Why consistency is key in writing

Think about your favourite brands or businesses – the ones you trust, respect, return to and recommend. Whether you are reading a blog article, catching up on their social posts, clicking through from their latest email or speaking to their customer service on live chat, every interaction you have with them feels recognisable and consistent. This will be down to a sense of continuity in how they write – and this continuity is a key part in building the positive feelings you have towards the brand. Read on to discover why consistency in writing is so important for your business.

To maintain brand style and consistency :

You've worked hard on your brand strategy, you're refined your visual identity, you've developed core values based on your mission and purpose, and your tone and style reflect who you are and what you stand for. Every communication you share from this point onwards has to maintain your brand identity, so that your audience recognises you, trusts you, and eventually becomes a brand advocate. A slip-up in written consistency could result in missed messages, a detrimental user experience or a negative impact on your brand. Your copywriting has to be absolutely on point to prevent this from happening.

To build trust and credibility :

Think of the process you go through from meeting someone for the first time to becoming their friend. It usually progresses over time, with someone transitioning from a stranger whose mannerisms and ways of communicating feel unfamiliar to a presence and a voice that you trust. This is much like what happens with your prospects and customers, as they progress from their initial interaction with your brand to becoming an advocate. You become familiar, like an old friend, and consistency in how you communication plays a huge role in this. Break away from your brand style or adopt a different, unfamiliar tone, and you risk losing the trust of your audience. Building a robust style guide like Mailchimp's is one way to stop this from happening.

To assist understanding and inspire action:

There should always be a clear purpose to your writing. An objective to meet, and an end goal that you want your readers to take. This means that your writing has to be as clear and easy to understand as possible, with no distractions or disruptions. A blip in your writing style can draw your readers' attention away from digesting and then acting on the content. Consistency in writing ensures that your readers can consume and engage with your content without having to process anything other than the messages, information and call to actions you want to communicate.

It may seem like a simple piece of advice, but for your writing to effectively portray your brand, build trust and advocacy, and get the desired response from your audience, you must maintain consistency. If you don't, you risk losing the favour of loyal customers, turning prospects away, confusing leads at the point of conversion, and damaging a brand reputation that you've very hard to achieve.