Logos and brand names can be fun to create, but having too many may be confusing to your customers. Logos and brands help create associations with certain attributes or features within customers’ minds. Using different names or images for the same brand can make it difficult for customers to know what associations they should have. The same may be true if you’re using different profile names and identities with social media.
While it may be difficult to create matching brand profiles and identities on social media, due to differing restrictions with character limits and common names, trying to be as consistent as possible makes it easier for your customers to identify your brand on different social networks and channels. Even if you can’t have the same profile name, try to make the profiles look the same as possible, and be consistent with the use of colors, logos and messaging. One of the nice things about social media is that it gives you the opportunity to make your brand stand for more than just your logo.
Tailoring your message to the audience on a particular channel makes sense, but make sure that your message still fits in with the overall image for your brand. You want people to have a consistent image in their mind of what your brand represents no matter where they happen to communicate with you. Make sure your social media personalities fit with your brand image.
Being consistent with branding also makes it harder for others to use your brand to misrepresent you. Obviously there is freedom of speech (at least in this country), but it is illegal to use your trademarks without your permission. And if someone is using your name negatively, if you’ve been consistent in your branding and message, people will be able to identify that it’s not coming from you.
If you’d like to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of different branding strategies, I’ve written about that here.
What colors, images, messaging and other signals do you use to maintain consistency of your brand across different channels?
(photo by Sarah Jane @ Flickr CC)