Companies in the virtual world succeed quickly by being active in understanding the application of information technology. To build a brand in the digital world, we need to know what people want, what they talk about, and what their real behavior is!
In essence, digital has not changed the fundamentals of brand building; the things that were essential to do in our business before are still necessary. Whether they are presented on a television network or a social media platform.
Start your branding strategy with the guidance we’ll review together in the following steps. I’ve covered everything from social media to SEO, influencers, and emails to ensure your digital branding campaign ticks all the necessary checkboxes.
What is branding?
Branding is a creative and strategic process that shows your audience what your company is about:
Who are you, what is the nature of your company? What do you care about? Why should they work with you, and what do they expect from you? After starting a business and launching your product, creating a brand identity should be your number one priority.
Branding is all about turning everything you do and how you do it into a unique and memorable essence that people remember and consistently associate with your company. Think of McDonald’s golden arches or the colorful Olympic rings. Even a simple symbol or image can convey meaningful associations to the world that have a global impact.
Branding tells everything about you and how you operate. Pay attention to the golden arches of McDonald’s or the colorful Olympic rings. Even a simple symbol or image can convey a world of meaning to the world with a far-reaching impact.
Your brand is built based on your brand identity! This includes the logo, colors, packaging, and messaging. Pay attention to these three terms: brand, branding, and brand identity. While they are all related, they are not exactly the same.
- Your brand is the way the outside world perceives your company.
- Branding is the process of designing and creating a unique and memorable brand.
- Your brand identity is a collection of creative elements that go into the branding process—such as your website, social media, and logo—that communicate your message, values, and purpose.
Suggested article: The Importance of Branding in Your Business.
These three elements complement each other. Without brand identity, you don’t have a real brand, and until you start branding, you will never truly have a brand.
Start defining your brand by asking these questions:
- Who are you as a company?
- What sets you apart from other brands?
- What is your brand’s mission? What makes it important?
- What are your values?
- Who is your ideal customer?
In general, having a clear understanding of your identity is the first step in creating a meaningful brand.
What is digital branding?
Digital branding refers to how you design and build your brand online through websites, apps, social media, videos, and more. Digital branding involves a combination of digital marketing and online branding to develop a brand in the digital space.
So, why is digital brand presence important? We spend so many hours of our day on the internet and in the virtual world, constantly connecting with the outside world through social media. I believe this alone is a sufficient reason to convince you.
What is the difference between digital branding and digital marketing?
While digital branding focuses on increasing brand value and recognition, digital marketing is all about finding new customers, generating leads, and making sales.
You are constantly exposed to online ads, even if you don’t realize it. This represents the best form of digital marketing. Ads may come in the form of an Instagram celebrity promoting their favorite makeup product or a pop-up on a website.
Unlike traditional advertising, digital branding doesn’t directly target you; instead, it seeks to connect with you. It is more about creating an online identity and fostering positive feelings. Next, we will explore the different types of digital marketing.
Advantages of Digital Branding
A strong digital branding strengthens relationships with users and allows you to communicate directly with consumers through daily interactions on various platforms
Building a Brand in the Digital World
Building a brand requires a set of essential components:
Target Audience
Know your digital audience! Your online presence is the main way most customers get to know and engage with your brand.
Digital branding allows you to engage with a specific group of customers through online platforms they frequently use, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more.
A successful example of this approach can be seen in Outdoor Voices, an activewear brand. In recent years, the brand has developed its own unique hashtag on social media, #DoingThings. Customers tag this hashtag when wearing the brand’s clothes and living its lifestyle. Currently, there are over 155,000 posts with the #DoingThings hashtag on Instagram alone.
If you ask me, I would say that effective communication with customers is crucial for successful digital branding. Direct interactions and addressing their needs and demands enhance the feeling of being valued and create a personal connection with the brand. Some ways to communicate with customers include:
- Active presence on social media
- Providing after-sales services
- Deep understanding of customers
- Organizing events and webinars
To quickly expand your brand, you need to use tools and methods that have the ability to spread your information and messages at a high speed. Some strategies you can use include:
- Social Media: Social media is your fuel. Creating engaging and unique content and sharing it across social platforms to attract attention and quickly spread your message is highly recommended.
- Online Advertising: Use paid ads on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and others to reach your target audience and expand your brand.
- Email Campaigns: Create effective and engaging promotional emails to send to customers.
- Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers and well-known brands in your industry to increase the reach and recognition of your brand.
- Video Content: Create and share engaging and informative videos to capture the attention of your audience and spread your message.
9 Elements of Successful Digital Branding
1-Logo
A logo is the first image through which customers connect with your brand. Think of Disney or Apple!
Your logo should align with your business’s personality, values, industry, and target audience. Take a look at the logos in your industry to see what your competitors are doing. When choosing a logo, don’t forget that color is also very important. This color scheme should be consistent across all your brand materials.
The logo should look good at all sizes and on everything you have: letterheads, business cards, billboards. However, keep in mind that digital platforms require specific sizing and imaging. You need to design a logo that looks great in profile pictures, cover photos, email headers, app buttons, and so on.
The logo is the first step towards achieving excellent digital branding. But don’t worry! At BaLava, we provide everything you need to start designing a logo.
2-Website
If the logo is the symbol of your business, the website is your digital storefront. When a customer wants to know your business hours, product list, or contact information, they search for your website. This is where they expect to find information quickly and easily.
Your written content should be easily indexed by search engines.
Make sure your website is working properly. Check links, buttons, and images to ensure there are no errors.
Websites are crucial for brand success, but with our ultimate website design guide, we’ll help you get started.
3-Brand Message
The brand message is what your company wants to communicate to its audience. If I open a breakfast restaurant with the best pancakes in town, you can bet I’ll mention it in my brand message. This message should reflect your business and values, while succinctly addressing the immediate needs and desires of your customers.
A successful brand must answer these questions:
What do you do?
What do you represent?
Why do you matter?
Remember that your messaging should be consistent across all channels. The text that appears in Google search about your company should align with your brand’s conversation on other platforms.
4-Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps your brand be easily found on search engines.
Start by designing your website according to SEO rules. You can use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Keywordtool to find suitable keywords and incorporate them into your content.
5-Social Media
Be active on every social media platform you’re present on. Instagram posts focus on images and are designed to attract likes and comments. Twitter focuses on events and news, while Facebook encompasses almost everything.
When using social media, take a strategic approach: schedule posts at specific times and dates, engage with followers, and respond to direct messages.
Tools like Hootsuite can help you optimize all your platforms, while Google Analytics shows you which pages are impacting customer performance and which ones need improvement.
6-Email Marketing
These online broadcasts are an easy way to connect with customers, especially those who don’t use social media. You can gather audiences through ads or collect them directly from your website by adding a sign-up popup for a newsletter!
Before sending a bulk email, clearly define your goal: Is it to announce a new product? Or report discounts and promotions? Your goal should be clear.
- However, be cautious when sending bulk emails. Sending too many consecutively may result in losing subscribers.
For assistance with designing your email, refer to the guide on 0 to 100 email marketing.
7-Online Advertising
Online advertising leverages the power of the web to market your products.
8-Content Marketing
Today, it’s not enough to simply advertise your product.
To create a loyal customer, engagement is crucial. This is where content marketing comes into play. Think of it as the human side of your brand. While digital marketing emphasizes sales, content marketing focuses on engagement through photos, videos, and blog posts (like the page you’re reading!).
Digital marketing introduces a customer to your brand. In contrast, successful and strong content should attract them and convert them from a user to a loyal customer.
9-Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a type of marketing where you leverage influential individuals to increase your brand’s visibility on social media. Over 80% of global marketers were seeking to run influencer campaigns in 2015.
Final Words
In fact, digital branding is not about selling a product, but about building a base of passionate and loyal customers who not only purchase your products but believe in them. Remember, the potential for the growth of your company’s digital brand on the internet is as vast and abundant as the internet itself.
