There are some steps to follow when building a strong online brand that’s easy to incorporate in a marketing funnel. It takes hard work and dedication to create an online presence that will last. However, once you get started, it’s easier to see how stronger your brand will become.
Building a strong online brand means that you’re creating an identity for yourself in the virtual world. To do this, you must establish your brand name, use your social media presence effectively, write quality content, and promote it. Lastly, you should incorporate design elements that resonate with your brand in your social media accounts and email address, among others. This article provides you tips on how to create a strong online brand.
Tips on How to Design a Strong Online Brand
When you start building your brand through identity design, you’ll also learn more about yourself and what you stand for. This knowledge lets you develop a unique voice and style.
Branding can be defined as “the process of creating an image or visual identity for a business that will help it stand apart from competitors”. Here are tips that can help you create a strong online presence for your brand:
Know Who You Want to Be as a Brand
The first step towards branding an online presence is knowing who you want exactly to be as a brand. If you have no idea where you want to go with your brand, you won’t know which direction to take when c designing your logo or website.
To figure out who you want to be, ask yourself these questions:
- What does my target audience think I am?
- What do people say about me? Do I like myself?
- Why should someone buy from me?
All of these will be deeply discussed in the succeeding sections.
Define Your Audience
The first step to a strong online presence is defining your target audience. What kind of people would benefit from using your products or services? Once you understand who your target audience is, you can begin designing your marketing strategies around them. For instance, if you’re selling dog food, you might focus on pet owners rather than just dogs. If you sell clothing, then you may choose to market to women over men.
Before you get started, you must know who you want to target with your branding strategy. You should answer these questions:
- Who am I targeting?
- What does my audience care about?
- In what way can my product or service solve their problems?
Once you understand this information, you will be in a better position to create a strong brand identity. How your product can provide solutions is a big factor for loyal customers to identify with your product.
After identifying your target audience, you should now move on to determining where they spend most of their time. Again, the best way to find out which websites they visit is by analyzing data collected through Google Analytics.
Google Analytics allows you to track all website traffic to determine which sites visitors like the most. Then, by looking at the pages visited, you can figure out which ones generate revenue. From here, you can decide whether those pages are worth promoting.
Define Your Value Proposition
It would help if you defined what sets your company apart from other businesses. This may seem obvious, but many entrepreneurs don’t think about this step until after they’ve already launched their products or services. When defining your company’s uniqueness, consider two things:
1) How does your company solve problems better than anyone else?
2) Why should someone choose your company instead of any of the competition?
Have a Clear Mission and Vision Statements
Having a clear mission statement is essential when creating a strong online brand identity. In addition, you want to make sure that everything you say and does aligns with your business goals. To achieve success, you must know why you’re doing something. Without knowing why you’re trying to accomplish certain tasks, you won’t effectively plan your strategy.
The point is, if you don’t understand why you’re offering a particular service or selling a specific item, then chances are you’ll end up wasting money and resources. Take the time to jot down your vision and purpose. Then, if necessary, get help from people who share your passion. Once you understand what direction you’d want to go, you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Your Logo Should Associate with Your Brand
A logo should represent your company and its values; it is the most recognizable element for your brand. It should reflect your brand promise and communicate how your organization wants to be perceived. The best logos are simple yet memorable; they convey meaning without being too complicated. They often include visual elements such as color, shape, texture, typography, etc., which helps users recognize your brand instantly.
A good logo catches the eye of the crowd. And if it doesn’t, no matter how great its quality, it won’t get noticed. So, before you start designing anything else, take some time to brainstorm ideas. What would identify your company universally as yours?
The best logos use simple shapes and patterns. For instance, Nike uses stripes, Adidas uses triangles, and Apple uses circles. Simple shapes allow designers to focus their efforts elsewhere — such as adding more detail to the rest of the image.
The most successful logos also incorporate visual elements and metaphors. For example, Google’s famous search box resembles a magnifying glass because it helps users find information quickly. Similarly, Microsoft’s Windows icon looks like a computer screen because Bill Gates’ father invented computers.
A great-looking logo comes from a great web designer; there are several things you should consider before choosing a designer.
- Look at his portfolio. Does he use fonts similar to yours? Do his designs fit into your overall style guide? Is he familiar with your industry? These are all factors that affect the quality of work produced.
- Ask him about pricing. Will he charge more per hour or project basis?
- Do not hesitate to negotiate. Ask for discounts based on quantity or time frame. Always check references.
Use Imagery to Identify Your Brand
When it comes to branding, images play an important role in communicating your message. Images can also serve as powerful tools for building trust and credibility among customers, and to capture more leads in your social media strategy. For example, photos of smiling children will encourage parents to buy toys made by companies that care about kids’ safety. On the flip side, pictures of angry faces might discourage potential buyers because they associate negative emotions with the product.
Pick the font that matches your overall look. Fonts convey meaning just as words do. But unlike words, fonts come in different styles and sizes. When choosing a typeface, think about what kind of feeling you want to project. Is your company fun-loving and playful? Or serious and professional? Do you prefer clean lines or bolder designs?
Choose Your Colors Well
Colors have long been associated with emotion. For example, red represents passion, blue signifies loyalty, yellow symbolizes happiness, green stands for growth, and black means death. These associations aren’t arbitrary – they tell us something about our brains.
Match your color palette. Colors communicate moods and feelings. They can add excitement to your site or calm things down. Consider which colors match your brand’s tone. Also, choose complementary shades so that viewers notice all parts of your logo at once.
Color palettes are collections of related hues used together to form a cohesive design scheme. Think of them like recipes: Each hue has a function within the whole recipe. For example, some may contribute flavor, while others provide structure. Together, these elements combine to produce a harmonious result.
Choose Your Typography Well
Typography refers to the arrangement of letters on a page. There are many ways to arrange text, but one thing remains constant across every website—the importance of legibility. Legible websites make reading easier, making visitors feel comfortable enough to stay longer and explore further. Studies show that when web pages contain large amounts of white space, readers spend less time browsing than those whose sites are cluttered with distracting social media graphics and ads.
One of the first measures toward creating a well-designed website is selecting appropriate typographic choices. This includes both the size and weight of each letterform. Small caps, lowercase, uppercase, italics, and other variations help create interest and variety. However, please don’t overdo it! Too much variation makes it difficult for people to read.
Also, keep in mind that certain types of text require special treatment. For example, bolded headlines grab attention; underlined links direct users to specific areas of your site. Make sure your chosen typefaces support this feature. The typography should be uniform throughout the elements of your business down to your business cards.
Add a Design Element That Would Eventually Identify Universally as Yours
A good logo should be memorable. It needs to stand out from the crowd – if it doesn’t, no matter how great its quality, it won’t get noticed. So, before you start designing anything else, take some time to brainstorm ideas. What would identify your company universally as yours?
The best logos use simple shapes and patterns. For instance, Nike uses stripes, Adidas uses triangles, and Apple uses circles. Simple shapes allow designers to focus their efforts elsewhere — such as adding more detail to the rest of the image.
Don’t Forget Templates
Templates save time and money. You’ll never have to worry about finding fonts again, nor do you need to hire an artist to draw something unique. Instead, download a template and customize it however you want. You can use this on your business cards, email newsletter, and social media accounts.
Pick the Kind of Language
Your language must match your brand identity. For example, if you’re selling luxury goods, then your copy should reflect that. But if you sell food products, then your writing style might not be so formal. The same goes for businesses that cater to different audiences. This should reflect on your website, email newsletter headings and business cards.
Choose Your Slogan
If you’ve decided what kind of language you’d like to use, now comes the fun part: coming up with a catchy phrase or motto that will stick in customers’ minds long after they leave your store. Think about what your product does, who buys it, where it’s sold, and why someone would buy it. Then write down all these thoughts into a short sentence. Try using words that describe your product rather than describing yourself (“I’m here to make things easier” vs. “We are here to make life better”).
Once you come up with a few slogans, choose one that stands out. Remember, you only have less than a half-second to get the attention of a customer. Choose wisely!
Be Consistent and Flexible
A compelling brand identity isn’t something you can make up. Instead, it takes careful planning and execution. Several ways to approach branding include starting with research, developing a strategy, and then executing.
Yes, consistency is crucial. But flexibility is equally important. Keeping your brand consistent helps you maintain your audience’s interest. But being flexible allows you to adjust your brand to meet changing target market conditions.
Create A Set of Design Guidelines
Brand guidelines are a great way to make sure that you stick to your brand rules. You should have a very clear set of brand guidelines that include what to do and can’t do that everyone can follow for your brand. This is how you empower people to be your assets while sharing your branding, staying true to the values, and being compliant with the brand.
Promote Connection through Emotion
Emotions drive behavior. People buy things they feel emotionally connected to. They don’t care much about rational arguments or facts when making decisions. Studies show that emotions trump logic every single time! Try using emotion-based digital marketing tactics instead of trying to convince potential customers why they should choose your product over another one. These techniques will help build trust between you and your target audience. For example, consider creating videos that tell personal stories about your clients.
Don’t be a Copycat
You probably already noticed that many companies look similar. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take inspiration from them. However, there’s no reason to mimic everything exactly. Your branding represents who you are and what makes you special. Don’t forget to add personality to your brand too. You can also incorporate your personal branding with your business to make it more personal. After all, we spend 90% of our lives online, so how else would you expect us to relate to brands?
Evolve, Evolve, Evolve
Evolve your brand as you grow. Don’t allow stagnation to swallow your business. Once you’ve done your homework, it’s time to pick which aspects of your brand you’d like to emphasize. This includes everything from your color palette to your voice when interacting with loyal or prospective customers. This is what you call business growth.
For example, if you run a dog grooming shop, maybe you decide to highlight your love of dogs through your logo design. Or perhaps you choose to use bright primary hues because those are the colors associated with puppies. One great example is the Coca Cola’s brand identity. It has changed logo and fonts to keep up with the times. This is part of the branding process.