Anyone who knows me well knows I go on (and on and on…) about “brand consistency at every touchpoint.” And for good reason: every interaction with your customer should feel familiar with the last interaction they had with you.
But what do you do when you have to represent your brand to your audience through a third party’s brand?
So, there’s your beautiful brand, sitting on or alongside another logo and another brand – and in most ways it doesn’t feel like it matches with the application. Their brand is bold and loud; your brand is soft and delicate. How can you make them feel “together?”
Maybe it’s just me being brand-precious here, but I am of the absolute belief that every touchpoint matters! And I have seen great success with clients who make it matter!
One third party touchpoint that you can brand beautifully is Facebook.
Facebook offers a wonderful opportunity for attracting and engaging with customers, so why rely on their standard corporate look when so many options exist to customise and beautify your presence?
Branding your Facebook page is no different from branding your shop front with gorgeous signage that shows off what you do. Facebook pages can be beautifully branded in three ways:
Cover Photo and Profile Photo: To make the most of your cover photo (the header graphic splashed across the top of your Facebook page), we suggest using professional brand imagery, personalised with a simple 3-5 sentence. This sentence can describe what your business offers, or evoke a strong call-to-action. Using a personal photo is akin to painting your shop front sign yourself – it’s amateurish and just not a good look! Do your business, and your brand, a big favour by welcoming your Facebook fans with a professional image. When it comes to your profile photo, a logo is a great option for a business page – to make it pop, use a version that contrasts with your cover photo. For example, if your cover photo is dark in tone, use a logo with a light-coloured background (in your brand colours, of course!). If your cover photo is light, and/or simple and not too busy, consider using a light/white version of your logo on a darker-coloured background as your profile photo.
App and Widget Buttons: There are many ways to customise your fans’ engagement with your page by utilising apps and widgets on your Facebook page. A great little tool for creating these is Woobox, We design our own app graphics at the sizes specified by Woobox, and then use those graphics in place of the standard Facebook app graphics so that they match our branding. (Did we mention that this Woobox service is totally free? Oh, and for a monthly fee, you can do all sorts of other things on the Woobox site, like set up social media contests, deals, coupons, quizzes and more!)
Post Graphics. The actual content you post is one of the best opportunities you have to promote your brand. Always keep in mind your core demographic, or target audience, in mind when you’re posting content. Would they love the image or graphic you’re about to share? Is it communicating your brand values and vision? Remember, every image you post conveys a message and evokes an emotion. Dark, gloomy images can cast a cloud on your brand. Fake, cliché images can make your brand look inauthentic. Therefore, it’s really important to choose images and graphics wisely. Bonus points for images that reflect your brand colours! Remember, also: images that are clean and minimalist have a greater impact on a busy newsfeed than those with too much going on. Always keep it simple!
Taking the time to beautify (and brand-ify!) your Facebook presence can go a long way toward building appeal among your customers and driving traffic to your business. Spend just a few minutes taking advantage of the personalisation options and curating your content choices, and you’ll enjoy big results.
Love this post? Why not share it with a friend and help each other out to brand your Facebook page beautifully!
Co-owner of Verve Design, Teegan’s 12+ years of experience in design and marketing, and her love of mindfulness and meditation brings strategy with intention and creativity with purpose.
