A woman facing an unintended pregnancy searches Google for help.  Your ad catches her eye with its headline that speaks with compassion and understanding, so she clicks through to your website.  As she navigates a few pages, she feels a connection to the photos you have intentionally selected on various pages, and the meticulously written content prompts her to make an appointment with your center.

The waiting room of your center is welcoming, clean, and disarming.  She’s greeted by staff that make her feel at-ease while exuding professionalism.  Her overall experience at your center, even in the midst of her whirlwind situation, helps her to feel valued and seen.

Every aspect of her experience thus far has been an engagement with your center’s brand.  The way you speak, the way you portray yourself, the way your physical space ministers to your clients.  Branding is more than merely a logo, specific colors and design elements, or a website.  Your brand is the persona of your ministry that impacts every touch point you have with a client, staff member, volunteer, and your local community. 

Consistency across each of these touch points ensures you provide the greatest care for your various audiences while affirming every promise you make in your marketing. 

Think again of the woman noted above.  Every step of her journey with you earned and reinforced trust, enough to invite you into her situation and minister to her.  Now, even with all the positive “capital” you built to the point of her sitting in your waiting room – how would her experience suddenly change if, when she entered the restroom before her appointment, she walked into a room that was dimly lit with an overflowing trashcan and a sink that needed cleaned?  A simple thing like a bathroom needed some attention and TLC could dramatically change her mindset and her overall experience.

So, is this an article encouraging you to ensure your center’s bathrooms are clean and in good repair?  No.  But it is an encouragement to think about your brand’s reach and ensure all elements (or touch points as I refer to them) are in alignment and receive the same level of care and intentionality.

Do you have thoughts or questions on branding?  Leave a message below!