Brand Touchpoints - How to Create a Cohesive Brand Experience

Here’s the deal: I want you to take advantage of every opportunity to create a great impression of your business with your potential followers and clients. In today’s post, I’m going to teach you all about an important aspect of creating a great impression of your brand. We’ll do this by becoming aware of what your brand touchpoints are. (And if you’re not sure what that means, no worries - we’re covering it today!) Proper utilization of touchpoints quickly legitimizes a brand through creating a strong, cohesive brand message. Interested in learning more? Check out the video below, or keep scrolling.

What is A Brand Touchpoint?

You may have heard the term “brand touchpoint” thrown around a bit, but if you still feel you don’t have a handle on what it is, it’s actually very simple. In the most plain terms, a brand touchpoint is a way that a potential customer might make contact with your brand.

This could mean a very wide variety of things. It could be something like a customer seeing an ad for your brand, someone driving by your office, or even someone checking out your Instagram account. Whatever the manner in which they are introduced to your brand, it is very important that your brand is communicating the message you want it to communicate. This means having a cohesive look or feel that is intentionally crafted through each of your brand’s chosen touchpoints.

Think of it this way: if a customer is exposed to your brand’s ad and likes what they see, there’s a good chance they’ll recognize your brand’s account on Instagram later on if it shows up in their feed. Not only will they recognize it, but they are more likely to click around and investigate further when they see something familiar. And that’s the point - to build trust and credibility with your audience. (Just remember, all your touchpoints must be showcasing a cohesive brand aesthetic and message, otherwise you risk confusing your customers!)

So what are the different types of brand touchpoints? I’m going to share 5 categories below. As you read through, try and make a note of what applies to your brand. This will help you become more aware of your brand touchpoints, which will in turn help you decide whether they’re actually working together or if you need to make some changes. This type of awareness is key for the benefit of your brand and your business’ bottom line.

Category 1: Advertisements

This category includes things like print flyers, your pages on Google or Yelp, and your digital advertisements, just to name a few. Across all these mediums, you want to make sure that your brand colors and theme are incorporated as much as possible, and your brand logo is front and center. You want to make it very clear who you are, and really plant your brand in a potential customer’s mind.

Category 2: Physical Location

Physical location doesn’t just refer to your office or retail space. It’s also talking about all the parts that make up that physical location, if you have one. Think about the sign outside, employee uniforms, employee personalities, and your decor. Even receipts and product labels can incorporate your brand aesthetic or brand vibe. When someone steps into your location, they should feel like they’re stepping into your brand.

Category 3: Social Media

It shouldn’t matter whether a customer is looking at your brand’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or other platform, all of your accounts and feeds should be sharing the same feeling and have the same information on how to access your brand.

Category 4: Brand Accessories

Brand accessories are all the extra “stuff” that comes with running your business. This could be the digital or printable things like your brand catalogues, brochures, the documents you use with your customers, and even your brand packaging. Each of these are touchpoints and all of these items should include some element that makes it identifiable as coming from your brand specifically.

Category 5: Communications

This is everything that comes from your brand and goes out to the people you’re working with or serve. Emails, letters, media kits, and any digital products should all represent your brand and include your brand’s vibe somehow. This could be through the aesthetic or the tone of your brand, whether it’s the message you’re trying to get across, the logo, brand theme colors, or maybe even a personalized brand font. When someone gets communication from you, you want it to build upon the intentional image and message you’re trying to send.

However you incorporate your aesthetic, pay attention to every connection between your brand and past, present or future customers. Digital or hard copy materials, signs and packaging, and even the way your employees present themselves should all be uniquely identifiable as your signature brand style. By creating a brand touchpoint that has been specifically cultivated, you can create a familiarity with future customers that will help build trust and encourage them to further connect with you.

If you’d like some help making sure you’ve identified all your brand touchpoints, so you can evaluate whether they are working for you, fill out the form below to have my “Brand Touchpoints Checklist" PDF sent right to your inbox! This PDF includes all the touchpoints I mentioned in today’s post, and more!

Let’s chat!

Can you think of any brand touchpoints you’ve been exposed to? I’d love to hear about a moment where you recognized a brand from an earlier encounter, or where you experienced a truly great brand touchpoint. Leave a comment below and tell me all about it!