Looking for ideas to make your brand more prominent on social media? We have good news and bad news. The bad news first: the competition is soaring. On Instagram, for example, there are over 200 million business accounts.
And now for the good news – you can tackle this competition with a strong social media content strategy. And this will be a concoction of ideas based on what’s trending and quality content that connects with the target customers.
But there is one secret ingredient in this mixture that is often overlooked – your logo design.
Your Logo – Your Brand Identity
Yes, the foundational block of your brand identity also happens to be an influencer of your social media performance. Of course, a lot depends on the social media content you post and even the overall aesthetics of your social media pages. But your logo is a hard-to-ignore detail. It’s the face of your brand on social media, and everywhere else.
Logos are crucial to the social media presence of businesses in the social commerce sector. But their impact doesn’t stop there. They’re also important for any business that wants to:
- establish itself as an easily recognized name on social media
- build a strong community
- significantly improve customer engagement
In short, every business that has a social media page needs to take its logo design seriously.
Why a Logo is Important to a Brand’s Social Media Marketing Strategy
1. Throws the spotlight on your brand
First things first – you want people to notice your brand. Only then comes the part of getting better interactions and finally an increase in sales due to this engagement.
As customers scroll past post after post on their social media feed, your promoted post will get noticed provided you have good design that jumps out at them. Once they notice the design and grasp the message in it, they immediately look at who the post is from. In other words, your profile picture is what grabs their attention next.
And of course, after grabbing their attention you’ll want to move them to the next step (click the call-to-action or visit your page). But how do you do this? Well, you do so by telling an interesting story and/or convincing them that they ought to take your brand seriously through a well-designed logo.
So, a credible logo ensures that all the effort you put into creating catchy social media designs will not be futile.
2. Gives people a reason to trust your brand
All relationships are built on trust. A brand-customer relationship is no different. And for people to trust you, you need a strong face for your brand. A face that represents your professionalism and your values. Your logo will be this face for customers to connect with your brand and eventually trust it.
On social media, your job does not end when a customer notices your brand. You want them to interact with your brand. Or talk about it. And in order for this to occur, they should trust your brand and take it seriously. That’s when they bring in more leads by sharing your brand.
Would you recommend a brand you do not trust to your network? Probably not! Your customers wouldn’t either. So, have a strong logo that builds credibility for your brand on social media.
3. Emerges amidst competition
Okay, so people have noticed your brand and started trusting it. But is that enough if your competition is getting tough out there? Not at all. You need to be consistent with your social media marketing strategy. It should be agile enough to accommodate trends. And adopt industry standards.
At the same time, all of your content should have a distinct flavor, the flavor of your brand. A representation of your brand’s personality. When you manage to introduce your customers to your brand’s personality through your logo and then plan your social media designs in alignment with this personality, no amount of competition will daunt you.
4. Chisels your brand image through social media
Brand image (not to be confused with brand identity) is how people perceive your brand. Do they see it as a reliable name in the industry? Or a fun brand? Or one that makes them feel safe?
There could be several such associations that people make with a brand. These associations differentiate whether they interact with and forget a brand or interact with it and stick around. So, you should pay close attention to these perceptions or in other words, your brand image.
Your logo, by constantly reminding people of your brand’s unique traits, has a critical role in converting strangers into leads, leads into customers, and customers into fans.
5. Helps you increase reach across marketing channels
Gone are the days when you only had to focus on a couple of channels to reach out to your target customers. Now you need a combination of several marketing channels to widen your reach. And also to ensure that people remember your brand. This may be exclusively digital or a combination of print and digital – but it’ll span quite a few placements.
The point is you have to diversify, and be where your audience is, for the long-term growth of your brand.
And of course, you’ll want customers who saw your ad in a newspaper, on a billboard, or poster to connect with your business on social media. Or someone who sees you on social media to visit your store. In order for this to happen, you need to build familiarity through a visual identity. And that’s where your logo comes in.
When you have a powerful logo, it becomes the bridge that connects all your marketing channels and content, both paid and organic. And that’s how people know that they are interacting with a brand they already know.
6. Make brand storytelling a priority
Social media is not just about promoting your products. It is about strengthening your customer relationships. It is about enhancing customer engagement. It is about telling compelling stories because that’s what hooks potential customers. Not when you are selling something. Your logo will be the first representative of your brand. So, by designing a logo that has an interesting story to tell, you are striking up a conversation with your customers on social media. You are telling customers about the value you are offering them. Or letting them know how you do things differently.
7. Build a strong community
In every industry, there is this one brand that has a loyal customer base. Customers talk about this brand a lot. They are ready to try every new product the brand introduces. And they are willing to spend extra even if they have less expensive alternatives. Have you wondered why? This is because of the strong community such brands build. And if you wish to have that for your brand, social media is a great platform.
For this, you first need a strong logo that depicts what you stand for. And then the rest of your social media content should be in line with these ideas. When people see your beliefs and if these beliefs resonate with theirs, there is a strong bond that develops. That’s when they turn into advocates for your brand and start sharing stories about their interactions with your brand. But again, how you align the rest of your brand designs with the message your logo conveys makes or breaks this bond.
Tips to Design a Social-Media-Ready Logo
1. Design a logo that reflects your brand’s ulterior objectives
What is the purpose of your brand? What are the core objectives or traits that set your brand apart? These are what add character to your brand. Your logo design should be an accurate representation of these objectives.
2. Do not forget the framing
Rectangular logos or long wordmark logos do work well for social media profile pictures. You will end up with a cropped version of your brand name appearing on the screen. Or even worse, you will end up scaling down your logo to fit within the frame and bring down the legibility of the text in your logo. To avoid this and to be sure that your logo looks good on social media, try working with a square or circular frame for your logo design. Or better yet, have a combination mark logo or a monogram that can be used in place of a lengthy brand name. Whatever styles you are considering, make sure you understand the different types of logos to be able to find the right one for your brand.
That’s a Wrap!
Visuals are your biggest strength on social media. And the foundation for all of your branded visuals is your logo design. So, why not start there itself? Once you have a strong logo, you can make a strong emotional connection with your customers. And from there, it’s only a matter of time before your engagement skyrockets!
