“Can you make my logo smaller?”
If you’re a marketer, how many times have you heard those words from a client? Not many, I bet.
If you’re a client, how many times have you said those words? Exactly.
During Facebook’s first ever Facebook Marketing Conference (FMC), where they announced the release of Timeline for brands, I enjoyed following the conference on Twitter while watching it live on Facebook. As a result, I had the following conversation with @bidamlabal:
@bidamlabal: I think, this can be the description of “timeline for brands”: Make the logo smaller, make the story bigger.
@admom1 (me): Of course, a client would never say, “make the logo smaller!” lol
@bidamlabal: If a client becomes a storyteller, I believe they can say “make the logo smaller”:)
There you have it…a smart observation by @bidamlabal, followed up by an even smarter comment. In fact, I think that should be a goal for us as communicators – to help our clients become storytellers.
There’s no question that Facebook’s Timeline can facilitate storytelling. It’s basically a pre-built storyline that allows brands to celebrate milestones, highlight events and let their followers bring their own unique perspective to the story. Think of it as crowdsourced storytelling. Think about how followers can actually become part of a brand’s story. Imagery has become very important with Timeline, just as the illustrations or photos in a book help support the story and convey emotion. (I can’t even type the word “imagery” without mentioning Pinterest…which is another topic for another day!) Other media platforms can be effectively used to tell stories, too. Personally, I love the power of video for storytelling and connecting on an emotional level with viewers.
The bottom line is this: people love a good story and we’ve been telling them for ages. We’ve just moved from a campfire to a computer. Today’s social platforms allow consumers to connect and interact with brands on an unprecedented personal level. Don’t get me wrong; a solid brand identity is key and yes, a logo is a part of that. However, if consumers can’t connect with brands in some meaningful way, on some platform…it doesn’t matter how big the logo is. Storytelling brings people together.
I started to name this article, “Make the Logo Smaller.” But then I decided to make the story bigger.
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