When you build your online business from scratch, you face some exciting opportunities. Your successes are all ahead of you and you haven’t experienced the sting of failure. You have a great product that could revolutionize the industry. But the million dollar question is, how do you get people to know about your business?
Branding is crucial at this point so your business can get some traction. You’re sending a message to your prospects about what your business is and why it’s different and better than what’s out there. Your goal is to instantly endear yourself and earn the trust of clients and consumers. This can truly make or break your business undertaking.
Take a look at these seven tips for establishing a successful brand from the very start.
Do – Define Your Brand Early
Never let branding budget become an afterthought. It shouldn’t be rushed. It should be carefully thought out and easy for people to understand.
Branding isn’t only about logos and websites. It’s about what your company is and what it represents. And because you are doing this online YOU are your brand so put some time, energy and money into making sure your brand is something that resonates with people.
Do – Research and then Do More Research
Ask the essential questions, like who your competitors are and how what you’re offering is different. What makes your product or service so special? Moreover, what is going to make your brand stand out from the rest? Who is your ideal customer and where do they hang out online?
When you’re creating building a brand or an image, make sure it stands out from the competition and online, there is a lot of competition for you ideal customers attention. Network and learn from people that are in your same position or even a little ahead of you. With 1.3 billion people on Facebook, and 100 million people on Instagram, collaboration with the people that are living and doing what you want to do is a great way to get information and insight.
Do – Give Your Branding the Respect it Deserves
Everyone thinks they can be a creative director. So not true. Creative directors, brand managers, and design agents have a job because branding and public relations is their specialty. And they’re better at it than you are.
Thinking you can do it all yourself is why people say anyone that represents themselves in court has a fool for a client. Do what you know how to do, and hire professionals to do the rest.
Bite the bullet and hire a professional to get consultation and advice on crafting your image. You pay these professionals to give you sound advice that will work. This is part of the overall branding investment. Don’t skimp out on it. It’s a must.
Do – Create Branding Consistency
A business builds a consumer’s trust over the years and across platforms by branding itself not only strongly, but consistently. This means consistency putting your brand out to the public. Reliability breeds comfort and trust. And people purchase from people that they know, like, and trust. Know what your product is. Know what your customers rely on you for. And then make your product the image everyone can associate your logo and business with.
Do – Invest in Ads
Targeted ads online are essential to getting the word out. Bite the bullet and invest in advertising. This is a given. But don’t get sucked into thinking that online-only ads are the only way to get a positive ROI.
Once you’ve identified your audience and customers, find out what type of advertising do they most like to see. Do you clients respond more to video, print on Facebook, or email. This can form an essential foundation for reaching potential clients, engendering credibility and trust.
Find ways to reach them where they are.
Do – Invest in a Website
A website should be a reflection of you and your brand. The right website can be a powerful tool for informing your potential audience about your business and helping them find the right solution they are looking for. Here are a few questions to ask when having a site built for you:
- Does it match the design, tone, and message of your established brand?
- Does it clearly present your unique selling proposition?
- Is the URL easy to remember?
- Can it be customized in the future?
- Is is optimized for search engines?
Your website will be there for you, selling your business and reaching potential customers even when you can’t. Its importance can’t be underrated.
Don’t – Expect All of the Results Overnight
All of these tips will get you off the ground, but success doesn’t come overnight in any pursuit. While you’ll have a tough time getting off the ground without a consistent, memorable, and easily distinguishable brand, in the end it’s going to be persistence, salesmanship, a few lucky breaks, and a solid business model that carry you to success.
Cheers To your Success
-Cecelia Morris
P.S., I learned about building my brand and business from an amazing ebook on Attraction Marketing. Click here to find out for yourself.
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CECELIA MORRIS
Cecelia wanted to Take Charge of her own destiny so she incorporated herself as a business in 2003. She knew that network marketing was the right business for her because it offered low startup costs, played to her strengths; and it is portable and highly profitable if done right. With each company she tried she always struggled with business building – finding leads/prospects and creating the automation her upline talked about. That’s when in 2008 after getting laid off from her job she put her Masters Degree in Marketing and Information Systems to work. Through her search efforts she found a company that taught her how to leverage the Internet and the power of Social Media to consistently build an endless list of qualified leads and prospects that are interested in what she has to say and what she has to offer. She learned how to make people come to her using the Attraction Marketing Formula. Now a home business owner Cecelia’s mission is to empower her customers, clients, members, partners and friends with the opportunity to Take Charge of their own lives and create their own financial futures.
Portions of this content was borrowed from Jimmy Winskowski, a freelance writer with a passion for what’s new and happening in the world of business.
