The Importance of Cohesive Branding

Branding your website is an essential to build credibility and trust. Once you establish a brand, people start recognizing your website with it. Branding requires a name and logo that describes your brand (website). Selena narayanasamy from esvienne.com explains the importance of cohesive branding for your website. You too can join in by following our guest blogging guidelines.

Company recognition is an important benefit of any branding effort. Not only should your company branding efforts help your business to be easily identified, but also improve and maintain your reputation among current, old, and prospective customers. Unfortunately, many companies are not consistent with their branding efforts, especially throughout the internet and social media networking.  Are you cohesively branding?

Name and Logo

Effective social media and other online branding starts with a solid foundation – your business name and logo. Your business identity – who you are and what you do – should be summed up in your business name and logo. This is a core message you deliver to potential customers that helps them choose your service or product over the competition.

Simplicity is the Key

Creating a name and logo that is easily used across the board of social networks and other websites doesn’t have to be challenging. Remember, you want a logo that is easily recognizable. Your logo may be simply an icon of your business name. FedEx is a good example. Having a simple yet recognizable name and logo is essential for your online branding efforts.

Be Consistent in Using Your Name and Logo

Branding on social networks and other websites should be consistent. This is where many businesses fail in their branding efforts.

For a good guide to consistent branding, take Starbucks Coffee, for example.

Starbucks Logo

Starbucks Facebook Page

Starbucks Twitter Avatar

Do you notice that the name is included in the logo, and the logo is prominently and clearly used as the identifier for the business?  There is no need to add superfluous mission statements or catchphrases here. The name speaks for itself – it tells what the company sells, and by reputation alone it is recognized as a quality identity.

Notice, also, how the Starbucks logo is simple enough to be used on a business or gift card:

Starbucks Gift Card

How to Manage Changes in Branding

If you decide to update or change your name and logo completely, be sure you devise a campaign to make it clear to everyone. FedEx is another good example. When FedEx bought the famous Kinko’s brand of office services, it incorporated and combined names to create FedEx Kinko’s. Now, however, FedEx has changed the name to FedEx Office, eliminating “Kinko’s” altogether. Their new logo is now seen everywhere, including on social site like Facebook. Their message is “FedEx Kinko’s is now FedEx Office.”

Use FedEx as a good template when re-branding. Be sure to follow these tips as well:

• Send a Press Release – Be sure your re-branding effort makes the news. Write and submit a press release to help get the word out.

• Coordinate Looks – If you are re-branding, be sure it’s for a good reason, such as incorporating more simplicity into a single look.

• Make Social Announcements – Also be sure to announce your change not just once, but multiple times on your social media accounts and blogs. Make it clear to everyone how your new logo now represents your business.

When you are consistent in your branding, you are consistently putting your company’s best face forward online.