Author: Emily Stoik
What is Brand Marketing Online?
Brand marketing online is probably one of the most important methods of enhancing the success and reputation of your business. Whether you like it or not, everything that you do online will either help or hurt your Online Brand.
But what is your Online Brand anyways and how do you go about building brand visibility?
Your “brand” is the identity or personality of your business and “brand marketing online” is anything and everything you do online to promote and reinforce the reputation of your business. Your brand should help define your business, what it stands for and what your customers will think of when they think of your business.
So how can you be sure that you create a Brand that positively reflects the way you want your business to be seen online? What are some of the top secrets to building an authentic and lasting brand online?
As online entrepreneurs, my husband and I have had the privilege of learning and teaching Brand Marketing Online and Business Development for a few years now. From our experience, we have learned that there are some specific strategies you can use for building brand visibility and reinforcing an authentic brand for your business online. Here are some of the most important things that you should know:
Brand Marketing Online- The Top 5 Secrets to Building an Authentic and Lasting Brand Online:
1. Be Real! Be Yourself! First of all, when you set out to start defining and creating your online brand, you need to be sure that what you are doing is authentic and real. Be yourself! Don’t try to copy someone else or be someone that you’re not. It will be too difficult and stressful for you if you are continually trying to force your business to fit into a mold that isn’t natural to what you stand for and what you believe in. With brand marketing online, you really need to make a conscientious effort to stay true to what is important to you so that your business, products and services will reflect a feeling of authenticity and integrity that will help your customers to like and trust you.
2. “Bloom Where You’re Planted!” So, yeah, that’s a cute saying, but what does that actually mean when it comes to online branding? It means that you really need to know and define your target market and then find out how you can fit in. You need to really research and understand the audience that you want to reach and how you can help them.
Whether you will be selling real estate, mortgage loans, or children’s clothing, if you really want to be effective with your brand marketing online, you need to have an excellent grasp on your target audience and what is important to them. What are they looking for in a product or service and how can you fit in and meet those needs?
What is your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition? What makes your business unique in the market place and why should a customer choose You over the competition? These are all things you need to consider as you define your brand and company identity! Know your strengths and what sets you and your company apart so that you can really emphasize your benefits and USPs to your customers!
Remember that strong and defined online branding helps to create a lasting impression for the customer as well as a better reputation for the company.
Some company’s that have really excelled at this are:
- McDonald’s–known for fast service and consistent food choices.
- NetFlix–known for speed, convenience, good service and low cost.
- and the Ritz-Carlton Hotels–which are known for beautiful design, excellent customer service and just high quality luxury in general!
3. Make Your Presence Known!: The next secret to building an authentic and lasting online brand is to set up your online presence by claiming a Company Name and then domain name for your website and/or blog. Check for availability through a site such as GoDaddy or 1&1. As soon as you find a great name and domain that you love, buy the URL as soon as possible so that no one else can take it! Your company name and website will be a big part of your brand so this will be one of the first things for you to do!
4. Use Social Media and Online Marketing to Your Advantage! So once you have a domain and a website or blog set up and ready to promote, it’s time to start attracting clients and helping them to find you online by utilizing social media and internet tools for building brand visibility. Be sure you have at least a Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account so that you can communicate with your customers and help showcase who you are and what you have to offer! Both of these social networking sites have been instrumental in helping businesses to build phenomenal online brands. Because of the viral natural of social media, even small businesses can build an impressive customer base and online reputation in a simple but powerful way!
5. Earn Your “Expert” Status! Another top way to help reinforce your brand online and showcase yourself as an expert in your industry is by providing content such as articles, videos or blog posts that appeal to your specific audience. When you really understand your market and what they are searching for online, you can provide content to meet their needs and provide value for them as well as positively reinforce your brand as a business that provides knowledge and value to the marketplace and that is worth following.
- Article Marketing: One of my favourite methods of building brand visibility is it write and submit articles to online ezine websites. Is your audience looking for the top things to look for when buying a new home? Write about what they should be looking for! Is your particular market looking for the top ways to lose weight or stay committed to an exercise routine? Then write about that!
- Keyword Research and Search Engine Optimization: With brand marketing online and building brand visibility you need to be sure you really know your market inside and out. Research what they are searching for online and what keywords they are typing into the search engines and then you can create content that will be found when they are doing their searches. Be sure you understand how to use the Best Keywords for Online Advertising and branding. Keyword research and search engine optimization techniques will ensure that all of your online marketing campaigns will rank on the first pages of the search engines and be found quickly by your chosen audience!
It really isn’t hard to build an authentic and lasting brand online. As long as you keep these things in mind and always strive to reinforce a consistent online brand, people will continue to follow you and your business. Your successful brand marketing online as a leader in your field and a business people can trust, will ensure a lasting and successful brand that will continue to grow and prosper well into the future!
Next, learn more of the top secrets to Brand Marketing Online and Building Brand Visibility. Fill in the form on the first page and then watch the videos on steps 2 and 3 of the second page to see how to implement the top online marketing techniques to help develop a more credible and authentic brand online!
About the Author
Emily Stoik is an Online Marketing Coach and Corporate Trainer for what is arguably the World’s Largest Internet Marketing School available today, the Internet Marketing Mentoring and Coaching Center. Specializing in Article Marketing, Social Media Networking and other aspects to a profitable Internet Marketing Strategy, she and her husband train both Total Beginners and Seasoned Pros around the world to achieve Financial Freedom through proven business tactics and on-going education to stay ahead of the trends and remain highly competitive in the marketplace.
