Branding Your Business Online

Branding your business on the Internet is both important and achievable, regardless of the size or nature of your organisation.  Branding is an important tool to build customer loyalty and to help you get the most from your advertising and marketing, by association with other products and services you offer.  It’s also key to generating and retaining goodwill with suppliers and customers alike, and it’s one of the fundamentals of creating a scalable, long-term profitable business.Whether or not you’re aware of it, your business currently has a brand.  Branding is something we all do, as consumers or as suppliers dealing with other businesses, and it can be categorised as the all-round perception we have of the business and the products we’re dealing with.  Even if you’ve put no effort or thought into how your business will be perceived by others, it is perceived by others in a certain way – this is branding in its own right.  As a business owner, the importance lies in seizing control of your own branding and directing the perception of your company and your products towards a more profitable, more desirable area.  Nowhere is this more possible, and on such a limited budget, as on the Internet.The branding process for any business online starts with the domain name.  Choose a domain name that’s related to you – yourcompanyname.com if possible.  Alternatively, a product name may pose a good domain, or a recognisable company slogan you’ve created if all else fails.  Secondary to the .com extension, look for one local to you, such as .co.uk, or consider .net.  Obviously, .com looks more professional and is far better for branding purposes, although even a .net is better than a weak overall domain.Next, your branding is fronted by your website.  Any business dealing online needs a website, yet so many are reluctant to invest in a good quality web designer to create high quality, professional graphics and functional, bug-free code.  Invest in a professional to develop your site and you could easily see a return on that investment in terms of value added to your brand.  Make sure your business logo is emblazoned across the page, and that you consistently reiterate your core brand messages to drive home to your customers what you’re all about.Finally, branding your business online (as well as offline) is about consistent delivery on your promises.  In our marketing, we all make promises to customers that are intrinsically linked with our brand.  Whether that be low cost, value for money, quality product, speedy delivery – it doesn’t matter.  To really create and maintain a brand, you have to prove that you can deliver on what you say you can deliver – that you can walk the walk, as well as talk the talk.This, combined with targeted marketing efforts and an investment in presentation should add up to a gradual branding process, which can serve as the foundation for generating more business and goodwill in the future, provided you achieve the right balance between each of your marketing elements.