Branding is a buzzword thrown around a lot these days. Branding is more than a logo, and stretches from digital channels to physical properties. Keep your brand identity consistent.
A company’s brand identity is as strong as its weakest link. Each and every public-facing employee has an effect on one’s ‘brand identity’. Branding does go deep…
Each and every touch point by the public is a company’s ‘brand identity’. This may not seem like much at first glance, but each and every social media post, every sign at a physical location, apparel for employees, the website, to email signature… the list could go on and on.
Website:
Your website should be the central hub for everything in your business. Even if you operate a brick and mortar business… customers will make assumptions on your business before they visit you in person based on your website.
The overall look of your site is important, but this is also where you start to let your personality shine. The more personality you can let shine… the more engaged your customers will be. No one wants to do business with a robot, let them see your personality.
We can’t mention branding and website without touching on the fact that it should display the logo, colors, verbiage and overall look that should carry through all of the other components in this list.
Social Media:
The part that social media plays in your business is constantly changing. The bulk of your customer interactions now happen on social media in some aspect. The personality mentioned in the website described above is even more important in social media.
It is a no-brainer that you need to make this graphically consistent, but remember that this should also be a channel to funnel people to your site, not the other way around.
The largest part of your social media channels in today’s world is that when people recommend you, they will most likely share your social media channels before your site. Make sure that these are cohesive with your site and that they direct your potential customers where you want them to go (hint: your website).
Physical (if applicable):
I realize a lot of business don’t have a physical presence. I am in the same boat. Although the bulk of my career has been based on some sort of physical branding, whether it has been signage, apparel or printed collateral.
Each and every touchpoint needs to have a cohesive look to drive home the look and feel of everything else you have been trying to achieve. This applies to everything, even your bathroom and directional signage down to the hours on your door. Let’s your personality shine, even in the areas which seem like they could be the most boring of instances.
Email Marketing:
If you don’t have some form of contact list and following up via email, you are missing out. Whether you are offering sales, providing and promoting helpful content or just updates on what is going on lately; keep it consistent.
Content Marketing:
The best way to drive your branding home and keep people coming to your site is content marketing. You are reading some now, in fact. The biggest key to content marketing is to provide value and help your customer. If you aren’t, you’re wasting your time.
One thing that people struggle with about content marketing is being afraid to provide too much free value like you are giving away your secret sauce. This is a fine line to walk. However, in most cases, people would rather see this information, if nothing else, to prove to themselves that you know what you are talking about.
Rundown:
There are many components of your branding plan, but the biggest key is being consistent and letting your personality and passion to help your customer shine through. If you need help with your branding, we’re here for you.
