.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Every one of us as a consumer is exposed to more than 3,000 marketing messages a day. TV spots, radio ads, billboards, logos on T-shirts, packaging labels, coupons in the mail, pop-up ads on the Internet, kids selling cookies at the door – they are everywhere.

In fact, they are so prevalent that we don’t even notice most of them anymore. Makes life easier as a consumer. But a lot tougher as a marketer.

Do we really think the consumers we want to talk to are going to filter through more than 3,000 messages a day just to find ours?

Most businesses decide to make it even harder by hiding their messages. If you are not consistent in ALL your marketing materials, you are wasting thousands of dollars and losing potential customers every day.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself to check your brand’s consistency.

• Are you using just one logo? Is it always the same color?

• Are you consistent with paper stock – color, texture and weight?

• Is the tone of all your communications pieces the same – one voice?

• Does that one voice match the personality and soul of your company?

• Do your sales, recruiting, internal and other communications match your marketing materials?

• Do your ads reflect the same look, feel and voice?

• When you produce your radio and TV ads, do you use the same announcer as the voice of your company? Is he/she also on your answering system?

You will greatly increase your odds of breaking through that 3,000-piece clutter by tending to these details. Or you can make it even harder. It’s your call.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2007 Drew McLellan