In times of uncertainty, people seek certainty, they seek the known, the trusted, the reliable.

As brands, it’s probably more important than ever that we know who we are and what we stand for and to make that really clear to our customers, old and new.

However, when things are in a state of flux changing rapidly, as they are the the moment, it’s very easy to forget that and dilute your message to take advantage of an opportunity that you see, or panicking and trying to find more sales. Both of these things can mean that you end up going to places where your customer has to think to work out who you are, and that’s not good.

All of us could make and sell lots of things, the key question that you need to asking asking yourself is – should you? A scatter gun approach to what you do just confuses your customers and potential customers and leaves them wide open to be attracted by someone whose offering is much clearer to them. What is the thread that connects all that you do, what do the customers value about you, are the ideas that you’re having supportive of your brand story or are they undermining it?

The thrill of the new can be seductive, but regardless of being a start-up or an established brand, clarity of message is key. You know what you do, you know why you do it, but have you told your customer that lately, and then have you told them again? Sometimes, it can feel like we are saying the same thing over and over again and it makes us back off from projecting these basics about our brand out there.

However, the internet is like a street market, there is an ever-changing stream of customers going past our stall and we could shout the same thing all day and it would rarely be heard by the same person twice. So don’t worry about repeating yourself, worry about the people you are missing by not broadcasting often enough.

Ways that you can do this are to have a really good ‘About Us’ page on your website, maybe even with a video introduction from you. Make sure that your key messaging comes across in content that you create, let people know what you’re about. Include testimonials in prominent places so that people can reassure themselves that other people validate what you’re saying.

If you are introducing new products, relate them back to your brand values, explain to your customer where the connection is, don’t leave them to assume. Your brand needs to feel cohesive to your customer, there is so much competition out there that a casual customer will just move on if they don’t understand.

So, be clear and be loud about who you are and what you do. Be a trusted brand for people, be consistent and customers will stay and they will recommend you to their friends. This kind of presence takes time to build, it does involve playing the long game, but it will be much more rewarding in the long term for you and your business.