer and able to educate members every chance they get. Make sure your website is easy to navigate, uncluttered and updated, and make it easy to sign up for all of your convenience features.

Are you catching the theme here? Branding isn’t a one-time change from your old logo to a new look and set of colors. It’s an ongoing, living, breathing process shaped and defined by far more than just your pretty website and flyers in your branch.

So, if you’ve been relying on your logo and branding package provided by that company that did your rebrand way-back-when to tell your story, it might be time for a brand tune-up. Lucky for you, we do that.