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Technology
step-by-step
1. Develop an online business strategy. Understand your business and what
you are trying to brand.
2. Identify your target audience. Know what they are looking for and how
they use the Web. Take surveys and provide information your audience will
want.
3. Select powerful names and logos. Keep your name short and easy to
spell and remember to think globally. Generic names do not always
translate well to other languages.
4. Know your competitors. Investigate your brand potential and explore
the most effective ways of expressing it.
5. Be true to your brand, invest in marketing, and advertise everywhere.
Traditional mediums work well, such as TV, radio, magazines, and
billboards.
6. Determine your financial budget. Invest in your brand. Commit to it
and don't skimp.
7. Develop a site, attempting to provide consistent quality. Have your
own look and feel and make a good first impression; deliver what you
promise. Let your visitor know what you provide.
8. Develop relationships and build partnerships with other sites to show
your brand. Add brand-relevant sponsored content.
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Bolstering and strengthening your company's online brand is
critical in the competitive online market. A successful effort will leave
your customers with a positive and indelible impression, even while offline
RETAIL COMPANIES HAVE forever understood the ways in which strong branding
makes or breaks them in the community. Branding can create a positive or
negative image among consumers, and Web companies need to realize that this
aspect of building a successful business applies just as much to them as it
does to traditional brick-and-mortar organizations.
Using the Internet to develop as well as to reinforce a brand is a relatively
new idea that is very important to the long-term success of an e-commerce
company. Your company's image is what the general public will consider when
they ponder doing business with you, so it is crucial to have a positive and
focused brand that will leave an indelible imprint on the minds of current
and prospective customers.
Whether or not your company actively shapes its brand and its image, both
will eventually be established with shoppers. Instead of leaving your image
to the hands of fate, take control and guide consumers to a positive notion
of what your organization is all about. Take Coca-Cola and McDonald's, for
instance. Both have built brands so strong that their images could weather
even the greatest of marketing fiascos.
Start
with a definition
One of the first things companies need to do as they build brand is determine
what segment of the marketplace they are trying to reach. To accomplish this
goal, they need to know their audience as well as the competition. Creating
strong brand identity is the ultimate challenge -- and reward -- for
companies.
Defining the word brand can vary among individuals. At the very least, a
brand is a promise -- a set of guidelines in the minds of your customers
about what you will do, who you are, and what specific value you can bring
them.
Developing trust and being consistent is important in defining your brand.
Brand is all about the experiences and interactions between the customer and
your business. Brand affects how you are remembered offline, and how
customers describe you to their friends. It takes hard work and commitment to
ensure that your company's brand sends the kind of message you want.
Although a brand may be well-established in the real world, expanding it to
the virtual universe takes a bit of finesse; your company will need
strategies unique to the online side. Following several basic steps will get
your company's brand off to a strong start.
Many experts in online branding, including consultants such as Al Ries and
Laura Ries (authors of The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding), emphasize
that before you start, you need to know who your competition is and who your
target audience is if you're going to deliver what you promise. Competition
on the Web is great, so jump-start your company's branding efforts before
they get the jump on you.
Strategy
comes first
The very first thing you need to do when creating a brand online is to
develop a business strategy. Treat your online presence as a separate
business and make sure you understand what you are trying to accomplish
online.
Part of this process is determining the best way to convey your brand.
Finding out how your target audience uses the Web is crucial as you define
your strategy for designing and marketing your organization's brand.
Creating a recognizable image is no easy task -- don't be afraid to use experts.
Many companies turn to outside consultants to help them define an online
strategy and to design their Web sites and marketing campaigns. Several
consultant agencies and services are available to help you brand your site,
including New York-based RazorFish, Boston-based Boston Consulting Group, and
Answerthink and Organic Online, both of San Francisco.
It's
the name, stupid
When you decide to take your business online, selecting a catchy, memorable
name is key to branding success. According to the Rieses, your name on the
Internet is part of your brand and can easily get lost in the crowd.
They recommend selecting names that are dynamic or uncommon because a
well-selected name will be remembered much longer; everyone is extremely
familiar with companies such as IBM, Kleenex, Xerox, and Chevrolet. When
choosing a name, keep it short -- nobody wants to type
www.thelongestcompanyname.com. Never forget: Word of mouth is good PR so your
name should also be easy to pronounce.
Additionally, just because your company has a brand offline does not mean the
online name needs to be the same. Think of your online business as separate;
if a different name is more effective, use it.
A good name will stand out, and the images you provide with it will be a big
part of the brand consumers will remember when they are not connected to the
Net. Make sure you stay focused on your brand throughout your Web site: Logo,
color schemes, and deliverables should all remain consistent with your
branding efforts. Many popular e-commerce sites, such as Amazon.com, eBay,
and Yahoo, have made their brand familiar to all of us.
Engaged
users, happy shoppers
In the virtual world of the Internet, interaction is key. Visitors coming to
your site should be greeted with inviting and compelling information. A
welcoming site explains your mission, details what your product or service
is, and includes other information that is relevant to visitors' needs.
Remember to think in terms of your visitors and put yourself in their shoes.
Consider Amazon.com's reader reviews and interest groups. If you can create
communities of common interest, using forums, reviews, and comparative
product information, your customers will return to the site and will come to
depend on it for information and services. As Amazon.com has seen, visitors
will remember your brand if you can anticipate the audience's interests.
It is important to establish a relationship with your customers. Brand is
affected by the interactive experience you have with your users. It is wise
to obtain their feedback as you continue to target your desired audience and
provide them with a meaningful experience. Take surveys of the audience you
are trying to reach.
The
road to advertising
Customers only see online advertising when they are online, so it is
important to invest in marketing and advertising to reach your shoppers in
the real world. You can advertise your brand in several ways, from billboards
and magazines to radio, TV, and sporting events.
When dollars get scarce many companies think they can cut back on
advertising, but without it your brand will get lost -- out of site, out of
mind. According to Ries and Ries, many large sites, such as drugstore.com,
rx.com, and living.com, are spending anywhere from $10 million to $30 million
a year on advertising.
Don't
forget about e-mail
While e-mail may seem to be the most obvious tool for branding, many
companies have not tapped its full use for their branding campaigns. Products
such as MetaMail allow a company to send regular e-mails on corporate
letterhead, highlighting the brand through correspondence and marketing
programs.
Marketing campaigns using customized corporate letterhead would be greatly
enhanced with MetaMail's product. Not only can you utilize your technology to
better keep in touch with customers, you can also reinforce your brand
through the logos and graphics you incorporate in your e-mail messages.
Campaigns can be designed and sent out by using specific parameters.
Additionally, links to URLs containing more detailed information would be an
effective strategy.
Another valuable use of e-mail is to offer it free on your Web site.
CommTouch Communications offers such a service, which can be a nice perk for
your customers and help provide community and boost return traffic. One of
the services CommTouch provides is e-mail for a corporate Web site that can
be customized with colors and logos. Your Web site can then offer a free
e-mail account to its visitors, giving them an e-mail address with your
company's name in the address.
Powerful brands supply more than a product or image, they deliver a coherent
message about what your company stands for. Prospective customers will base
buying decisions on what your brand means to them.
With proper branding on your site, you can build on the work you have done in
the physical world, reinforcing those messages with an interactive experience
that can rival a positive interaction with a store clerk.
Your brand is more important than ever in today's interactive world. Corporations
need to put money into their brands and stay consistent. Branding requires a
continuous effort. It is essential to routinely advertise and market your
brand through traditional avenues, through e-mail, and online, to strengthen
customer relations, improve your online image, and build a strong customer
base.
Related
articles:
Organic
delivers competitive pointers
Answerthink's
expertise lures customers
Do
you know me? Building your online brand
Lori Mitchell
is a Test Center senior analyst. Send your thoughts about online branding to
lori_mitchell@infoworld.com.
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Resources
Check out the following options for help with your online branding.
Software
* Metamail integrates with your e-mail system to give you customized
(branded) e-mail content in the form of letterhead
* Commtouch offers free e-mail to visitors to give them a reason to
return to your site regularly
Consultants
* SendTraffic.com provides marketing and branding services
* Veridiem.com offers marketing services
Published resources
* Designstop.com is a good reference site for branding
* The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding, by Al Ries and Laura
Ries, includes expert help.
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