Use the logo at all possible places to create a strong brand image. Possibilities of logo usage are endless and one can really get creative at it. However, when engrossed in the day to day business tasks, this often gets ignored.
Your logo can make your brand visible and boost your business. Just follow these simple guidelines.
Use Logos on Business Stationery
Use your logo prominently on all your business stationery. This should include business cards, letterheads, envelopes, folders etc.
There should be well laid down brand guidlines for logo usage on various media.
Product Design and Packaging
Effective use of the logo on your product design and packaging leave an important mark on your company’s image. Packaging should be professionally designed by professional designers. Do not cut corners here.
Good product packaging is absolutely essential. Shoddy product packaging often results in poor customer impression and perception. You may then have to resort to promotional schemes and discounts.
You can avoid all this and save lots of time and money by engaging someone to design professional packaging for your products.
Some people move ahead with an assumption that they have a killer product which would sell on its merits and not packaging. Do not get lured by this myth.
Even if your product really has great merits, it is only a matter of time when competition comes up with better stuff. Remember, people buy better-looking stuff. Merits and demerits are established later.
Advertising Campaigns
Sole purpose of ad campaigns is to sell. The advertising managers put all their focus on product’s features benefits, call to actions etc. Yes, features and benefits are important to the customer, but that does not make up for brand and logo on the ad.
I am not saying that advertising campaigns and ad designs can do without features and benefits. But the trust that a prominently displayed logo builds takes the campaign in a different league.
Surely your logo cannot compensate for a shoddy, uncompetitive or overpriced product but the trust factor evoked by a logo could be a subtle sales driver.
Marketing Collateral
For brand visibility, it is essential to use the logo on your marketing collateral such as flyers, brochures, catalogs, folders etc. As with everything else, you need to ensure the brand consistency guidelines are adhered to.
Cheap quality marketing collateral, with inconsistent colors of the logo, harms your brand image. It shows your company or product or service in a poor light.
No business owner or marketing manager wants a poor product perception. Proper logo usage ensures a better and superior product perception.
The logo should also be visible electronic marketing collateral like PowerPoint presentations, PDF brochures etc.
Use your logo like a very precious item and give it its due respect at all the places it is used. You can be sure that your respect for your won logo will surely deliver rewards to you.
Internal branding
Internal branding includes your company signage used inside the company, office posters, wall decorations, environmental graphics, reception, lounge areas and everything else that can be decorated on Christmas can have your logo on it.
Big companies find ways to use their logo to build employee bonding with the company. At the same time, it leaves a solid impression on your clients, vendors and everyone else who visits your office.
Motivational posters, when used with logos, give an impression of company boosting the morale of its employees, resulting in motivated and high performing workforce. This holds good even for smaller companies with a lesser number of employees and limited resources.
Internal branding should also be done during all big and small events inside and outside the company like employee birthday celebrations, monthly and quarterly reward ceremonies, any cultural and festival-related events etc.
For such purposes, companies can use the logo creatively to suit the event but of course abiding by the guidelines set for logo usage.
Proper use of company logo at such events can make a difference between a fun party and a team-building exercise. I am not saying that using the logo alone would make it a team builder, but with some thought put into the event can make it a team building exercise even without the employees knowing about it.
Above is also true for any events conducted by vendors or any other stakeholders. This can be very useful for companies that conduct such events to interact with customers and take the inputs.
Using Logo On The Web
Internet has become a very important part of every company’s marketing, public relations, and customer engagement activities. It can make or break your image as it appears to your potential customers.
Another important noteworthy thing is that Web or internet today is not limited to your company website but is much more than that. The web is also about your business email communication, your social media presence, any articles or news related to your company, online reviews of your company, your presence on e-commerce marketplaces and so on.
Since web usage of your the logo can be very varied, I will discuss it in 3 different categories.
Your company Website
Your company website is the first and most trusted place to find information about your company, its products and services.
Web designers generally place the logo on top of every page either on the left-hand corner or at times in the center. This has become a common practice which is used by everyone.
Most websites don’t use their logo anywhere else on their website. However, there are many other places where the logo can be used on the website.
Two such places are your company’s about us page and the contact page.
I have seen a few websites using their logo on about us page. It serves a better purpose than having a stock photo portraying a great team or a photo of company’s top boss or an office snapshot.
No one will ever see these pictures once they leave your website. Every time they see a reference on the web about your company the only picture they would see is your logo (provided you use it consistently). More they see your logo, it gets impressed in their minds giving them a recall whenever they see it next.
On your contact page, use your logo above your company name, address, and phone.
Many websites also use their logo on the footer on every page. Logo used in the footer is often smaller in size than on the header. When people scroll through the whole page, a logo on the footer reminds them of who they are looking at.
Logo usage in Emails
This one often gets ignored but is a frontrunner when it comes to brand recognition. Most people send and receive emails every few minutes/ hour/ day but very few of them carry the company logo.
You may have seen some big company staffs using it in their email signature. This is because their company has made it mandatory. Other than that, this practice is missing in most small companies and start-ups.
Since email communication is a continued activity, it gives you a chance to showcase your logo repeatedly.
Using Logo on Social Media
Your company logo can have unlimited usage on social media. First thing is to use your company logo on top of your social media page and also on the banners where there is an option to do so.
When you run a social media campaign and post pictures of various kinds, do not forget to put a small logo on the corner of the image. This is very effective with viral posts that can make your brand highly visible.
If you write a blog, put your logo along with every post as a featured image. If you have a more suitable featured image, just put a small logo on one corner of the image. These images will show up wherever your post is listed and will give a good visibility to your brand.
Same stands true for social media platforms like Pinterest where you should pin your company logo. You can also superimpose a small version of your logo on the corner of every image that belongs to your company and has been pinned. You can use a similar trick for all photo sharing social media platforms.
LinkedIn is a professional platform where you can have your logo placed on your company page. You can also share posts on this company page and while sharing the post, use your logo as the featured image.
Social media has and will keep opening many more opportunities in times to come. Make it a point never to lose an opportunity to display your company logo wherever you can.
A word of caution on social media to make sure you do not place your logo on something that is not seen in good light as that can bring a bad name to your business.
Many companies create beautiful and attractive logos that do not contribute much to company’s brand building. This is because the logo is never used to its full potential ever.
I hope you will start looking at your company’s branding opportunities in a new light with your logo being the main contributor to it.
