Branding: It’s Really About Them, Not You
Your brand is so much more than your logo, fonts and color palette. Don’t get me wrong, those things are all well and good, but at the end of the day it’s not what sells that prospect on working with you. And because it’s so much more than these elements, many organization’s fail to capture the essence of their brand voice when trying to market themselves online.
The key to nailing your online brand messaging is to remember this one, simple truth: remind them why your organization is a good fit and how it can help solve their problems. At the end of the day, all they really care about is how your brand’s values and services align with what they are looking for. So how is this done?
3 Rules to Follow to Ensure Your Online Brand Hits the Mark
Stop trying to sell. For just one second, stop approaching everything as a marketing strategy. Look at your company through your client or customer’s eyes. What do they care about? What gets them excited to work with you? Leverage these answers to appeal to their emotions. Make that human connection with them. If you can capture them with your values and your personality, they will be drawn to – and will respect – your brand.
1) Leverage Online Reviews
There’s no better way to detach yourself from constantly “selling” your brand to your customers than to let others do the talking for you. Show off your positive reviews. There are endless ways to do this: Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Facebook page; create a campaign that allows your current customers to create video testimonials, and then post them on your Pinterest page; Gather any written testimonials you have and showcase them prominently on your website.
2) Tell Your Story
Whether you’re writing blogs, posting on social platforms, emailing your prospects, or speaking through your website copy, you need to be telling your brand’s story. There is no better way to forge that human connection. And equally important – be authentic. Being authentic, honest and transparent when crafting copy online is crucial to creating the reality of your online brand. Through this, your brand voice (which is your your organization’s personality and values) will shine.
3) Keep Your Identity Consistent
Your brand needs to remain a unified front. Whether it’s the messaging on your print collateral, the tone of your blog posts, or the professional social profiles of your employees. Every outlet – both online and offline – that has your organization’s name attached to it needs to convey a consistent message. If you follow the aforementioned rule about being authentic and transparent, then you have nothing to worry about!
Do you find your organization following these best practices, or are you constantly looking for ways to “sell” your customer on your brand?
