Nowadays, everyone is active on social media, including all of your competitors. That’s why it’s more important than ever to set yourself apart. There are several ways to do this, such as by posting great content and engaging with your audience. Another essential factor is your branding. This includes your logo, your unique tone, and frequent reminders about your brand name and what it stands for. Let’s look at why branding is crucial for your social media success.
Why Branding for Social Media is Crucial to Your Success
The Importance of a Strong Logo
Your logo is fundamental to your branding efforts on social media. Images are getting more and more popular on the web, and particularly on social media sites. While mentioning your brand name and linking to it is also helpful, logos are even more powerful. A strong logo makes an imprint on the subconscious mind. Large companies understand that psychology plays a big role in branding and images are even more powerful than words in this regard.
Think of some of the most powerful brands in the world and their logos: Nike, Apple, Twitter, Google, McDonald’s, and Target, to name a few. If you see any of these logos, you’d immediately know the company behind it even with no other clues. Now, the average business is probably never going to reach the level of familiarity that giant multinational corporations enjoy. Fortunately, this isn’t necessary. Simply gaining brand recognition in your audience and differentiating yourself from the competition goes a long way, even if people outside your niche have never heard of you.
Get the Most Out of Your Logo on Social Media
Here are some things to keep in mind for using your logo for effective social media branding.
- Simplicity. Don’t try to turn your logo into a complex work of art. Simple designs are easier to remember. Think of Target’s target symbol or Nike’s swoosh. These are extreme examples (most logos are a bit more complex than that), but the principle is sound. Use three colours at most and aim for something the average person could easily draw.
- Relevance. Choose a logo that evokes something essential about your business. A huge company can get away with a certain amount of vagueness (e.g. the McDonald’s “M”). It’s important, however, for smaller and less familiar businesses to connect their name and logo with the type of products or services they offer.
- Choose an appropriate style. Do you want to evoke a modern, traditional, or humorous style? Choose a logo that reflects the overall style of your brand.
- Use your logo everywhere. The best way to make sure people recognize your logo is to use it frequently. Make sure it’s highly visible on your social media posts and pages. Using your logo as a profile picture ensures everyone sees it.
- Size your logo properly for each site. Make sure you resize your logo so it looks good on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and any other social sites that you use.
Branding Tips to Keep in Mind
Aside from having and using your logo, here are some social media branding tips to follow.
- Use the right social media platforms. Identify where your customers are and focus on these sites. For example, LinkedIn is mainly for B2B marketing, SnapChat appeals to younger audience, and Pinterest is great for promoting physical products.
- Post consistently. If you don’t post frequently enough, your audience won’t recognize your brand.
- Engage. Connect with your audience. Ask and answer questions. Thank people for taking the time to comment. Hold polls, surveys, and contests.
- Develop a consistent voice and style. Just as your logo should reflect your brand’s style, so should all of your content and activity.
- Stay focused. When you post content, keep most of it relevant to your brand’s message and products. It’s OK to go off topic sometimes and post something about the weather or cute puppies but, in general, staying on topic helps make your company more identifiable. Too many random or irrelevant posts weaken your brand.
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