Success in business is heavily dependent on brand awareness and visibility. But, building a brand online is not always an easy job. This is where online brand marketing comes in.
The Importance of Online Brand Marketing
There is a difference between branding vs brand marketing. Branding is your business identity — it is who you are. It defines your products and services. On the other hand, brand marketing is the process of promoting your brand to an audience. It is how you raise awareness of your brand.
Online brand marketing is simply promoting your brand through an online medium. Many business owners, especially smaller local businesses, feel apprehensive about investing time and money into online or SEO brand marketing. Why? Because they are unfamiliar with the platform and are more comfortable sticking to traditional methods. But, taking brand marketing online has plenty of benefits.
For one thing, online brand marketing enhances your ability to generate leads. Online branding creates peace of mind and safety. And people are just more likely to buy things from trustworthy brands. In fact, 81 percent of consumers said they would only patronize a brand if they trust them.
It is also much easier for trusted brands to forge partnerships with other businesses, bloggers, and influencers. This allows you to have a higher click rate when you send emails or requests. Finally, you have a better chance of ranking in search results for long-tail keywords if you have a trusted brand.
How to Approach Online Brand Marketing
If you are new to marketing, here are some online branding strategies you can use:
1. Invest in an Aesthetically Pleasing Website
Your website can say a lot about your brand as a whole. If it loads too slowly or looks unprofessional, customers tend to click away. They also leave a website if it does not display properly on their mobile device.
In fact, 93 percent of people have abandoned a website because it either loaded too slowly or wasn’t mobile-friendly. Meanwhile, 90 percent of people have abandoned a website because of bad design.
When designing your website, make sure to use colors consistent with your brand. Go for eye-catching without being too gaudy. Additionally, your website should reflect your business, so think of how you want to be perceived from a consumer’s standpoint.
2. Use Your Brand Name Everywhere
Your brand name should appear on all of your website’s title pages. Pay particular attention to pages that users always share on their social channels. Doing so will help you climb rankings faster for keywords that get the most searches. It also signals to Google that you have a trusted brand that people like, thereby increasing your chances of ranking high on search results even more.
3. Create Quality Content
Great content not only helps your website rank on search engines, but it also helps with brand awareness through social sharing. Creating quality content for your blog allows you to build better brand authority in your target market, too.
When writing content, make sure to steer clear of general, cookie-cutter posts. Instead, go for something unique. Use a combination of broad and long-tail keywords in your content — keywords you want to rank for. This will help your brand acquire organic traffic from the right audience. It doesn’t have to be purely text either. Try to mix it up with videos, tutorials, infographics, and interviews.
You can also write guest blog posts for other websites or invite others to write them on yours. This will help you get backlinks to your site, thereby increasing your credibility in Google’s eyes.
4. Emphasize Achievements
How can you gain the trust of new customers who have no familiarity with your brand at all? Simple — through accomplishments and testimonials. Make sure to incorporate your brand’s achievements on your website.
If you have won awards or been featured on reputable media channels, highlight them. Collect testimonials from customers as well and have a dedicated section for them.
Putting emphasis on your brand’s accomplishments can quickly alter a new visitor’s perception of your business. A good review from a fellow customer or industry expert can foster interest and build trust.
5. Develop a Following
In a time when people let social media influence their decisions, numbers can define a brand’s credibility. The number of followers you have on your social channels can significantly affect how new customers view your brand. In essence, the more followers you have, the more trustworthy your brand is.
With this in mind, it is essential for your brand to cultivate a large following. You can facilitate this by adding social media buttons on every page of your website. Make sure these widgets are visible to every visitor. Place them above the fold or on the sidebar of your blog.
You must also make it easy for people to find your social pages online. As much as possible, use your brand name as your username. It is also worth getting verified by the platform to receive the coveted checkmark beside your handle. This way, fans know it’s your official page.
Furthermore, consistency is paramount when it comes to your social media pages. Use the same profile picture, logo, and username as much as possible. This will create a perception of dependability
6. Engage With Your Followers
It is not enough to simply build a strong follower base. You must also make an effort to connect with your audience and establish a bond with them.
Keep track of what customers are saying about your brand. Learn to respond to what people are saying. On Twitter, that means monitoring every mention of your brand. On LinkedIn, that means joining groups and answering questions.
Don’t just focus on the positive comments either. If you spot a negative comment, respond to it if possible. Move the interaction to a private channel and then resolve their issue as best you can. This cultivates trust and will help you turn a dissatisfied customer into a brand advocate.
Never allow your social media page to remain dormant for long periods of time. If you want to stay relevant, you must post updates on the regular. Share your blog posts to create a buzz. Encourage your followers to share your posts as well. Many brands do this by holding contests or raffles. Remember, awareness is critical here, so you want to be everywhere.
There are a number of third-party automation tools that allow you to schedule posts on your social channels. That way, you can create updates ahead of time and post them according to a calendar.
Real-World Online Marketing Strategies Examples
Businesses, big or small, can benefit from the use of online marketing as a way to elevate their brand. Here are just a couple of real-world examples of big names using online marketing strategies:
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines makes sure their branding remains consistent across all of their social channels. That includes their website, Twitter, and YouTube pages. They also adopt the same color scheme throughout.
Aside from consistency, Southwest Airlines also shines in customer retention. They accomplish this with the help of social listening. They monitor mentions of their brand online and turn them into opportunities. The Southwest team always looks for ways to satisfy their customers, going above and beyond to exceed their expectations. This is how they manage to retain loyal customers and receive praise while other airlines struggle.
Lululemon
Lululemon is a prime example of a brand that has established itself with the help of social media marketing. They have primarily used Facebook to build a connection with their target market.
Lululemon understood their audience first. They recognized that customers nowadays use yoga attire not just for fitness but also for everyday wear. Armed with this information, Lululemon developed an image of a brand dedicated to providing yoga attire for both fitness and comfort. They used this image to connect with a market that is 75 million strong.
The Key to Success
Online brand marketing is a pillar of success in the current business landscape. If you want to set yourself apart and rise above the rest, cultivating and marketing your brand is key. You want customers to know who you are and what you have to offer. To accomplish this, you must learn to use online marketing strategies to your advantage.
If you need help with online brand marketing, Tanner Grey can help. Give us a call today at 844.500.1339 or contact us online to learn more about our services.
RELATED ARTICLES:
- 7 Ways An Online Business Consultant Can Help You
- 9 Brilliant Tips To Build Brand Awareness Online
- 7 Benefits Of Internet Marketing
