In the age of Digital Marketing, the pressure to excel at both has never been bigger.
It’s not that long ago that all you had to worry about was whether your business cards, stationary letterheads and brochures all matched accordingly but, whilst that’s still important for many businesses, brand consistency now needs to incorporate photography, images, copywriting, bloggers, social media networks, and company websites.
Whether you’re creating branding for a new company, or rebranding for an existing one, there are some important aspects to consider. Then, when you’re happy with your branding, you can consider the best ways to engage customers.
Umbrella & Sub-Branding Logos
One of the best examples of umbrella and sub-branding logos has to be Virgin. Richard Branson has created an empire that incorporates sub-brands including planes, trains, records, TV, mobile phones and holidays (to name but a few) – yet the Virgin name sits above them all as an umbrella logo that protects and nurtures those instantly recognisable sub-brands. If you like one-part of Virgin, it’s likely that you’ll trust the brand to maintain its high standards in other areas, and the idea of how powerful branding can be is firmly cemented.
Colours and Fonts
The colour red is synonymous with Virgin, a colour that by its very nature evokes passion and excitement, whilst the Virgin name, written in white, promotes purity and trust. Font size is also important, and both primary fonts (titles and headlines) and secondary fonts (main body text) sizes should remain consistent on each medium and network they are used on.
Taglines
So few words – so much power!
Creating the perfect tagline can say so much about your business and its ethos – and can become instantly synonymous with it.
As Nike would say – “Just Do It”!
But make sure you do it right!
Websites
Once you’ve created your brand it’s time to launch it. Make sure logos are clearly visible and promote trust, visuals engage, and text is informative yet concise. Also make links and calls-to-action clear and easy-to-follow.
Social Media and Mobile Apps
These are two of the quickest ways to engage existing customers and grow your customer base and, whilst they have their own requirements in terms of visual engagement, branding needs to remain consistent.
Emails
One area of branding that often lacks consistency is email marketing – and yet it remains one of the easiest ways to reach a wide audience. Consistent and easily recognizable emails are much more likely to be opened and read – so make sure “Subject Lines” are interesting, formatting clean and concise, and calls-to-action clear and strong.
Here at the The Tourism Marketing Agency we’ve helped a variety of clients brand themselves definitively in the Digital Age – and continue to help them prosper and grow.
To learn more about how TMA can help your business, please call us on 0141 221 2090, or drop into our Glasgow studio and discuss your requirements over a cup of coffee.
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Chris and his team will send you a weekly email offering high-value insight and advice about a variety of marketing and business development topics related to the tourism industry. We address specific destinations, tours and activities, and the hotel industry. We also provide important travel industry news and updates.
