One of our favorite things to do at Silver Square is to help a business create a brand and identity for their business or organization. It starts with conversations and research centered around who they are and how they want to present themselves to their clients, vendors, competition, the media, and public in general. Next comes the logo, which is always a lot of fun for us and our clients. Once the logo is finalized we create business cards, envelopes, letterhead – anything that is going to have the client’s name printed on it.
Almost everyone gets this far. The idea that these printed items should all look like they came from the same company is a concept that most people are able to wrap their brains around.
Some people stop here, but many go on and create a website that carries through the same look and tone. So when someone sees your website address on your card and types it into their web browser, they are greeted with a home page that has the same design elements and feel that they saw on your card. Even this rudimentary online branding bears fruit. They had an expectation about what they were going to see on your home page, and that expectation was met. That’s a great impression to give visitors: you are going to meet their expectations.
Many people get this far.
But this is where the herd starts to thin out. Very few businesses have email templates or even email signatures that look like they belong to the brand. Twitter backgrounds and Facebook photos may or may not have any connection to the image the company intends to present. If a representative of the company leaves a comment on a blog, what avatar is showing up next to their comment? That’s not to say that every background and image needs to be the company logo (although that can be a successful approach.) But is it right for you to have images of your employees making wacky faces or should they be in business formal attire with calm, confident expressions?
What’s true for print in this case is also true online. Branding needs to be pervasive and consistent.
I may not ever get a letter or business card from you. I may discover you on my computer monitor, and I’m going to have questions. Who are you? And how do I know unless you tell me?
