Want to increase visibility and engagement?
Try responding to LinkedIn questions
Mark Coster
Founder of Pixooma
As a regular user of LinkedIn, I often come across posts from people whom I have met briefly, but are not yet one of my regular connections. So, what do you do when they write a post asking for help? Hurry past it knowing you don’t really have the time to respond, or reach out and offer assistance?
Recently, I noticed a post from CAD specialist Alan Coleman. I had recently got to know him a little bit as he had attended the previous two or three networking events in Kettering, which I run on behalf of Paul Green. The post consisted of questions related to how he wanted to improve his online presence and establish his brand. It mentioned some of my favourite buzzwords, including logo, rebranding, website, etc., so in this instance, instead of scrolling on by, I actually replied.
When it comes to logos, 'fancy' is not what you should aim for…
Increase your online presence
We’ve all been in Alan’s situation. A new small business wanting to grow and attract new business. We all know that having a good online presence is key, but what do you do, if like Alan you are struggling to get enough people to see and engage with your posts and your budget is fairly restricted.
Alan’s had four questions. In this blog I want to answer his first two. I will then focus on question three (Do I need an incredibly impressive website?) and question four (Is there something I should be doing more of?) in a later blog.
Do I need to rebrand?
In my opinion, a rebrand doesn’t solve all of your marketing problems. After all, it usually involves a comprehensive strategic and sometimes expensive overhaul of a brand and is really only needed if:
- Your business has shifted focus or values,
- You're targeting a new audience
- There are negative perceptions of your brand
- Your marketing isn't effective
- Or you've undergone a significant business shift.
Often, an easier and less costly option is to do a brand refresh where only colours, fonts or imagery are tweaked.
We all know that a logo is a visual symbol that acts as the cornerstone of your brand's identity. Its role is to differentiate your business from competitors and create a recognisable image in the minds of your prospects and customers. As something that serves as the face of your brand, your logo's main jobs are to communicate your core values, build trust, and make a lasting first impression.
I pointed out to Alan that as long as his logo was simple, appropriate and versatile and was consistently and regularly used at the heart of every communication and marketing activity he undertook, then there was not much else he could do. After all, you cannot control whether people like it; you can only put it in front of them and hope they will engage with it. I also noted that his logo did not appear on his personal LinkedIn page, and I didn’t find a LinkedIn company page for his business, so I recommended that he set up the latter and featured his logo on both.
Do I need a fancy logo?
Fancy is not what you should aim for. Trendy, complex and flashy logos often date very quickly. An effective logo that is simple, easy to recognise, and appropriate is all you need. A well-crafted and versatile logo should be timeless, able to convey your business's core message, and build customer loyalty and reputation across all marketing channels over time.
By all means, consider a rebrand or redesign of your logo, but that won't solve everything on its own. Having a logo isn’t the end of the branding process, just the start. Whilst it’s a powerful visual representation of your brand, there must be more.
That’s why, to back it up you need to use physical and emotional cues to ensure that your products/services or business activities are triggering the right reactions in your target audience. This is where advertising, sponsorship, communications (on different channels including networking, magazines, outdoor ads, collateral, website, social media, etc) come into their own.
LinkedIn responses can help build your reputation
If you’re tempted to respond to a connection’s questions on LinkedIn, I applaud you. Not only can it enhance engagement and visibility, but it can also help to build a strong professional reputation by highlighting your responsiveness and professionalism. In addition, it can create opportunities to strengthen relationships and might even open doors for future projects.
Further reading
- Logos – what happens when you get it wrong
- A logo is just the beginning of your branding journey
- Five reasons why you need a logo
- Your business is much more than your logo
- The success of every logo is down to evolution!
- Why a good logo design is worth the effort!
- Top ten ways that strong branding can boost your marketing efforts
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