Last week we created a BrandQuery YouTube page. We’ll be uploading new videos on occasion.
Creating the account made me think about the importance of a brand in its emerging media presence. Plenty of posts exist that discuss how businesses with Twitter accounts need to utilize icons, make branded backgrounds, and create the ideal branded page. But if you expand your presence across many social sites the big picture gets bigger.
BrandQuery has always been about enhancing an organization’s brand, and with the emergence of social sites in the marketing mix, a brand should be consistent in this space as well. That’s important: a brand must be consistent in this space as well. Having a standardized brand look and feel will capitalize on your customers’ ability to remember who you are and, if done properly, will also attract your target audiences with matching demographics. Although – your brand can be modified to fit as social spaces vary in terms of what they allow users to do.
When extending your brand across multiple social tools that allow customizable profiles, here are five items to consider correlating:
1. Identity
This may seem a bit obvious, but some seem to forget this most important element. Your identity should be present no matter where you participate online – be it a logo, icon, or merely your company name. Your company name should also be your username, appear in the URL and Page Title when possible, and pop up throughout your social site.
2. Color
Know your brand’s colors and use them consistently. Your website should have these colors incorporated into it, as should anything you do online.
3. Imagery
Coordinate background images when possible, as well as your icon. This is another important step toward brand implementation. It furthers continuity and emphasizes recognition.
4. Font
A few sites allow you to change web fonts. If this is available, use the same hierarchy found on your website. Again, the key is consistency.
5. Content
Managing multiple social areas for your company can be cumbersome if you do it piecemeal. There are plenty of tools out there that can simplify the process. For example, you can update your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace accounts simultaneously from an application like TweetDeck. YouTube allows you to connect with various social sites as well. Using these tools helps you easily maintain content continuity.
Now that you have seen our five considerations when branding your business across multiple social sites, here are two disclaimers.
Disclaimer 1. Symmetry Isn’t Always Possible: Symmetry may be the wrong word, and synergy the right one. Your social presence should emphasize a unity between the various social tools you may enter. Some sites allow for greater customizability (YouTube, Twitter, MySpace) while others only allow minimal (Facebook, Yelp). Do what you can to brand them, but know that minor differences even between the more customizable are OK to keep things interesting.
Disclaimer 2. Don’t Enter Without A Strategy: We aren’t recommending you join social sites for the sake of joining. Doing the proper research and developing an appropriate strategy is the first step. Only then can you properly target your desired audience.
In creating your strategy, you must 1) determine what your internal capabilities are, 2) define the social make-up of your customer, and 3) pinpoint which social tools your customers use most. These three elements, too, are in-depth and complex. A strategic emerging media process, like our bqFILTER, can help. FILTER: Facilitate, Identify, Listen, Target, Engage, and Review.