Do you know that Facebook is not the first social networking site and Google is the 12th search engine created till now? Still, whenever it comes to mentioning social networking sites, Facebook comes to our mind first. When we look for information, our fingers tap at Google promptly. So, how did they manage to grow their business when there was already a big competition? It is a miracle of digital branding strategy.
Since its introduction, the internet has brought many changes in our lives. Alongside this, it brought new shifts to the businesses and their branding strategies. Now, a Facebook ad creates awareness for your brand faster than a large banner. As per one study, you can reach nearly 2.14 billion people just through Facebook Ads. The internet is a game-changer for branding a business. So, how was it started? How is the internet magnifying the branding strategy?
What is Internet Branding or E-branding: An Overview:
As per the marketing experts, a business’s future now lies in how it showcases itself across the internet. Statista says that as of January 2021, 59.5 % of the global population is active internet users. So, targeting this huge pool of audiences online is essential for the growth of a business. It can bring you sales quicker than offline audiences. Internet branding helps in that.
Internet branding is a digital branding strategy that helps to connect with the target audiences easily. Leveraging different social media channels and the World Wide Web brings your products or services to audiences online. The more you invest your time and efforts in it, the more your business will reach the people. It tactically uses the specific features of your product/service to keep it a cut above the rest.
So, in short, internet branding or online branding is a position of your business online connecting you with potential customers.
Nowadays, companies strive to build and retain online brands to appeal to their customers so far. Like many big brands, start-ups are also inclining towards this digital branding strategy from the very beginning of their business. However, online branding only works if you manage to provide the right value to your audience. So, include unique value while showcasing the brands.
Now, let’s know how online branding helps businesses to grow.
Grow Business Online: Digital Branding as an Effective Branding Strategy
A distinctive brand is essential for the conversion and retention of prospective customers. Now, how to grow your brand with digital branding? Before we proceed, let’s have a look at the major components of digital branding. The elements include website, mobile content, an e-commerce marketplace, content marketing, digital marketing, search engine marketing, etc. All of them together establish a brand online. Each of them holds its own significance. The main motto is brand awareness and recognition. Different stages of internet branding include brand positioning, differentiating the brand from others, effective communication for the brand etc.
Brand Positioning:
“It’s finger-lickin’ good.”- It is the slogan-turned-into-brand-positioning statement of KFC. Look at how distinctively it has established the brand. Thus, it has bagged the position of one of the best corners for foodies. As Philip Kotler defines it, brand positioning is “the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market.”Simply put, brand positioning includes how to establish your brand in the minds of your customers with an approach different from your competitors.”
Brand Differentiation:
Once your brand is well-positioned, it is time to go for differentiating it from others. The distinctive features are found by the experts and used to set it apart from the rest. The features may include the physical features of the product or service or the emotional response from the audience, a perfect brand story, or the price point. “Simplicity, creativity, and humanity”- This is what makes Apple different from its competitors.
The brand story also creates a difference. Think about the Parisian love story ad created by Google! How effectively it used an American’s love story in Paris to promote its search engine service.
So, that is how internet branding works. However, online branding depends on certain key factors. They determine the success rate of a brand. To implement an effective digital branding strategy online, you must focus on these key factors.
Digital Branding- the Key Factors:
Customers: To start online branding for any business, you first need to focus on your target customers. From the age, gender, income range, and past shopping history- take a note of everything. Interact and engage with your customers online. It will help you to set up an effective digital branding strategy.
Competitors: Next key factor to take care of is the competitors. Keep an eye on what social media sites they are using, and what search terms they focus on. Thus, you can create your unique marketing strategy and establish your brand online.
Brand Message: You must have planned to create some value. Now, prepare your brand message accordingly. The value-packed message helps to grow your brand faster. It drives more sales to the businesses with a great impact on people’s minds. Big brands like Samsung, Disney, Coca-cola, and Facebook – all have spread some unique brand messages. Apple, for example, leaves an emotional impact on their audience. It assures the customers to make them feel good about the product they are purchasing.
Visual Branding: As per a study by Forbes, a business has only 7 seconds to create an impression on the audience. Regardless of what digital branding strategy you apply, a first impression always matters. So, pay attention to the visual aspects of the branding, including the logo, social media images, colour of the brand, design of the website, and so on.
Content: Content marketing should always be a part of your digital branding strategy. Learn what form of content your audience looks for and create accordingly. It may be blog posts, social media content, infographics or videos. Different forms of content are there. Now, you have to choose among them as per your audiences’ preferences and the nature of the business.
The Bottom Line
Online branding or internet branding impacts the online image of the businesses effectively. It strengthens the relationships with the customers. Alongside this, it diversifies the brand values. But, a digital branding strategy becomes successful only when you implement it properly. So, consider hiring a digital branding company to get the task done properly. The experts there can assist you with essential details and effective strategies. If you want to build a solid digital branding strategy for your brand, click here.