—It’s finally done: your first (or updated!) brand logo. It may have taken you and a designer many weeks or months to get to the point of final delivery, but now that your logo is finished, how can you put it to good use?
It may be a little overwhelming at first to have a newly designed logo, but the good news is that you have many places to include it. To make the most out of your logo, follow these steps to increase your brand visibility and update the logo where needed.
Create Brand Guidelines
A brand’s style guidelines give everyone, from marketers to website designers, concrete guidelines as to how your new logo and branding should be used.
It is usually created by the designer who created the logo and includes rules on how the logo should be displayed, specific brand colors, fonts used, and other elements that are crucial to keeping the branding consistent. Without having brand guidelines, employees or contractors may use different color or font variations, leading to inconsistencies.
Overall, this reflects poorly on the brand because it is seen as unprofessional, so make your rules firm and pass them along to anyone promoting your new look.
Update all Versions of the Logo
Once brand guidelines are in place, make sure that the new logo and branding are updated on all your various platforms. This may include (but isn’t limited to):
- Social media profile photos and header images
- Email signatures for employees
- Invoices
- Websites
- Marketing collateral, like flyers and postcards
- Email marketing: newsletters and promotions
- Business cards
Some of these don’t need to be updated ASAP and can be gradually phased in, like the business cards and paper marketing collateral. If anything, simply use what is left of the old logo and then when it’s time to order new products, make sure the new logo is used.
Freshen Up Other Assets to Match New Logo
With a new brand logo and guidelines usually comes an updated look for other marketing assets, especially your website. Most websites use common colors throughout its pages, including hyperlink colors or colored headers. These areas should be using the same brand colors that are included in the logo.
Also, when compared to the new logo, your website may look outdated, meaning it’s time for a new website design as well. Logos and websites should be updated as needed every few years to keep the brand fresh and relevant. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to restructure your design in a way that drives conversions, as opposed to weighing your site down with pages and resources that hardly generate traffic.
How Can Freelancers Help?
If you don’t know where to start when it comes to improving your branding guidelines or updating your website and social media with your new logo, experienced freelancers can help. They are a perfect option for business owners who need assistance, but don’t want to bring on a new employee or hire a recurring contractor.
Consider reaching out to a designer or marketing expert that can give you suggestions on where to update your branding, as well as help you execute it. Hiring a freelancer can keep you accountable to ensure it actually gets done. After all, your new logo was created for a reason. Now it’s time to use it!
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