When working with companies, one of the first thing that I look at is how the company promotes its social media accounts across other marketing channels.
One of the biggest faux pas is the use of obsolete social media logos on a business’ marketing materials, including websites and print media.
This blog will highlight brand assets for the popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
With over 968 million daily active users, and 844 million mobile daily active users (June 2015), Facebook is the most popular social media platform. Facebook Pages are public profiles that allow businesses, and not-for-profits create and maintain a presence on Facebook. As a result, many businesses are promoting their Facebook accounts through traditional marketing channels. Whether you are a new or existing business, it is important to familiarize yourself with Facebook’s Brand Assets, which include logos, images, product names, and screenshots.
Review your existing marketing collateral to ensure consistency of the Facebook logo. If you are promoting your business’ presence on Facebook, you should use one of the below options:
Don’t have the right logo? You can download it here.
There are also some other guideline Facebook would like you to follow, including:
- Capitalize the word “Facebook,” except when it is part of a web address
- Display the word “Facebook” in the same font size as style as the content surrounding it
- Don’t use the Facebook logo in place of the word “Facebook”
- Don’t pluralize the Facebook trademark, use it as a verb, or abbreviate it
“The bird is the word!” Twitter has different guidelines regarding proper logo use. The twitter marks include, but are not limited to, the Twitter logo, and the term “Tweet.” If you’re promoting your Twitter account via marketing channels, make sure to always use the official and unmodified Twitter logo.
If you’re doing any of the below, it’s time for an update.
Twitter also provides official Twitter colours, typography, and suggested logo and hashtag use. Click to view.
Currently LinkedIn has over 380 million registered users, including over 39 million students. Depending on the organization’s social media strategy, some businesses may choose to promote individual employee LinkedIn profiles, or just the LinkedIn Company Page. The LinkedIn logo users three colours: LinkedIn Blue, black, and white. Ideally, the logo would be used on a white background. When that is not an available option, the following alternatives are approved.
The same rules also apply when using the LinkedIn mark (i.e. the “in”). When adding the LinkedIn logo to marketing materials don’t add effects like bevels, drop shadows, gradients and outlines. In addition, the logo should never be modified, redrawn, distorted, rotated, or recoloured. Click to download the LinkedIn brand guidelines.
Pinterest has a unique way to promote their brand guidelines. First, Pinterest has a badge and a wordmark. Download here. Do not use the wordmark when referring to Pinterest as a product or to promote your profile on Pinterest. Similar to LinkedIn, Pinterest also has their own colour, “Pinterest Red.”
Pinterest encourages businesses to promote their Pinterest profile and showcase pins, but make sure that the design does not imply a Pinterest endorsement.
What makes Pinterest unique is that their brand guidelines also discuss in-store signage, packaging, and broadcast media.
Now that we’ve discussed Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, take a moment to review the social media logos that you are using on your existing marketing materials.
