Human evolution has come a long way from the early phases of civilization alongside the streams of rivers and rivulets to digitalization along the stream of internet. With the passage of change, what has been constant throughout is Socialization though it has seen many transformations over years, from simple physical interactions to meeting over virtual platforms. And this has brought in a new dimension to the way business is done across domains.
Our workplace has been shifted, banks are at finger-tips, market on screens, home-needs in carts, and groceries in the basket.
The virtual has become real. Hence let's appreciate and embrace the change.
What is Branding?
Branding refers to a marketing instrument that enhances a products outreach and creates a unique identity of the product among all its prospective customers. With the galore of products and companies present across segments, a few have been successful in creating this, the ones who know the nuances of how and what of it.
‘What’ basically refers to the content/information that we need to share. It also takes into account our understanding of customer needs. What customer needs is essentially what we want to show.
Know more about types of branding here
The focus lies more on what ‘you’ want to see than what ‘I’ have to offer.
‘How’ is critical in the sense that this is the game-changer. Packaging our products the way customers like it makes all the difference. It is the wholesome awesomeness for the prospective buyers to go for it.
The story doesn’t end here as the ‘how’ also extends to know and understand the customers’ response to a particular product and ‘how’ we deal with that. Its nothing but the post-service. Customers can only be glued to us if they get the best of everything, product, packaging, price, and post-sale services. Trust culminates from all of these put together and that creates a Brand.
What is Digital Branding?
The way we peep through to the wide spectrum of online information decides the way things are to be shown.
The total packaging of online information to attract customers to a specific product and make of them a regular subscriber of the same is nothing but Digital Branding.
This can be done systematically by creating our image on online platforms like web portals, mobile apps, social media, video content, and so on and so forth. To reach to a niche range, we need to work both on branding and digital marketing.
In the age when the world is seen in the eyes of the internet, the globe revolves around a 4-7” AMOLED screen, people are connected to a whole gamut of resources day-in-and-day-out, probably this is the only space to make our presence felt. Breaking the shackles of boundaries, digital platform extends itself to all in general and at all times in particular, then what can take us back without exploiting the very scope of it.
Boosting your brand with a solid digital presence is the need of the hour. To achieve your long term marketing goals.
Benefits of Digital Branding
‘Constant Interaction’ on connected platforms makes Digital Branding a very viable marketing experience. With digital brand positioning, the purpose of the brand is effectively communicated and once a product is digitally positioned, what we need to do is to create an unparalleled customer experience through our regular interactions.
Our every step should be to consolidate and further strengthen our relationship with the customers. They cannot be just pulled to what we offer but can be done through our relentless reach-out. In addition, there should be proper alignment between what we say and what we offer. Once the image is built, the strategy is to be replicated in the entire business cycle.
Coherent plan and action, ethical practices, prompt grievance redressal system, customer care and satisfaction are a few of the strong schemes that can keep the customers personally connected with a business firm. This bond needs to be nurtured over years to have customer loyalty. All these are seamless on digital platforms.
10 Commandments of Digital Branding
Logo - A simple icon/image with a little text can speak millions of words. A well-crafted logo reflecting the true essence of a business entity can carry an entire load of a company’s brand identity. One should be careful about the pattern, colour, size, and the varied probable connotations associated with the logo. The half-eaten apple is a show-stopper.
Brand Messaging - Brand Messages should be catchy and pithy. Congruence is the key factor. ‘I am not feeling well’ cannot be the excuse on all students’ applications for leave.
A well-drafted message follows the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) principle. Moreover, the tonal reflection and business jargon also play vital roles in drafting the message. Keep the message simple, short, concise, courteous, and only speak the thing that you want to convey.
To craft a right brand message and logo is very crucial. Maybe we can help you with that. If so Schedule a short call with us.
Website - What stands between business and buying is the interface called Website. It is the reservoir of a business entity in its entirety. So don’t just sit back and relax. Take every minute detail and work on it.
The look and feel, the information, the images and designs, the links and all are to be very concise and precise at the same time. A clutter-free website is like a well-organized store, simple and succinct.
SEO - Search Engine Optimization keeps a business firm ahead of others in the race for coronation. It keeps one among the firsts in the list of online searches and thereby makes it easy for customers to seek out our products and services.
Do always keep in mind to have SEO while designing the website. Google’s Webmaster Guidelines can help us understand Google indexing and ranking of sites. A few tips to help:
Forward and backward links to toggle between pages
Blog posts should be designed for users, not search engines
See to the usefulness and engaging factors of the website. For example tone of voice used to communicate with your target audience.
Add unique features to the website so as to make it different
Guard against hacking and unwanted/broken links
Add keywords for optimizing search. Tools like Uber Suggest, Ahrefs and other similar tools can help find frequently searched words.
Active links to and from the website help increase search results.
Social Media Networks - The presence of the entire population on social media entails our brands to be there too. Social media is an essential part of the digital world. To build a brand online design content specific to social media platforms.
A long essay works well to fetch good grades in exams but not on twitter. Tailor-made content to suite different social media accounts and increase engagements are to be well thought of. Tracking responses on posts and responding to them is equally important. Tools like Hootsuite, Google Analytics, and Shopify can help us integrate all our platforms and track engagement; show us page dynamics; and link potential customers straight to website’s shopping cart.
Email Marketing - Leads created through various social media platforms can be easily be dropped in with a personalized mail. Personalized emails can do wonders as they understand the customer’s specific needs and address them.
Content marketing goes easy with emailers. Although a traditional form yet an essential digital channel that lets the audience to get engaged at a higher level. Small businesses should not ignore this.
Online Advertising - Advertisements have changed their abode. From Page-3 of newspapers, billboards, hoardings, and TV commercials they have resorted to palmtops.
The digital media advertisements pop up, pan from, zoom in, on any and every content is seen online and they are either crossed or skipped but not all. The next time you skip an advertisement, check it can be yours! Where do we get these ads at?
Search Engine Ads: Ads seen on the list of search engine lookups.
Display Ads: Clickable banners on webpages.
Social Media Ads: Sponsored content on social media.
Mobile Feed and Desktop Feed Ads: Suggested content on user’s mobile or website feeds.
Retargeted Ads: Ads on browsers based on the searched content.
Content Marketing - Marketing not for the heck of it but for disseminating what one is good at. An indirect but powerful way of enhancing customer engagement and retaining customer loyalty! With the internet penetration and increasing screen-hours, it's very pertinent to offer our audience some food-for-thought.
Digital marketing can augment our brand presence but content marketing can enrich the customer experience.
Influencer Marketing - From ‘Boost is the Secret of my Energy’ by Sachin Tendulkar to ‘Kent provides ‘Duniya Ka Sabse Shudh Pani’ by Hema Malini, the Influencer Marketing has its own place. Film and Sports stars influence us more than the products themselves.
Selection of product ambassadors is crucial as a mismatch can take a heavy toll on the product itself. A fit and healthy sports person can endorse a health drink whereas a actor can be selected for a beauty and hygiene product.
Self Marketing - This is nothing but the word of mouth. Talk about your product, write about it, discuss in multiple forums, debate on it, and take it from narrow shire lanes to boardrooms with sure courage and conviction. Because you know what makes your product the best in the market. One day your brand will be the ‘talk of the town’.
What matters the most in this competitive age is to create a solid base of satisfied customers. Rest all will fall in place.