How to Develop a Branding Strategy for Your Online Business
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Branding is one of those buzzwords that has been growing in popularity for the past ten years or so. When you are running an online business, your website is just one among millions so if you want to succeed you've got to find a way to set your company apart--to stand head and shoulders above your competition in order to be seen and attract customers and clients. Developing a branding strategy is how you present a cohesive, memorable, and hopefully engaging image to your prospective customers so that when they see your image, or your logo it will pique their attention and make them want to find out what you are all about.
What is branding?
Your brand is far more than the sum of its parts, which include your company name, logo, website design and color choices. Branding is what sets you apart from every other company in your industry. Your brand communicates who you are, what you do and what makes you different from your competition. Your brand essentially makes a promise to your current and prospective customers. It is up to you to make sure that promise is fulfilled in order to maintain your company's reputation--another aspect of branding.
Before you can develop you branding strategy you've got to be clear on your USP and your market position with regard to your competition.
Branding is about effective communication, but in the communication process there are always at least two messages: the first is the message that you are sending to your market, and the second is the message that they are receiving. Those are not always the same thing. For example, you might think that your ads using a scantily clad, thin young woman are appealing to your market when in fact your target audience is women for whom those ads hold little or no appeal.
Here are some steps that you can take to begin defining a branding strategy for your online business:
· Survey your audience and find out what they need, want and expect from you
· Clearly define your target market and your ideal customer
· Describe what you do and what makes you the best choice
· Come up with a positioning statement that clearly outlines where you fit in the scheme of things
· Create a pricing strategy
· Describe how your customers benefit from doing business with your company
· Outline how you and your staff will engage with customers
Define your brand's message
Your branding message is what you will be communicating to the world about your company, its products and services. One powerful example of a branding message can be seen in the competitive battle between major auto rental companies. One of the top car rental companies proclaimed, "We're #1!" Not to be outdone, the number two company responded with, "W e try harder." So the prospective customer who is looking to rent a car can decide do they want to go with the one that thinks they are the best, or the one that is trying hard to be the best. The marketplace gets to decide who wins.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to topics like marketing and branding for your online business. You should visit, http://www.mcreasite.com/blog, to discover tons of resources for growing your online business.
What is branding?
Your brand is far more than the sum of its parts, which include your company name, logo, website design and color choices. Branding is what sets you apart from every other company in your industry. Your brand communicates who you are, what you do and what makes you different from your competition. Your brand essentially makes a promise to your current and prospective customers. It is up to you to make sure that promise is fulfilled in order to maintain your company's reputation--another aspect of branding.
Before you can develop you branding strategy you've got to be clear on your USP and your market position with regard to your competition.
Branding is about effective communication, but in the communication process there are always at least two messages: the first is the message that you are sending to your market, and the second is the message that they are receiving. Those are not always the same thing. For example, you might think that your ads using a scantily clad, thin young woman are appealing to your market when in fact your target audience is women for whom those ads hold little or no appeal.
Here are some steps that you can take to begin defining a branding strategy for your online business:
· Survey your audience and find out what they need, want and expect from you
· Clearly define your target market and your ideal customer
· Describe what you do and what makes you the best choice
· Come up with a positioning statement that clearly outlines where you fit in the scheme of things
· Create a pricing strategy
· Describe how your customers benefit from doing business with your company
· Outline how you and your staff will engage with customers
Define your brand's message
Your branding message is what you will be communicating to the world about your company, its products and services. One powerful example of a branding message can be seen in the competitive battle between major auto rental companies. One of the top car rental companies proclaimed, "We're #1!" Not to be outdone, the number two company responded with, "W e try harder." So the prospective customer who is looking to rent a car can decide do they want to go with the one that thinks they are the best, or the one that is trying hard to be the best. The marketplace gets to decide who wins.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to topics like marketing and branding for your online business. You should visit, http://www.mcreasite.com/blog, to discover tons of resources for growing your online business.