All brands want to grab people’s attention. But getting noticed is only step one. When you harness someone’s attention, what will you do with it?

Don’t get me wrong, building brand recognition is no small task. But the path is established. Consult any marketing blog and you’ll find the same cookie-cutter “keys to success” listed —beautiful design, a functional website, social media marketing, and so on.

That is the what, not the how or the why. Any brand can follow a proven marketing formula, but few will actually get the results they want. 

The real keys to success are authenticity, storytelling, and consistency. A successful brand is one that is intentional in each element – from color to word choice to imagery. These decisions are not random—each must say something.

Let’s break these down, starting with authenticity.

Authenticity

Consumers are adept at spotting phony brand messaging. It’s why a lot of brands fail – because they can never nail down their true identity. If your tone is edgy and snarky, own that; if you are more community-oriented, friendly and warm, own that too. Whatever kind of brand you are, if you stick to it, you’ll eventually establish the base you’re looking for. According to Nosto.com’s findings, 88% of consumers want to support authentic brands. 

Don’t know where you stand? Fortress can help with that too. Through our “Brandstorm” process, a comprehensive brand development playbook, we have experience building brands from the ground up. Yours could be next.

Storytelling

Storytelling is absolutely essential to opening doors for your brand. Consumers want to know what your motivations are, where those motivations come from, and why they should lead them to utilize your services or buy your products. There is a fine line to walk here, because doing too much talking about your own brand without an application of why that should matter to the consumer, you will risk the story falling flat. Focus on the consumer’s problems and why you’re best positioned to solve them, don’t just vapidly talk about your brand. 

As an example of how storytelling can make a difference in branding, look at Fortress’ work with nationally-renowned civil rights law firm, Action Injury Law Group. Led by Andrew M. Stroth, this Chicago-based firm addresses instances of police brutality against minority communities. 

Action Injury did not need help building a reputation, but their goal was to acquire more clients and turn their tragedies into justice. We built a website that featured case studies of how they have helped people in the past, and outlined both visually and in writing how they plan to continue doing so in the future. 

Take a look at the full case study here. 

Consistency

Consistency and authenticity work together to achieve the same goal of elevating your brand’s reach, and in turn, its bottom line. According to Marq’s 2021 report, consistent branding can increase revenue by an average of 33%. 

Consistency can mean many different things, but consistency of messaging is the most crucial. In 2022, social media is the most important place for consistency in brand messaging. Find a rhythm of how often you want to appear, plan out what type of content you want to post and pay attention to what’s working. What type of posts are getting the most engagement and generating the most conversions? Having the answers to those kinds of questions will go a long way. Social media leaves room for experimentation – no doubt – but it must be well thought out if you want it to move the needle. 

At Fortress Consulting, we build brands by telling their story in every detail. This personal touch combined with over a decade of success in web design, web development, and digital marketing helps us transform our clients’ brands, and also their lives.

That is our mission. What’s yours?