If you watch superhero movies, you will be familiar with the police force of Gotham City and their way of fighting crime – to send a signal for Batman. The Bat Signal is nothing more than a spotlight with a bat icon shined across the clouds to alert Batman that there is a problem. The caped crusader then jumps into his Batmobile, drives to where the bad guys are causing havoc, beats them up and returns the city to law and order. Of course, that all makes for a great movie, but it is not the way crime fighting takes place. Everyone knows the police don’t shine spotlights in the sky to alert superheroes that they need help. The police actually get into their own vehicles and respond to crime. They cruise the streets to keep an eye on people and property. They show up at crowded events and respond to emergencies. In other words, crime fighting is all about the consistent presence of the police.

Have you ever turned on your Marketing Signal? You know, the indicator that you are in desperate need of marketing in your business and you need a hero to come and save the day? Just like crime fighters don’t show up in tights to fend off bad guys, marketing doesn’t work when you only use it in an emergency. Marketing is best when it is persistent and consistent. Let’s look at these two facts of effective marketing.

Persistence is essential to marketing. If you send out one campaign, even if you get great results from it, you are selling yourself short if you don’t follow up with another campaign. Think of marketing consistency like waves of the ocean – they just keep coming. I had a customer a few years ago who wanted to do email marketing. He compiled a list of people whom he had done business with over the years and we sent out one e-blast. He did not see any sales in the first week and canceled all future campaigns. The reason persistence is so important is we don’t always get our marketing under the noses of customers at precisely the time they are ready to make a purchase and people have very short memories. Persistent marketing reminds consumers what your brand stands for and, when they are ready for a purchase, they will remember you.

Consistency in marketing has to do with brand recognition. If you change your marketing campaigns frequently, is there something that unifies them so the consumer knows your brand from another? A logo is certainly essential in brand recognition, but that is not the only marketing device to make your brand consistent to consumers. A tagline that identifies the best aspects of your brand is just as effective as a logo. Here are a list of taglines for brands. Some of them are recent and some of them are quite old. See how many brands you can name by the tagline.

1. Snap, Crackle, Pop!

2. Think outside the bun

3. What’s in your wallet?

4. Is it in you?

5. Move the way you want

6. Double your pleasure, double your fun

7. Breakfast of champions

8. I’m lovin’ it

9. You’re in good hands

• Save money, live better

(Answers are below.)

Consistent marketing goes beyond how your marketing looks and sounds. It also includes a sense of who you are as a company. Your brand stands for more than a product or service, it is associated with your delivery of quality, price, customer service and general respect for your customers. Consistent marketing drives these points home in the promotion of the brand. That is essential to your success.

The next time you have a marketing crisis and feel the need to turn on the marketing signal, instead make a strategic plan that incorporates more than one-off marketing attempts. Put some persistence and consistency into your marketing.

Tagline answers

1. Rice Krispies

2. Taco Bell

3. Capitol One

4. Gatorade

5. Uber

6. Wrigley’s Double Mint Gum

7. Wheaties

8. McDonald's

9. Allstate

10. Walmart