10 Top Tips to build your Online Brand
Successful branding is the process of shaping the identity and image of a company.
If you want your business to stand out from your competition and to properly reflect in the public memory, you must obtain your own identity. You must leave your own business footprint through a consistent online brand!
Why a strong online brand is so Important
A company without a specific and distinct identity is very difficult to evolve and expand in a competitive society. It must continually work harder to find new customers and sometimes even go over budget to acquire each new client.
Here are our Top 10 online branding tips to help you get started:
1. Identity / Logo
Designing your own logo may seem a bright idea at the start but there will come a time when you need to step up your game to portray a more professional appearance for your business.
A professionally designed and bespoke logo for your business will provide maximum impact. Displaying it on your website and social media pages (Facebook Page, Twitter Channel, LinkedIn Business Profile and Google+ page) will help to promote your name consistently in a way that people will remember and recognise.
2. Website
A well-designed website is a great projection tool for your company online, and should really be the heart of your online advertising and marketing efforts.
A well reflecting and effective, professionally designed website doesn’t always need a huge budget, but it needs good planning, an easy to use navigation and content that will keep the viewer interested and on your site longer.
3. Email Signature
Create a branded signature as an ending to your emails with the company’s logo and information. This will be an easy way to look more professional through your correspondence and will help you to raise brand awareness.
4. Social Media
A social media presence can be a valuable asset to any business, large or small. As a starting block we would recommend setting up social media accounts for Facebook and Twitter These are the most popular and well known to the public, but make sure that you keep active on these channels and share your content often. This will help the company communicate with potential customers and even competitors whilst promoting your business, products and services. Your social media strategy is very important for your corporate image and profile. It helps your business to keep its ear to the ground and can be invaluable in assisting with brand damage control.
5. Social
Make it easy for people to find you online. Include social media buttons on your website that will directly link people to the company’s social media accounts. Your social media links should also be included in the company’s email signature too.
Having a consistent online image via your website & social media will help you to raise the awareness of your brand and maintain a professional image.
6. Forums, Profiles and Online Signatures
Search and connect with business forums relative to the object of your company. Make sure that you are vocal and communicate with others and do not hesitate to leave your comments for all to read. Business forums often allow you to have a branded profile or signature which can really help you stand out.
7. Online Reputation Management
Online Reputation Management is very important for your company and should be something that you try to monitor and address. People will more often than not judge your entire company based on a past experience. If they have unfortunately experienced poor service or a faulty product then this will certainly give them a starting point for airing their views publicly which can be highly damaging for your brand’s reputation. Checking for customer’s comments and feedback in online forums and throughout social media channels constantly will help you raise awareness about your business, answer peoples questions and smother concerns about your business.
8. Blogging Your Brand
Create a blog for your company to share your knowledge and experience, promote new products with demonstration videos or simply to write reviews. Going one step further could see you collaborating with others to appear as a guest blogger with posts about interesting subjects from your industry. This form of online activity can help to improve your SEO and direct your website traffic back to your company website, as well as helping you to reach a wider audience.
9. SEΟ
With the billions of websites that are online today, it is important for your business to found. So make sure that you have considered a Search Engine Optimization campaign for your business. An SEO friendly website for your business will ensure that related search queries will bring your site to be at the top of the results pages.
10. Newsletter
Often overlooked but a branded Newsletter can be a very important communication tool between your business, current customers and potential clients. You can update your current audience with news of your company, entice new clients with promotional offers and discounts whilst informing a wider audience of the benefits from working with you and your company. Important advantages of a branded newsletter is that they are simple, inexpensive, give mass message delivery and can happen almost immediately to coincide with your business events and product launches.
So, these are our Top 10 Tips for strengthening your online business brand, but there is one point we would like to finish with …..
Don’t forget to be human, real and personable! Humanising your company is very important for branding building and strengthening your persona. Nobody likes talking to robots so don’t act like one. Don’t be afraid to comment and share tips and tricks from your industry, help others, offer advice and most important of all …. enjoy your business!
Do you have any tips that would help others to strengthen their online brand? If so then please feel free to write them below in the comments area.