Projecting, protecting and promoting a brand online is absolutely vital to market a brand or business effectively on the internet. Nowadays it is just as easy, if not easier, to damage a brand online as it is offline. Brands are built online with credibility, loyalty and a strong underpinning message. As more and more businesses make the foray online, online branding it is becoming apparent that online branding is a must.
A business's online presence should reflect the underpinning message and perpetuate it. Intelligent online branding is a cohesive mix of internet marketing processes and reputation management.
Why invest in Online Branding?
Building brand equity instills trust, loyalty and helps your products or services become less-price sensitive. Its why people will pay more for a can of Gillette shaving foam over an unlabeled product for half the price that does exactly the same thing. Since the advent of web 2.0 the customer has been more empowered than ever. Price comparisons take mere minutes online so it is imperative that the brand itself adds value to the product or service.
When choosing how to position a brand many businesses are faced with a pricing dilemma; be cheap or be trusted? Brands are faced with having to travel down one of these routes when talking about the future. Cheap is often not the best route to travel down unless you are concrete-confident with your market and margins. If a product or service is cheap it can carry negative connotations for the product or service. A strong brand image allows a business to position their product or service more freely within the market and amongst the competition.
Online branding is multi faceted. Really strengthening the presence of a business online requires all of the business's internet marketing methods and processes to be cohesive.There is very little point of having a social media campaign which encourages people to visit the website if it is not aligned with objectives of the campaign. From search engine optimisation (SEO) and Paid Search (PPC) to Social Media and Email Marketing, the campaigns need to be underpinned with an unshakable, synchronised message that promotes the message of the brand.
google_ad_channel = "7940249670, " + AB_cat_channel + AB_unit_channel;
google_language = "en";
google_ad_region = 'test';
First and foremost this means that the business needs to run with a message that works and has legs. Once the message of the brand is agreed upon within the marketing and creative team(s) it is time to use spread the message online effectively in order to strengthen the brand online. Spreading the message is not a "spray and pray" exercise. A brand should intelligently choose where they have a presence online, on platforms that would be helpful to them and their consumerbase.
Which online platforms should a brand or business use to build brand equity?
To build brand equity a brand needs to be seen by as many consumers and potential consumers as possible, however, this does not mean the brand needs a presence on every single social networking site, online directory and video hosting site on the internet! This is a common and sometimes costly mistake that many businesses make. The online presence of a brand or business needs to be constantly maintained, updated and improved. A Facebook page that never gets updated is going to die quickly, it will end up looking like an e-graveyard with unanswered questions from customers and spam posts dominating the page. Cases like this can be detrimental to a brand and it often ends up becoming a painstaking task of damage prevention.
For brands and businesses a Social Media Usage Policy is a necessity. To really delve in to the ins and outs of a Social Media Policy would require its own article, here are a couple of key points that pertain to upholding a strong online presence. Negligence and mismanagement can cause big problems and has done in the past. All businesses who are looking to take to Social Media seriously should invest in a Social Media Policy in order to set ground rules and provide an effective framework to work within.
Social media for business is all the rage right now. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter allow brands to converse with their consumer base quicker and more easily than ever before. If a well thought out and concise social media marketing campaign is put together its effect can be great and go a long way in building brand equity. It is extremely important however to track key metrics and KPIs, otherwise it will be difficult to judge the campaigns effectiveness and worth.A specialist digital marketing agency will have the tools available to track key metrics that indicate how well a social media campaign is performing. They will be able to curate a successful social media campaign that aligns itself with the objectives of the business. There is nothing to gain by spending time and money on social media campaigns that do not yield results.
Building loyalty & credibility online
Engaging with customers to answer their questions and queries is an extremely important part of strengthening a brand's online presence. You can see this on most Twitter and Facebook accounts for big brands and businesses. Social networks are becoming more of a customer inquiry tool rather than a marketing tool, so it is important to treat it as such and interact with your community of followers and fans. Engaging with these customers is important and positive interaction can only help strengthen the reputation of your brand and business.
This is the reason you see testimonials on websites. A customers experience and relationship with a brand is a lot more credible than the brand itself blowing its own trumpet. This is why customer reviews on Qype, Google Places and other directories are growing ever more prominent in search results.
A structured Online Branding campaign that is aligned with the business's objectives is essential to gain an advantage over the competition. Loyalty and trust in a brand goes a long way in securing repeat business and recommendations. Word of mouth is more important than ever due to the spread of Social Media, review sites and directories such as Qype.
Ref: http://www.articlesbase.com/branding-articles/invest-in-online-branding-through-seo-and-social-media-marketing-6069198.html
Friday, July 27, 2012
Invest in Online Branding through SEO and Social Media Marketing
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