To Get Maximum Results From Your Logo, You Have To Use It
Most business people use their company logo on their website and on their business cards. But are you one of those people that thinks these are the best, or maybe the only places you should be using your company logo?
In today’s competitive world there are far more places that you should be using your logo to help create the same type of brand awareness that the big boys like Nike, McDonald’s and Mac have paid millions of dollars to create. When you see Golden Arches you immediately think McDonald’s, no matter where you see them. I have even seen purple or green ones and immediately though of McDonald’s. The Mac apple logo is almost more famous than the products that the company produces and people all over the world know what the Nike swish looks like and the name of the company it represents.
How cool would it be if your logo had the same recognition. That is called brand recognition and it is alot easier than it may seem. The big boys spend millions of dollars to create that kind of impression, but you can begin doing it today in your local community with just a few simple and easy to implement ideas.
First think of some basic or typical places that companies place their company logo and check within your company to see if you are using the same version and most current version of your company logo on those places.
Company Website – This should be a no-brainer. Your entire website should be designed with the look, colors and feel of your company logo as the central piece. This does not mean place your logo huge in the center of the page (Although that did work for Google…). What this means is that if your logo is red and blue your web site should not be black and pink. It should be complimentary colors and should be easily seen on each and every page.
Business Cards – Just like the company website, your business cards should have your logo as their central theme. No matter where you go, even if it is holiday shopping, grocery shopping or out to dinner with friends, you should always carry a few business cards with you. You never know when you might strike up a conversation with the person in front of you in line and find out they need or are looking for exactly what you offer. Rather than trying to have them remember your web address, or writing your phone number on the back of their shopping receipt you can simply give them one of your business cards. When they go to your website they will see the same logo and immediately know they are in the right place.
Company Blog – Sometimes your company blog and your company website may not look exactly the same. There are various reasons this may be the case. But regardless of the reason both things should have at least one thing in common. Can you guess? That’s right, your company logo.
Product Packaging – If you ship your product to your customers, to their family and friends or even just box or bag things up as they leave the store, these boxes and bags should have your company logo on them. It doesn’t have to be huge and custom printed. It can be as simple as adding your logo to the address label you print or placing printed stickers on the side of the bag. You never know how many hands a box has to pass through to get to the final recipient and one of those handlers might need what you have to offer.
Letterhead – Even in today’s electronic world most of us still write letters, reports, sales forms and various other communications that get handed to people who come into a store or get mailed out to prospective or past customers. Every one of these pieces of paper should have your letterhead on them. And that letterhead should contain your logo. This makes it so that as soon as someone even glances at the paper, they immediately know who it came from. Also as they leave these things out on their desk or even in the seat of their car the rest of the world also gets a glimpse of that logo and it might catch their eye long enough to spark an interest.
Invoices – Even though your customers may not enjoy getting your invoices you should still make them easy to recognize and branded to your company. Just like with other mail pieces, some companies have many people come in contact with an invoice before it is finally paid and filed. One of those other people may be a potential customer and your logo might be easier to remember than your company phone number.
Company Newsletter – Your logo should be on these for the same reasons we included it on your letterhead and product packaging. Your customers who receive the newsletter may pass it on to a friend or co-worker to show them a specific article. Having your logo on the newsletter instantly makes your newsletter different from any other one they have seen, since no one else has your logo.
Promotional Giveaways – Promotional products like pens, bag clips, mouse pads, and even Frisbees are another great way to create brand awareness using your company logo. Since people tend to use these items every day it reminds them who you are and makes it more likely that they will call you when they need a new product or to purchase your service again. You are less easy to forget when you are a part of their daily lives.
So that is a list of places you might already have your logo. Most companies have their logo in at least a few of those places. But there are also a couple of places you might not think about:
Your Car – On any given day, while out driving you might see 2-3 cars that have been completely re-painted to advertise a particular business. This makes these cars rolling advertisements for the company. But you don’t have to jump in with both feet. Something as simple as a sticker or a cling with your company logo on it can be easily placed on your car. These can go on the side windows or on the back window. Magnetic versions or cling versions that are a bit larger can be placed on the side doors of almost any car and these are very reasonably priced.
Email Signature – Most email programs allow you to set up a signature. This is information that can be added to the bottom of any email with a couple of clicks rather than having to type it all in or add a graphic each time. By adding your logo to this signature you are turning every email you send into a small advertisement.
Twitter, Facebook or YouTube – Today the number of online places you can be a part of grows more and more every day. And most of these places allow you to place some kind of a picture or sometimes more than one. If you come up with creative ways to add your company logo to these sites you can have your logo in front of thousands of people a day with very little effort. (Example: http://www.twitter.com/elydelaney)
Give back to the community – Is there a local organization that is close to your heart? Sponsor their sports team or another event that they may be having and have your logo printed on their team shirts or hats or maybe in their program.
With a little creativity you can find hundreds of places to show off your company logo. Something as simple as leaving your company pen at a restaurant may find your pen across town in the hands of a potential customer in a matter of days. And someone you never met will feel like they know you because they see your logo everywhere they go. This gives your potential customers feelings of confidence in you and your company. It sets your company up as the industry leader and all you did was show off your logo a bit.
About The Author:
Ely Delaney is a dad, author, speaker, marketing consultant and Founder/CEO of Your Marketing University. His goal is to teach marketing in a simple easy to understand format that businesses can use to help gain marketing ideas & market their businesses to boost sales.
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