Better Branding: Does Your Website Send the Right Message?
Not too long ago, a “brand” was a symbol or slogan which triggered certain thoughts in a customer’s mind. The Golden Arches meant fast hamburgers, a certain shade of red meant a certain kind of cola, and so on. Today, the definition is much the same, but a little broader. Branding is the perception that customers have when they hear your business’ name.
Since branding is a moving target that changes along with your customer base, your branding service needs to be flexible as well. Z Brand inbound marketing is a good example of how the system should work.
Why Is Branding Important?
Your brand is the foundation of all your company’s marketing efforts. If all channels don’t broadcast the same message, confused customers will quickly turn elsewhere. So, it’s important to invest time and other resources into developing your brand before you begin marketing efforts in earnest.
A successful brand creates loyal employees in addition to loyal customers, because it keeps everyone focused on the company’s message. To accomplish that objective, here are a few pointers:
- Will your target audience easily relate with your branding strategy?
- Is your brand unique, and does it convey the uniqueness of your product or service?
- What promises does your brand make or not make?
- Does your brand reflect your values as a person and as a business-owner?
These questions should have direct and easy answers. If that’s not the case, it may be time to go back to the drawing board.
Ultimately, your customers should see your brand as the only place to obtain a certain product or service. So, a brand must deliver a message very clearly, confirm your credibility, motivate the buyer, and ensure customer loyalty. That sounds like a long list, but a good branding strategy can meet all these objectives and more.
How to Get Started
Once you have established a message, implementing your brand is the next step. This important process involves:
- Research: Learn about your target audience, focusing on demographics like age, marital status, and income. Be prepared to adjust your brand so it resonates with your target audience.
- Voice: After considering all ideas, select the voice which engages your audience and encourages conversation. The voice should also broadcast consistent messages on all channels, as the days of market segmentation are pretty much gone.
- Balance: Messaging is especially important in meta descriptions. They should all contain some of the same language. Maintain this same consistency throughout the buying process, so your customers repeatedly hear the same thing.
- Integrate Social Media: Listen to Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms to see where people are talking about your brand. Then. broadcast your message in these places.
Online reputation is an important component of branding. Customers want to see that you truly care about them and want them to have positive experiences.
The most well-planned marketing campaign will likely fail unless a successful brand serves as the driving and unifying force behind this campaign. Make an effort to get your branding right, and you will almost certainly reap the dividends later.
