Did you know that consistent brand touchpoints are one of the most powerful growth tactics small businesses aren’t using?
They know they should have branding. They know they should be everywhere. But in the day-to-day of running a store, most entrepreneurs completely forget about brand touchpoints.
Let’s reintroduce this concept.
Every interaction a customer has with a business—website, ad, catalog, product packaging—shapes their opinion. And if those touchpoints are trusted and consistent, customers will grow to trust the business.
Here’s what you’ll discover:
- Why Brand Touchpoints Matter for Small Businesses
- Why Print Builds Brand Trust
- 5 Touchpoint Strategies That Small Businesses Can Actually Use
- How to Keep Brand Touchpoints Consistent Across All Channels
Plus, there’s a special bonus tip at the end to help get started.
Why Brand Touchpoints Matter for Small Businesses
A brand touchpoint is defined as any moment a customer comes into contact with a business.
Whether it’s scrolling past an Instagram post or getting a print catalog tossed onto their porch.
Consistent brand touchpoints matter because trust is hard to build online.
Research suggests it takes between 5-7 impressions before a consumer knows who you are.
That means customers need to see a logo on Instagram, scroll through a Google ad, get a catalog through their door, and hear a brand mentioned on a podcast just to recognize who it is.
Building trust is the next step.
Once a brand is recognized, it’s got to stay top-of-mind as a trustworthy option.
According to recent data, 81% of consumers must trust a business before considering making a purchase.
When customers consistently see and have positive interactions with a business across all channels, they build trust subconsciously. They start to feel like it’s a professional business they can rely on which leads to more sales.
The Secret Ingredient? Print.
Print is powerful.
In fact, out of all the channels customers come into contact with, printed materials are what consumers trust most.
Print creates a physical experience customers can hold in their hands. Booklets, flyers, and catalogs are meant to be kept and referred back to. Every time a prospect sees a logo on that printed piece, it reinforces the brand and that it’s worth trusting.
After all, Same Day Booklets makes same day catalog printing quick and easy so businesses can start building trust ASAP.
Print Materials > Digital Ads (Trustworthiness)
Not to mention digital and print marketing work hand in hand. Print catalogs can drive traffic to a website. Then social posts can be promoted with branded bookmarks. It’s a cycle of trust-building that works wonders for any business.
Here are 5 simple brand touchpoint tactics that can be implemented right away.
5 Touchpoint Tactics Small Businesses Need to Know
The importance of brand touchpoints and how print fits into the equation has been covered. Now it’s time to get into the actionable stuff.
These brand touchpoint tactics can be used across print and digital platforms to help create a consistent brand that customers know, recognize, and trust.
1. Get the Visual Identity Down
Logo, colour palette, fonts, imagery. If it’s visible to customers, it needs to be consistent across all channels.
Including things like:
- Website
- Social media posts
- Print catalogs
- Email signatures even
Believe it or not, there are brands out there that use one logo on their website and then hand draw a slightly different version on every business card.
The visual brand is the brand. Make sure it’s easy to identify no matter where customers see it.
2. Create Beautiful Print Materials
Speaking of visual branding. Nothing ruins brand trust faster than cheap looking marketing materials.
Whether going digital or printing out a physical copy, make sure all materials look professional.
The online brand should match the print pieces perfectly.
That means if orange, rounded-text is used on the website, don’t print flyers with blue, squared-text.
Customers subconsciously pick up on these inconsistencies and they don’t feel very good about a business when they see something “off.”
Hint: Same Day Booklets has you covered with professional catalog printing that matches any online brand.
3. Have a Strong Online Presence
Now that the visuals are locked down. It’s time to make sure the online presence is on point.
This includes the website, social media, email newsletters, and any other online channels customers use.
Here are a few things to pay special attention to:
- Make sure the brand voice and tone match across channels.
- Profile image/logo should be the same everywhere.
- Email color scheme should match print pieces.
- Contact information is accurate on all channels.
4. Leverage the Packaging
Packaging is one of the best brand touchpoints. It’s physical. Personal. And customers spend a lot of time looking at it.
Once a buyer decides to make a purchase, that packaging becomes their first interaction with the product.
Same rules apply. Use the brand colors. Place the logo strategically. The packaging should amplify the trust customers already have moving forward.
5. Follow Up
You know when you buy something online and receive an automatic “thank you for your purchase” email?
Those are brand touchpoints.
Any time a business interacts with customers outside of the initial purchase is an opportunity to build more trust.
Just like everything else on this list. Make sure follow-up emails look like they’re from the same brand customers can recognize.
Bonus Brand Touchpoint Tip: Set up a Quick Folder
Creating brand guidelines and sticking to a visual brand was mentioned earlier. And while that’s important, sometimes it’s hard to remember who does what logo version.
Here’s a trick that works every time. Setup a folder on the computer called “Quick.”
Any logos, print catalogs, flyers, email signatures should go into that folder.
Now whenever a brand-related document needs to be created. The right assets are right there waiting.
Wrapping Up
Consistent brand touchpoints help small businesses stand out from competitors and build trust with new customers.
When a small business has a consistent brand that customers know, recognize, and trust they’ll start to feel safer purchasing from it. Once trust is established there will be an increase in sales and repeat customers.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Create a consistent visual brand.
- Make print pieces that match the online brand.
- Keep the online presence consistent.
- Use packaging as a tool.
- Remember to follow up.
