Markets have been evolving from time to time and entrepreneurship has always played catch up. This holds in today’s scenario, as well.
Long gone are the days when you could open up a venture, work hard on your product, balance your books and rake up a hefty profit. Markets these days are more audience-centric, and one who grabs the most eyeballs dictates profitability.
A testament to the above fact is that tech behemoths like Google and Facebook are striving harder and harder to improve and optimize their marketing channels and further expand their audience bases.
With more than 3/4th of the human population opting for at least one of their services, the question arises that how do you get into the good books of these companies.
The answer is DIGITAL BRANDING.
What is Digital Branding?
As Wikipedia defines it, “Digital branding is a brand management technique that uses a combination of internet branding and digital marketing to develop a brand over a range of digital venues, including internet-based relationships, device-based applications or media content.”
In simpler terms, this means, making use of various digital channels like social media, search engine, online forums etc. to connect with and make an impression on people. It is the process of creating your desired persona in the minds of customers, potential customers, investors etc. by digital means.
What goes into Digital Branding?
Digital Branding is a collective effort of ‘n’ number of shareholders (if I may say so) and here we will dwell into most important ones.
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Website:
A website is the very foundation of every digital strategy, be it marketing, branding, customer relations etc. It is a brands’ digital home and how a visitor connects with your website prima facie will have a significant impact on your brands’ image. Sites are the primary templates where potential customers learn about your business, and for that reason is it critical that the website is reflective of your brands’ vision.
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Social Media Channels:
Collectively, there are more social media handles on the web than 50% of the population of earth. Imagine the immense potential of digital branding that comes with it. Businesses’ have long identified this potential and to an extent, made good growth out of it. However, when things have gone south, the pursuit has turned out to be costly, futile and exhaustive. It is essential to pre-define what your motivations and targets with social media are and then align them with your brand values.
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Content:
You’ve :
- Build your website,
- Set up your social media handles
- Run campaigns and promotions
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Paid Promotions:
A well put out paid promotion can be the difference between gaining or losing a lead you never even knew you had. From pay per click ads on Google to picturesque Facebook ads, the opportunities to get in front of your audience are limitless.
Many a time we visit a website homepage which tells nothing about the brand, how it differentiates itself from its competitors etc. This ‘zero value-ness’ is exceptionally hazardous for any brand. Make sure that every visitor comes out of your website knowing what your brand does and how you are different, unique and better than your competitors. A successful website is one which leaves your desired opinion of the brand in the minds of the visitors.
At the end of the day these are just the components of your branding gravy but what will set you apart is the key ingredient which is content. Anyone associated with Digital Marketing Services can vouch for the fact that if shove comes to push, the content will be your saviour. The unfortunate part, however, is that most brands create content just for the sake of creating it without a plan or strategy in place. Be it a website blog, marketing copy or even a social media post, the content of your pieces should be reflective of your business brand.
Paid promotions are also crucial because these are the only surefire way that you’ll ever get in front of your audience. Yes, it does come at a cost, but then these are necessary to get your brand in front of your audience right from the off.
What is the Importance of digital branding for business?
After knowing what digital branding is, it is quintessential to understand why it is essential for your business.
The Importance of digital branding for your business boils down to how effectively you want to communicate the value of your business to your customer. It is telling your customer about your business, what sets you apart, and how you are different and better from your peers. Only when someone understands your proposition, they can be converted from a visitor to a customer. And when I say visitor, I don’t just mean your website.
Your message should be clear and uniform across all your digital branding channels. Your tagline ‘bringing the best to you’ makes no sense if your social media handles don’t say so. You have to map out every customer touchpoint and deliver a message that is consistent throughout.
How Digital Branding benefits your business.
- Define expectations and build trust: It is human psyche that we are drawn to what we know, and digital branding lets you leverage the most out of this trait. Once your customers know your business, your product, the kind of quality and service to expect, the value for money etc. they will be at ease when choosing your brand over others. This will project you as a strong brand and instil trust in your present and prospective customers alike.
- Enhanced Recognition: Every aspect of your branding needs to be uniform throughout if your motive is to gain the trust of your audience in the long run. If you are projecting yourself of providing cost-effective and reliable services, then every single branding channels of yours should reflect it. This is the kind of positive association that will make your brand familiar with people as a reliable and cost-effective one and give you increased referrals and higher volumes.
- Provide you with a USP: The market is crowded as it is, and thus it is more important than ever to have a unique selling proposition or a USP. Branding is an excellent channel to get that, especially if you are in a sector that is highly contested. Casting your USP in the right manner will add value to your product in the eyes of the customer and make you a conscious first choice in the decision making stages.
Conclusion: In the end, branding boils down to consistency. The approach should always be uniform and holistic while conveying your value to your customers across various channels. Every channel has its unique modus operandi, but from a brands’ perspective, you should not look at them in isolation. This will confuse your customers and distort your branding efforts. Every branding channel is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that you need to put together for your digital branding masterpiece to shine through.
