Online Branding Strategies Your New Business Can Use Now
Branding is all about building a positive image of the company or a product in the minds of its existing and potential customers. It is what distinguishes a brand from its competitors.
Whether you’re launching a new company or a new product and want to create a strong brand from the beginning; or have already been in business for a while and want to do some brand repair or rebrand, branding is extremely important.
With over 560 million internet users, India is the second-largest online market in the world, ranked only behind China.
By 2021, there will be over 600 million internet users in India. These numbers signify how important it is for businesses to build a strong online brand presence.
How To Build A Strong Online Brand Presence?
To develop a strong brand online, businesses need to focus on five major areas – domain name, website, keywords, social media profiles and promotion.
1. Domain Name
Just like your brand name is the key that unlocks your brand image in the minds of existing and potential customers, your domain name is the key that unlocks your brand online.
When it comes to choosing a domain name, the most preferable option is to make your brand name the centerpiece of your domain name. This will not only bring type-in traffic to your website but also reinforce your brand name every time someone searches for you online.
2. Website
Once you’ve purchased a domain, you need to build a website that reinforces your brand.
Before building a website, give some thought to the kind of people you’ll be serving online, the kind of information they’ll be seeking and what you want to achieve through your online presence. Once you have the answers to these questions, you need to brainstorm the kind of website you want to create.
Do you want a create a company contact website that provides information about your business, services, contact details and open hours; or do you want a brochure website that advances your brand image by providing information about your company background, products and services.
If you are planning to sell goods and services online, you can create an e-commerce website. A support website that gives information about product usage, installation, troubleshooting, updates and news can also be created.
The website you create should be easy to navigate and have consistent branding throughout. It should have quality images and content. It should also have a responsive design and a fast load speed.
3. Keywords & SEO
Keywords are words or phrases that people enter into search engines when they’re seeking information or a particular Web site.
As you develop each page on your site, think of the keywords that describe the content of your page. Then use those words in the page headline and several times in the page copy so that, when consumers seek information through keyword searches, your page has a chance of appearing in the search results.
It is also important to master other off-page and on-page SEO basics like Meta titles, Meta descriptions, Image Alt Tags and backlinks.
4. Social Media Profile
It is extremely important for businesses to leverage the popularity of social media to maximize their brand reach and connect with the right people.
Use social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest to further your online branding efforts. Research your audience and analyze which social media platform would be ideal to reach them.
5. Brand Promotion
To gain brand visibility online, use every resource available to lead people to your website. The following approaches can be used:
- Include your website address on all your stationery products.
- Include an invitation and a reason to visit your website in all your marketing communications.
- Feature your website address on your packaging and products.
- Include your website address and a reason to visit it in your voice-mail recording, on-hold messages, and e-mail signature file.
- Include your website address on every page of printed or electronic newsletters or brochures.
- Add a “Refer” section to your website so that visitors can refer others to it.
Online Branding Strategies Your New Business Can Use Now
To build an authority for your brand online, here are a few strategies you can use:
- Create a blog and regularly update it to improve SERP visibility, build authority, showcase expertise, build a community and create a database of subscribers.
- Create a podcast to share information about your offerings and disseminate knowledge & expertise.
- Use email marketing to connect with potential and existing customers on a daily, monthly and weekly basis to spread brand news and inspire buzz among your existing customers.
- Leverage the power of video marketing by creating highly compelling videos that convey your brand story.
- Share personal testimonials from past customers to instill confidence in prospective customers that you have a good business track record and that you deliver on your promises.
- Gain visibility in chat rooms and forums where those who fit your customer profile gather and where people discuss products like the one you’re offering.
- Support the development of brand fan clubs, websites, forums, blogs, events, and any other channel that allows those who know and love your brand to share their opinions.
- Support the formation of a community of brand fans who personify your brand by displaying it on personalized items, talking about it, and sharing their enthusiasm with others.
- Give incentives to existing customers to refer your brand. Referrals work very well in building up your brand and augmenting its credibility.
- Host giveaways and sweepstakes on social media to build & grow your network, generate leads and increase engagement.
Final Thought
If you bring consistency to your online branding strategy, you will end up with a brand that stands head and shoulders above the others.
If you know what you stand for and project messages to your target market that constantly reinforce how your offering is different and relevant, you win over other businesses as a result of your consistency.
