6 tips for investing in your online brand

Your online brand tells customers who you are, what you do, and how you do it. Whether you’re a small business, internet start-up, or a large corporation, online brand building is crucial in an era where the internet is many customers first point of contact with a business. Your online brand also gives you a key point to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Know Your Customer

Defining your target audience is the first step in being able to connect with them. You may need to segment your audience in able to speak to them more personally.

Establish Your Presence

Focus on clearly stating what you do. The internet is full of searchers with short attention spans, and if a visitor can’t determine what you do and of what benefit that is to them, you’ll likely lose them before you get a chance to win them over. While businesses frequently lead with their name (who they are), focus instead on what you do. Instead of ‘Daily Grind Coffee Shop’ try something like ‘Fine roasted organic fair-trade coffee beans for coffee lovers with a conscience.’

Give Your Brand a Voice

Having a brand spokesperson will allow customers to connect to your brand. Customers respond to brands who are conversational more than corporate.

Always Be Consistent

Creating an online brand requires consistency across your messages and online presences. With the explosion of social media, brands now have many points of contact with their customers. Be sure that wherever you interact with customers, your message and image remain the same.

Determine the Channels You’ll Use

One goal in online brand building is to be constantly in front of your customers wherever they are, such that when they become ready to make a buying decision you’re the first company they think of. People buy from people they know and like. Balance your branding across as many channels as make sense based on your customers’ presence there, and your ability to deliver quality content and a consistent message.

Plan How You’ll Integrate Social Media into Your Branding

Social media gives you an opportunity to interact with your customers in the places they’re spending time. It also gives you an opportunity to put a personal face on your brand. Decide where you’ll interact, which tools you’ll use, and who will be the voice of the company?

Also recognize that this is not an opportunity to be overly promotional, as that behaviour is not tolerated well in the social media circles. Instead, take the opportunity to interact with your customers.