How to enhance your online brand identity? There goes an adage “It is not the strongest species that survive nor the most intelligent that survives … it is the one that is most adaptable to change – Charles Darwin”. This is true when it comes to branding.
You need to flow with the trends and touch those tipping points to make it big. The more you adapt to what is new, the more you come into the spotlight. What becomes usual fails. There is one thing. Businesses either change or they are finished!
So what can keep your brand alive? There are plenty of ideas that are remarkable but which is the one that can get you to the Hall of Fame? Here are some great tips for online branding:
1. Go Global
What is globalization? Well, it is like chancing upon a person you cannot locate on the map who is perhaps having a drink at the pub in your hometown. Exploit all the technological good when it comes to the web and nimbly progress. Branding is no more just about packaging.
Today even services are evolving as brands and one such is American Express which stands on security and service. These are global brands and they raise eyebrows the moment we name them. It tells us that we are naming something big. So brand across borders and the web has broken all those walls.
2. Make your audience your best friends
The web has made it easier to connect and for businesses, this is the best medium to reach out to all and sundry at the same time. So basically you can attend to all your customers in one go. Online communication tools and applications have also given a lot of options to buyers. They can choose and decide in no time. How could you listen? Is it just about Facebook and Twitter? No, certainly they are not the condensing points.
They are one of your options. Today more and more business minds are trying to connect people in closed like-minded groups. Earlier they were connecting via Google or Yahoo groups. But now there is this new league of applications to enhance community activities. One could use forums, Ning groups, LinkedIn groups, Yuku, and various other online-hosted community software. They help you to manage, track and communicate with your end users in no time.
3. Know what to do with your audience
Do not chase them. Let them bounce back to you: Give them time to understand your product and let them come to you. For that you need to shower loads of fun and happiness when you are offering them something. They must feel that you discovered the product or service for them only. Even if there is no crisis, create one and release your idea.
4. Go for a Freemium model
What is the ROI in a freemium model? It is a conversion of people on the top of the funnel to paid. Yes, the more people use your free product, the better is the conversion rate.
5. Make sure people are in love with your product
It is essential that your product maintains momentum to become the cynosure. If people love your product, they will go viral about it. So you emanate as a brand from this love affair. So focus on more usability of your product to enhance your brand. It could be like fine-tuning your website’s search and navigation tools. For evolving as a successful e-brand, start tracking customer experience.
6. Break category norms for your brand
This is essentially about driving more engagement when it comes to your users. So start galvanizing your audience and bringing users under your brand.
7. Go out to your users
There is no point in dragging all your users to one point. The crowd can never think alike. So go out in the web as much as you can. Spread like a wildfire. If possible go and place your brand where people are.
Have fun with your users and make them happy. Your brand is in their minds. All you need is to be in tune with them! Captivate them and that could be a chance for a moment! Your brand is not just about logos, colors or credos. It is about that exhilarating sensory experience that you give your users. Start inspiring the audience will to build your brand identity forever!
Guest author Debleena Bose is a Community Development Manager at Forums.com. She is a web enthusiast and also writes at blog.forums.com.