Guest Post: Increasing the Visibility of Your Logo

A business puts a lot of time and effort into developing a logo. They agonize over every line and every color, knowing that each letter, each brushstroke, layers in a new level of meaning. Some businesses go through this process, create something which they take a great deal of pride in and then let themselves be content to print it on a business card, load it as a website header and then leave the rest to fate. The fact is though, if a company wants to cross the threshold from being just a business into becoming a brand, visibility is essential. Here are a few ways to get your logo off the paper and into the minds and hands of the people you want to serve.

Online

Aside from placing a logo in a prominent position on your website, there are a number of other ways to use it cleverly online. The placement of a logo in the header is always a must, but web conventions also mean that the logo should link back to the home page for usability purposes. The problem with only having your logo in the header though is that it eventually blends in with the background and stops grabbing the user’s attention. To combat that, you should always re-introduce your logo in various places throughout the site to keep it fresh and noticeable.

Getting past your own domain, there are tons of other smart ways to use a logo on the internet. For starter’s social media is a game changer for businesses, and provides an excellent platform for logo visibility. Logos can be used as profile images on major sites like Twitter and Facebook. This works well because with every Tweet or status update your friends and followers will see your brand name. Gravatar’s also offer the opportunity to attach a logo to an email address, so that when a representative of your company is actively engaging with blogs, your logo can grace those comment sections. Favicons are a neat little branding device that can place your logo at the top of a browser tag, so that even while continuing to search the web, users can keep your logo in plain view. Any internet communication, whether they are emails, social media profiles, or blog comments should proudly carry your logo. While all of these techniques are useful for building a web presence in general, the strategic use of your logo can make them subtle, but highly effective branding, tools.

In The Community

Even a company that exists exclusively online has a hometown. If you are neglecting the power of your community for branding, then it’s no wonder the community is neglecting your brand. Even if getting locals in through your doors isn’t a high priority, building a relationship with the people in your neighborhood can still help spread the word about your brand.

If you are trying to attract local customers, a strong community presence is a great way to bring more attention you your logo and your business and there are a numerous ways to engage with your community. Two of the best are supporting charitable causes and community groups. Whether you support an AIDS walk or sponsor a local little league, you can gain recognition for your brand. There are literally hundreds of causes that you can get behind in your area. Start with your interests, health, poverty, children, animals, or the arts and find groups that are in need of sponsors, trust me there are plenty. The best causes are the ones you can believe in. It may be nice for your business to have a banner hanging at Diabetes dinner, but it’s even better when the charity is salient to people in your office. Not only does this kind of publicity bring positive attention to your business, it can improve employee morale and if you’re really good, you might even get some press or links out of it. But above all of the superficial reasons to get involved, you can feel better about your contributions to the world. A company that cares, and wants to help others is the kind of company that customers can believe in; and one that is worthy of brand loyalty.

On Products

One of the best ways to get your logo past your own front door is through the use of promotional items. Whether you’re on the trade show circuit or simply handing them out to regular customers, free gifts always make people happy. Your product choice however can make a big difference on whether or not your logo item is a hit that gets integrated into your customer’s daily lives, or if it’s flop that winds up in the back of a drawer, or worse, the circular file.

When you’re choosing a logo product, intent is paramount. Where will you be giving this item away? How do you want it to be used? Can your product support a company philosophy? These questions are all vital to the success of a product. It doesn’t have to be an expensive item to be effective either. Sometimes pens and pencils are enough, they often stay present on a user’s desk, and they can get passed around easily enough. However, the printing can also be small and difficult to read. Mouse pads, notepads and calendars also frequently inhabit desktops, but are bigger palates for logos. Some branded items, like water bottles or canvas tote bags can support healthy living or going green. If these are issues that are salient to the core of your brand, these kinds of products can advance that mission. In a conference sitting, the more creative, brightly colored, unique products can be enticing for swag seekers. This might be a good time to splurge on some of the bigger ticket items like glasses, clocks or clothing. Speaking of branded apparel, when you can afford it, it’s a great way to go. Not only are they more interesting to the recipient, each time the item gets worn it is a free advertisement for you.

There is a lot that goes into great branding, but logo visibility is at the top of the list. But when you combine creativity with thoughtfulness, increasing brand awareness can be more than just a cheap ploy. When you spread your brand online, through the appropriate channels, you can improve your web traffic. When you improve your visibility via supporting local causes, you become a friend to your community and you can feel good about your philanthropic efforts. And when you print your logo on products that you give away you can gain attention, and become a daily presence in the lives of the product’s users. Branding is about supporting one clear vision of your business, and your logo is the face of that message. When you find new and creative ways to present that face to the world, the possibilities for your brand’s growth are limitless.