Branding is an important activity for businesses of all shapes and sizes, including government agencies. Ultimately, your brand is your public image. It is the first thing that people think of when they hear your organization mentioned in conversation.
You want to be sure that you have a strong influence over your brand. There are some things that may be out of your control, but for the most part, you should be in control of your organization’s branding.
There are a few different ways that you can start building brand consistency for your federal, state, or local government agency.
Strategic Communications
The best way to begin your branding journey is with the implementation of strategic communications. This includes creating brand guidelines that represent your entire organization. When you have a clear set of brand guidelines, everyone on your team knows what they can and cannot say in a public forum.
Strategic communications encompass everything that people see, from internal memos to external marketing efforts. Your communication style should be consistent across the board, leaving very little open to interpretation.Â
In order for strategic communications to work, the whole staff must have access to the brand/communication guidelines and follow them closely.
Create a Quality Customer Experience
Government agencies may not view their constituents as customers, but in many ways, they act just like customers. You are providing a service to them and for better or worse, they will report how good that service is to other people.
Anyone who is customer facing should have customer experience training and certification whenever possible. They should also be well-versed in any brand guidelines, current marketing efforts, and your strategic communication plan.
Additionally, you should use your social media platforms and web presence to answer any frequently asked questions and stay in touch with your constituents.
Humanize Your Agency
Most people see government agencies as cold concrete buildings with drones working inside. Good branding for any organization should include showing the face of the brand. Feature your employees (not actors or stock photos) prominently. This reminds people that agencies are full of people, too.
Remember any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts as you build your brand, too. Display them prominently on all types of communication, whether it be paper flyers, social media, or your website itself. You need to be able to walk the talk, proving that you back up the image that you are attempting to portray to your audience.Â
Get Help Building Brand Consistency for a Government Agency
Branding is not something that any organization should take lightly. It is time-consuming and too important to leave in the hands of someone who does not have experience creating a brand. Applied Development has experience working with federal organizations, including MEDCOM, to provide quality branding services.Â
Give us a call today at 410.571.4016 or contact us on the website for more information on our brand consistency programs.