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Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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Wyoming Business Tips for Nov. 25

A weekly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Audrey Jansen, market researcher, Wyoming SBDC Network

Your brand is made up of many elements including your logo, colors, fonts and voice. These elements tell a story to users about who you are so that they can better understand and recognize you.

To put this into perspective, imagine that you just met someone with long brown hair who was wearing all black. The following week, a stranger with short blonde hair and a colorful outfit approaches you and, to your surprise, reminds you that she was the person with long brown hair and dark clothing from the previous week. It would be confusing for her aesthetic to have changed so drastically, and you wouldn’t know what to expect from her the next time you ran into each other.

Our relationships with brands are very similar to our relationships with people, and a successful brand interacts with its social media followers just as it would interact with a friend. Its personality and aesthetic are consistent, and its interactions are valuable. As you begin thinking about how to build a stronger brand on social media, keep the following tips in mind.

-- Use a great logo: Your logo is your brand’s face. It should be high quality, one-of-a-kind and something that represents everything you stand for. Because it’s your brand’s face, you’ll want to show it to users on a regular basis. In most cases, your logo should be your profile photo so that it shows up frequently in your feed and elsewhere online. Additionally, you might occasionally post graphics or photos that include your logo to build brand recognition. You also can share photos of yourself wearing a shirt, hat or other item with your logo on it. Users love to see the people behind the brand.

-- Stick with a set of colors and fonts: Colors and fonts are really fun, but they’re a branding pitfall. Your brand identity should be composed of consistent visual elements, which include consistent use of two to three colors and fonts. If your logo is your brand’s face, then your colors and fonts are the clothing your brand wears. You should be using them to create a consistent aesthetic that users can grow to associate specifically with your brand.

-- Know your voice: Think of your brand as a person and ask, “What personality does my brand have?” Once you know the answer to this question, that personality should shine through in every post you make. Are you funny? Kind? Intense? Users don’t like brands that they don’t understand, and using a variety of personalities is confusing to consumers.

Implementing these brand elements effectively will create a relationship between your brand and your followers, which leads to increased levels of trust and brand loyalty. Ultimately, successful branding should ensure that a consumer chooses you over your competitors.

We would love to help you build a stronger brand on social media. If you are interested in no-cost confidential assistance, contact your local Wyoming SBDC Network adviser by visiting www.wyomingsbdc.org.

The Wyoming SBDC Network offers business expertise to help Wyoming residents think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their businesses. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY 82071-3922.

 

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


Find us on Facebook (Link opens a new window) Find us on Twitter (Link opens a new window)