Take Advantage of New Technologies

So Snapchat is an example of a relatively new social media channel but it’s not the ‘big thing’ right now. Instead, that big thing is probably live video streaming which involves filming videos and broadcasting them live through apps like Periscope and Meerkat. Recently, Facebook got on board and now you can stream live video to your Facebook fans too.

The great thing about this is that it lets you communicate directly with your audience. If you post a video on any of these channels, then your viewers will be able to post comments on what you’ve written and that way, you can then actually answer them live, giving them the opportunity to ask you about your products or to just chat with you and ask questions about your niche.

They will thus feel far more engaged with your content and far more inclined to stick around as long-time followers because they’ve actually had a chance to feel as though they’ve chatted with you! But what’s more, is that these channels are currently very quiet despite being highly exciting for early adopters.

So there are a lot of viewers heading here regularly but there’s not that much content ready for them yet. Right now, if you post a live video, then you can get followers nearly every time you do on something like Facebook! Plus, you can experiment with new ways to create content and use the channel. Do you bring your audience on your hike up a mountain?

Do you share the event you’re at or the concert? Or do you use it for a vlogging Q&A over your morning cup of coffee? There are tons of options and the great thing about these platforms being new is that you can innovate and be the first. There are more new social networks cropping up all the time and it’s a wise idea to get involved early whenever you can. If you can establish a following on a new social network only for it to later take off, then you will have a foothold right when all the new users start coming in!

Create a Professional Brand

None of this cross-promotion will work though unless you have a consistent and professional-looking brand.
We already discussed what a brand really ‘means’ in terms of creating something that has a reason ‘why’ behind it and that people can get excited about. But now we’re talking about the more basic aspects of your brand – the name and the logo for instance. Perhaps even a jingle or a byline.

Getting this right is crucial because it will make your brand look that much more professional and it will help people to more easily connect the dots and see that your many social media accounts are all from the very same company/person.

In an ideal world, your account on Twitter will be the same as your account on Instagram, which will be the same as Facebook. That means the same username, same logo and same ethos. Doing this will create consistency and greatly strengthen your brand consistency.

But it also needs to look good. So how do you make a logo look good?

Logo Design Tips

What makes a good logo design?

Many things – but the first and most important thing to consider here is that you need to either use the best software or outsource your logo design to a good company. Preferably the latter. They should then provide you with a vector file, such as an AI file and this will allow you to resize your logo as much as you want with no loss of quality. It should also make editing much easier.

This is very important because it will allow you to keep the exact same logo and keep it looking crisp and HD. You need to stay absolutely consistent here with the exact same color codes and more. If you don’t know what a vector file is, then you should hire someone: it’s more than worth the investment if it means your brand looks more professional.
But as well as maintaining production values what’s also very important is to make sure your logo has the best design in the first place.

What makes a good logo? Here are some points:

• Keep it simple – The best logo is easy to identify and replicate. Nike gets free promotion every time a kid drawers its tick in their homework diary!
• And versatile – Simple is also good because it is versatile. Remember that your logo is going to be used everywhere from your website to your products themselves, to your ebook and more. When you create your logo then, you need to ensure it will work at any size and on a variety of different colored backgrounds. Try to avoid anything too detailed then, or anything that couldn’t be identified from a silhouette if necessary!
• Communicate – Ideally, your company name and your logo should communicate a little about what your business is about and what the tone and style of your business is. Let’s take a look at the logo of ‘The Art of Manliness’. That name alone perfectly communicates what the site is about but when you combine that with the logo which has an old-fashioned typeface and a mustache, plus the image of the old-fashioned boxer – you quickly realize that this is a somewhat vintage and moderately tongue-in-cheek tone. This is ideal because a lot of people will know right away whether they’re likely to enjoy your brand and might follow you right there and then with no further information necessary!
• Be unique – Do whatever you can to avoid clichés like lightbulbs, ticks and globes. They’re everywhere and if you employ these, you’ll risk making your brand just look a little unimaginative!