SEO | May 27, 2015
The Big Brand Theory
Our whole universe was in a hot dense state, then fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait… the Earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool, Neanderthals developed tools, we built a wall (we built the pyramids), math, science, history, unravelling the mystery that all started with the big bang (BANG).
And then came the digital age, where smartphones became attached to us at all times, people only talked over the internet and business brands were instantly recognisable by cleverly designed logos.
We’ve come a long way over the years, so don’t fall behind and get stuck in the past. Bring your eCommerce business up-to-date and stay ahead of your competitors with a little brand theory.
Branding Your Online Business
We all think we’re the Sheldon Cooper know-it-all of our own business brand, and yes, no one knows your company like you, but do you know everything there is to know about branding? No.
Here are a few things to consider when creating an online brand.
(image: Chron)
What’s Your Social Life Like?
As a business, you can’t have a select few friends and avoid socialising like Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj. Instead, you have to put yourself out there and get seen in order to bring in new business. An effective (and affordable) way of doing this is through social media marketing.
The best online brands will have consistent branding throughout their network of social media accounts. Businesses should make their company logo their profile picture and use the same image as a cover photo on all profiles. These should reflect your eCommerce website design. This way your business image will be instantly recognisable by customers.
It’s also important to nail your tone of voice. This resonates with your personas and, therefore, should be steady too. The best social media brands sound human, with a conversational and informal tone, but clearly display their knowledge of their industry.
For example, a bakery could join a conversation about the latest series of The Great British Bake Off or an estate agent could ask their followers/friends what they think about the new Help to Buy ISA.
Write tweets and posts in first person, so lots of ‘we’ and ‘I’, and post pictures of your team to give your brand a face. You could even create your own brand hashtag!
It’s All About You, So Tell Your Story
Yes, customers come first and you don’t want to be too indulgent, but what do potential customers really know about your business? Is it clear why they should buy from you, rather than your competition?
An About Us page is the perfect way for your customers to get to know who your company really is, and the face behind the brand, before buying.
Use this page to give a brief company history, display your team profile photos and inject a little personality into your site. And make sure you have brilliant CTAs too. Your contact details or a link to these should be clearly seen, picturing your best selling items is always a great idea for a side panel, and don’t forget customer testimonials on this page and throughout your site. This will make your site (and brand) more trustworthy.
Name Drop a Few Times
You can’t take an interest in digital marketing without a focus on keywords – they’re an essential part of both SEO and content marketing. And branded keywords such as ‘Liberty Marketing digital agency’ or ‘Liberty Marketing PPC’, could be an effective way of building online brand awareness (but don’t only use branded keywords, this is a big no-no).
Tell People What You Know
Have you seen that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon gets the credit for his and Leonard’s project, despite the fact he didn’t come up with the idea? Well, this is the perfect example for our next point.
You may have the best product on the market, but if you don’t get your brand out there, someone else will steal the recognition and the top spot on SERPs. So, do what Mr Hofstadter should have and publish authoritative content that will get your business (in his case, a scientific theory) seen.
Blogging is often the focus of link building and social engagement, but it is also a handy way of building a brand. Creating entertaining posts that demonstrate your knowledge is the aim, in order to make your content highly shareable and boost your visibility. The best posts will be helpful and answer a question with a confident answer.
So, how will you build your online brand? We don’t have any more tips for you, so you’re on your own… BAZINGA! We’re only joking.
(image: Dumpaday)