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When it comes to branding, we all know how important having a cohesive, on-brand website is. But what about beyond your site? Have you given any thought to how your brand is seen on various other platforms? If you have a gorgeous, well thought out brand on your site, but elsewhere your brand has no resemblance to it, your brand isn’t as strong as it could be. Having a strong, recognizable brand across the internet is key. Here are some tips to extend your brand beyond your website:
1. Update Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ covers
One of the quickest and easiest ways to brand your social media accounts is to upload a coordinating cover photo. Sure that random beach photo might look pretty, but unless it’s tied into your business, it just doesn’t belong. Create a cover image that utilizes a photo already on your site or one that coordinates with your brand. Need help creating an image? Canva has templates for both Facebook and Twitter, plus they have a great library of stock photos if you’re in need of one.
2. Use the same avatar across platforms
In order to create consistency in your brand, it’s important to use the same avatar across your social media accounts. Match the headshot on your site with your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest avatars. Same with your Gravatar and Disqus avatars. Because people get used to seeing a particular photo associated with your brand, using the same photo across the internet will make you instantly recognizable. If you’re not the face of your brand, substitute your logo in place of a headshot.
3. Create branded board covers for Pinterest
Pinterest doesn’t offer much in terms of branding, so if you really want to create a fully branded experience, you’ll have to get creative. Luckily, you can create a custom branded image for each of your boards, then set them as the board’s cover photo. Cover photos are displayed at 220 x 150px, however, once pins are expanded they’re shown at a minimum of 600px, so I would suggest creating an image at 666 x 450px. Branding each of your boards this way can really make a big impact on your Pinterest profile. Check out Julie Harris’ Pinterest account for a great example.
4. Create a branded email template
Services like Mailchimp make it extremely easy to create amazing looking emails. However, if you’re just selecting a premade template and calling it a day, you’re loosing out on a great place to brand yourself. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t choose a premade template. You absolutely can. The trick is to customize the template to match your brand. Add your logo to the top. Incorporate your brand’s colors. Use the same fonts. Doing so will allow your email newsletters to look like an extension of your site.
How do you brand yourself beyond your site?
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