As you’re developing your business, most owners will concentrate on getting customers to generate revenue or hiring enough employees to match customer demand. As great as these aspects are, it’s important to remember that branding is crucial to any business. The overall brand represents the public’s perception of a company’s customer service, reputation, and advertising. And great branding actually increases your company’s value, gives employees direction, and draws in customers.
Your Brand is One Cohesive Unit
From the logo to the email signature, all internal and external materials should emulate the overall brand. Think about the coordination of the color scheme, logo placement, font, and text size throughout all materials. This is especially true for your external marketing materials like brochures and business cards. Your brand is one cohesive unit, so all materials should look and feel the same.
These are small details that may not seem that important, but it makes the difference between whether your materials look very professional or look cheap even if you had a big budget. Potential clients may not be able to put their finger exactly on why they do not like your materials, yet it can be enough for them to choose a competitor!
Create Great Content by Blogging
Blogging helps to reach your audience by creating content that matches the information your audience is searching for. Do most of your customers ask the same question? Write a blog about it. Is there a big company announcement that the public should know about? Putting in a blog can serve as a way to communicate your firm’s culture and events. These blogs can serve as content to post on your social media networks.
Get Social
These days, it is necessary to have a website, but there is a view that it is necessary to have social media outlets as well. However, simply creating a Twitter profile and posting promotional content will not cut it. You need to think about who your target audience is, where they are likely to be online, and what kind of content they will be attracted to. If these processes aren’t thought through carefully, you could be wasting time and energy.
However, remember that information you put online can be forever. Usually, businesses take great care in their website content, but sometimes act more casual on social media. You often see business slip and make unprofessional or inappropriate remarks. This can open your business up to being judged and having the opinion of anyone to comment or criticize you. Always consider the context – you are online to brand and represent your business, it is imperative to always have that in mind when information is put online.
Once you establish your online presence, it’s time to maintain it. It’s important to remember to:
- Post often. You want your brand to be seen as interesting. If users see you haven’t updated your Facebook page in a couple months, they will lose interest in you and unfollow you online.
- Post relevant content. Think about seasonality and how your content relates to the time of year. By sharing content that pertains to what your audience is thinking about, they will be more likely to engage with you online.
- Post content people actually want to read. Posting all promotional content will drive users away. Read this blog about social media marketing to determine which ratio of self-promotional content is right for your business.
- Post thoughtfully: As much as posting often and sharing information can promote your presence, remember that as a business, representing your professionalism and integrity is a must.