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Side-Step The Big Business Branding Techniques
That’ll Leave You Broke And Disappointed And Discover
Cost-Effective Branding Strategies That Small And Home-Based
Businesses Can Start Using Today
From
the e-mail I’ve been receiving lately, it’s clear there
is a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of online
branding. Nike, Coke-Cola, Budweiser, McDonalds,
Levi’s, Amazon.com... these are the branding masters.
Now
the question is, how can you model their success?
These
days, online branding is being preached as one of the
big "Do or Die" marketing strategies. So everyone
wants to brand their e-business -- but no one is exactly
sure what branding is, how it’s done, or where to start.
What
is branding, anyway?
Branding
is about building a compelling association between
(a) your company, your logo, your products, etc., and
(b) an image, an emotion, or a memorable message that
embodies -- implicitly or explicitly -- the biggest
benefit you have to offer your customers.
Effective
branding creates the kind of fierce product loyalty that leaves customers indifferent to the marketing tactics
of the competition. It’s what compels you to walk
past all of those no-name-brand on-sale colas at the local
grocery store and pick up the 6-pack of Coca-Cola that
costs three times more. It’s what makes children
plead and beg to go back to McDonalds again and again.
And it’s what has made the phrase "Just Do It" synonymous
with Nike.
Say
"Amazon.com," and people think of "The Earth’s Biggest
Bookstore." Go to Burger King because you can "Have It
Your Way." Buy Energizer batteries because they
"Just keep going, and going, and going." And "When
you care enough to send the very best," send a Hallmark
card.
But
the slogans and taglines are only part of it. Think
of the Hallmark commercials. These tearjerker mini-dramas
are built around love and family values, ending with someone
showing they "care enough" by giving a loved-one a Hallmark
card. They evoke strong emotions that drive their
slogan home.
And
think about the Nike logo -- the "Swoosh" that represents
the wing of the Greek goddess Nike, the personification
of victory. While it’s probably safe to say that
the majority of people are unaware of its mythological
significance, their logo holds just as much meaning
as their name.
It’s
all very impressive, right? Well... yes.
But before you jump on the bandwagon, let’s take a realistic
look at the "big branding picture" to see where your small
or home-based e-business fits into this.
First,
let’s debunk the three major branding myths I frequently
encounter...
MYTH #1 I need to make my company
or product a household name.
TRUTH: You’ll be most successful and most profitable if you closely target your market! Focus on getting
your business name and your advertising in front of
your best potential customers -- the people who have
an expressed interest in what you’re offering -- as
opposed to everyone!
MYTH #2: Branding my business online
means buying thousands of dollars worth of high-visibility
banner impressions.
TRUTH: Banner advertising just isn't as profitable as it once
was. Ads that once pulled 5 to 10% click-throughs
are now lucky to pull 0.6 to 0.8%, if even that. You’ll
be far more successful if you focus your
limited advertising dollars on more performance-based
advertising. Pay for customers... not overpriced, unproven
advertising.
MYTH #3: I’ll need to spend a lot
of money if I want to gain brand recognition.
TRUTH: There are plenty of free and low-cost techniques that
you can use to brand your e-business.
If
you’re a small or home-based business then, chances are,
you don’t have the millions of advertising dollars it
takes to build a nationally recognized brand and make
your company a household name -- at least not yet!
So
let’s skip the high-priced large corporate branding
techniques that I’m seeing pushed everywhere I look
-- after all, these strategies simply don’t translate
to e-businesses with limited advertising budgets -- and
instead, let me give you some practical information...
Cost-Effective Branding Techniques That
You Can Start Using Today:
1) Develop A Strong Unique Selling
Proposition (USP)
Imagine
yourself sitting across the table from your best potential
customer. In one sentence -- one very short sentence
-- clearly communicate how he or she will benefit from
doing business with you. Your message should be
clear, the language simple, and it should be easy to remember.
There’s no room for wordy corporate mumbo jumbo here.
I
know this is a pretty tall order... but your hours of
agonizing, writing, brainstorming, and rewriting will
pay off in the end. This will be the message that
your market will identify you by and associate you with.
2) Target Your Market
The
beauty of running an online business is that you can reach
literally hundreds of thousands of targeted potential
customers all over the world -- people who want to buy
what you’re selling -- for little or no cost. It’s
what has made it possible for small and home-based business
owners like you to take the Internet by storm and make
outrageous profits with very limited advertising budgets.
Why
would you turn a blind eye to this critical advantage by spreading your limited advertising dollars across the
entire web -- trying to sell your product to everyone
-- instead of focusing on those people who want to buy
from you?
It
just doesn’t make sense.
So
I know I’ve already mentioned this, but it’s worth saying
again. It’s absolutely critical that you
target your market.
3) Whenever Possible, Make Your
Message Interactive
If
you can compel people to actively engage your marketing
message rather than passively hear or view it, you’ll
dramatically increase the probability that they’re going
to absorb it, remember it, and repeat it.
One
of the best ways to make your marketing message interactive
is through viral marketing. To read a previous Marketing
Tips article that explains exactly what you can do to
make your marketing message viral, click here now.
4) Be Consistent In Voice, Format,
And Delivery
In
order to engrave your brand in the minds of your target
market, you need to consistently repeat your message to
them...
Design
a signature file that contains your message and
attach it to the end of every e-mail you send.
It costs you nothing and it’s an easy, effective way
to repeat your message to those people you have direct
contact with -- your best potential and repeat
customers!
Your
web site design, logos, and graphics should, if possible, visually emphasize and reinforce your message.
Check out McDonalds' web site at http://www.mcdonalds.com/ Does
that yellow and red look familiar? Think about
how you can similarly use your web site design to
further impress your brand in the memory of your visitors.
Your newsletter content and your web site content should all ultimately contribute to your marketing
message. There is no room for distractions like
articles or links that don’t move you towards your
main goal (to sell your product, remember?).
5) Nurture Existing Relationships
With Customers And Subscribers
If
they already know you, if they’re already familiar with
who you are and what you do, if they’ve already bought
something from you, then you should be building on these
existing relationships. Maintain regular contact
via e-mail (it’s free!), and consistently remind them
who you are, what you do, and most importantly, how they
stand to benefit from continuing to do business with you.
If
you play your cards right, not only will you profit
from their repeat business, you may also persuade
them to "spread the good word" to others with similar
interests.
6) Be Visible To Your Best Potential
Customers
A
big part of branding is obviously about getting your name
in front of your best potential customers, so that when
the time comes for them to buy, they’ll choose you
over the competition! Here are a few powerful
ways that you can do this...
Write
articles that contain information that will be
of interest to your target market and then offer them
to industry newsletters and web sites free of charge.
Web masters and editors will appreciate the free,
quality content, and you’ll get your name and URL
in front of your target market.
Participate in newsgroups and discussion forums where
your target market hangs out. This is an easy,
no-cost way to develop your reputation as an industry
expert. Simply make yourself available to answer
questions and provide participants with information
that they will value.
Submit
your web site to the search engines and directories.
Also be sure to search for directories that are geared
towards your industry and request a listing.
Request
links from sites where your target market meets.
This is not only a great way to increase your visibility,
it’s also an extremely powerful way to attract large
volumes of highly targeted traffic -- yet it’s frequently
dismissed or overlooked!
Use
banner advertising -- in moderation! With
well-designed banners and a targeted ad campaign,
you can make money with banner advertising.
Just be sure to educate yourself on the latest, most
cutting-edge banner techniques before getting started.
To read an article on designing effective banners
that really work, click here now.
Start
your own Affiliate Program. With your own
Affiliate Program, you can enlist an army of affiliates
who will spread your name and your marketing message
across the web -- and you don’t pay them a cent until
they make a sale. To read an article on how
you can start and profit from your very own Affiliate
Program, click here now.
Don’t Lose Sight Of Your Ultimate Goal:
With
branding being hyped as one of the marketing strategies
to pursue right now, I worry that some of you may be
steered off-track. While it’s a good idea to
be aware of and actively direct how your e-business is
being branded, remember that there is a key difference
between creating awareness and actually closing sales.
Given
the innumerable marketing strategies that you can use
to simultaneously create brand awareness AND draw targeted
traffic to your web site, there is no reason for you to
be spending your limited advertising dollars on branding
techniques that don’t return a significant profit.
Avoid
being sucked in by the myth that the entire web needs
to know who you are. Focus on your target market
and realize that most forms of traffic generation ultimately
enhance awareness of your brand. You are spelling out your brand message, directly and indirectly,
with everything that you do, say, and sell.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Corey Rudl is the owner of four highly
successful online businesses that attract more than 1.8
million visitors per month and generate over $6.6 million
each year. He is also the author of the #1 best-selling
Internet Marketing course online.
To
Find Out How To Market Your Business
Online CLICK
HERE
