A Branding Evolution for Sociable

A brand is not a logo. It’s not a company name. These things contribute to a brand, as do every other element that make up a company or organization – including people, products or services, culture… the list could be endless, but there’s a lot that goes into it.

Still, it is a scary (and sometimes dangerous) thing to change a logo or a company name. It can be refreshing and effective, but it can kill any equity you have built over time.

My company has been running for three years, and I felt it was time to freshen things up a bit with my own forward-facing marketing. I took a huge shot of inspiration from my friends over at MacMillan Marketing Group, who just took a brave (and ridiculously effective) leap evolving into “The Letter M Marketing”. It was a major change, and they hit all the points it set out to do: they look like a new company, but they maintained all the history and personality behind the company that made them (and their brand) great in the first place.

So, after a bit of soul searching and strategic planning, I decided that my greatest business challenge is countering initial misperceptions about “what I do”. I can explain what I do easily enough, but I felt my actual logo was supporting misperceptions before anyone even met me.

I was subject to a weird convergence of timing when I established my company in January 2009. The name “Sociable” is itself an eastern-Canada term for “cheers”. The colour scheme I chose for the logo - shades of blue - was deemed “professional and welcoming” (there’s lots of studies about colour perceptions as they relate to business).

Sociable Communications Logo: January 2009
Designed by Annette ten Cate - Orange Door Design

The problem? February 2009 saw the sudden explosion of this “new thing” called “social media”. Social media has been around for years of course, but that season was when it blew up in the public consciousness. If you care to quibble with the timing, check out Twitter new user uptake in that period:

According to this data, there were about 2 million new Twitter users in February 2009, and almost 8 million only two months later. These were the heady days when Ashton Kucher broke a million followers, and Oprah wouldn’t shut up about social media. It was an interesting time to have a communications, marketing & media company called “Sociable”. It didn’t help that my carefully-chosen colours were also seen as “professional and welcoming” by a few other companies that were quickly growing in prominence….

This could have been a great boost to business if I wanted to be just a social media consultant - but as I have written and said often, social media is just one tactic in an overall communications strategy. I have no interest in helping people to communicate information if I feel they are not communicating helpful, relevant information… but most folks just wanted a Facebook page, not a strategic marketing & communications strategy. I did some really interesting work with a number of larger companies to integrate social media use into their overall communications, and that was great, but it isn’t where the future is going.

So, it’s time for a fresh coat of paint. I went so far as to completely strip my logo (and company name) apart, with redesigns and all sorts of stuff. However, I think there is a certain equity in my “inverted exclamation marks” (the word ‘Sociable’ in the Maritime context is always shouted), it is supportive of my business philosophy, and I like it.

The word ‘communications’ has a few challenges: a lot of people ask if I work with “cell phones”. So, I thought I’d add in the “& Marketing” to not only get that in there, but also to visually highlight the word “Sociable” better. If I have anything resembling a wordmark in my brand, that’s it.

So, deciding that I didn't need to reinvent the wheel dramatically, I was down to colours. The blues are not as relevant to me as they used to be, and have actually become potentially harmful against the ubiquity of the “Facebook” shades. After stripping apart a number of ideas, I landed on something that better represents me. If I practice what I preach, then I have to embrace the fact that “I am the brand” as much as anything, which brings me to my musical instruments. I have a lot – probably too many - but these are my favorites:

Notice a similarity? So, voila…. That’s where I landed on the new colours – a quiet emulation of the inner shading on my beloved vintage Gibson J-45 and my Fender Jazz basses, which leads to the new (and slightly evolved logo) for Sociable:

Thanks to Francesco Piccioni, Lisa Lawless and Marshal McLernon for the design assistance and insight, and to Annette ten Cate for the original design!

Your Website Redesign: Help us help you

A website designed only a few years ago may already be lacking when compared against the online activities of competitive organizations. Many elements are becoming increasingly critical for maintaining an effective, relevant online presence.

Consider some of the following options before you evolve your online efforts, and be sure that your marketing service providers understand what you are looking for before they quote the job for you.

Integrated communications: If your slightly-aged website looks or reads differently from your current advertising, sales activities, newsletters or key messages, then don’t do that. Your online presence should be the forefront of your outgoing communications, never an afterthought. Say the same thing, say it consistently, and say it everywhere: if you are saying different things in different places, you are harming your brand.

Content Management System (CMS): You should be able to update the content of your website as frequently as you wish – especially if your business or organization is evolving. If you have to email your website designer each time you want to change a few words, it is inefficient and expensive. Furthermore, it is generally acknowledged that search engines prioritize websites with frequently updated content as a mark of relevancy and engagement. In other words, a “digital brochure” website will actually hurt your ability to rise in search engine rankings. Content management systems are simply software interfaces, available either as purchased software, or software-as-a-service (SAAS) that your designer can set up. If a web developer is not willing to set you up with a CMS, find another developer.

Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO rules are always changing, and Google doesn’t share their specific search engine algorithm changes, but at least pay attention to the basics: good keywords, effective keyword use in titles, headings, body text, well-named images, relevant back links (if appropriate), etc.

Mobile integration: Research if your customers or potential customers may access your online presence with mobile interfaces, mobile apps, or if they will tend to find you through a traditional website. Mobile integration may be important – if so, ensure your developer addresses this – and make sure that your CMS works with the integration.

Content sharing: Establishing thought leadership with information provided through your online activities is increasingly important – be sure that viewers can share your content easily, without having to turn to outside channels like Facebook or Twitter. Integrate your own sharing tools onto pages where content may be relevant for others to share.

Communities: Forums and online communities demand a certain amount of attention, but if they are appropriate for your brand, they can be really valuable for maintaining dialogue with your customers. Framed another way, online communities aren’t very different from a physical store where repeat customers stop by to “talk shop” with your staff and each other, in order to answer questions and share their own interests.

E-Commerce: There are lots of really cool (and cheap) ways to integrate safe, secure online sales into your website, many through SAAS (www.shopify.ca is great). If you have a product that can be sold online, there are tools galore to do so – don’t miss out on sales opportunities for another minute.

Social media: If you are already generating communications content, then push it out everywhere – publish your newsletters on your website as a blog or a news page, and be sure that RSS feeds are in place, as well as automatic notification of updates that are populated to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (if appropriate), etc. Share existing messaging as broadly as possible, and ensure that all touch points are integrated in their look, message, personality and feel. Use tools to streamline your social efforts – I’m a huge fan of www.hootsuite.com.