Posted on Jan 20, 2015

Branding Your Online Business or Website

Marketing on the internet is developing and moving forward. As a result there are some user behaviors that are predictable across most industries. In addition, users have expectations. All of this should feed into your decision-making process when you are branding your online business or website.

Up until a few years ago internet marketing resembled a playroom filled with two-year-old toddlers. If you have ever been in such a room you will know what this means – 20 to 30 children all playing loudly, haphazardly and individually. When children get a bit older they start to play in a more structured way – they do things together and they move in a more orderly fashion.

This is where we’re at with internet marketing. It still has some maturing to do, but there are now standards and best practice guidelines that give the internet structure and order. The aim is to deliver a better experience for internet users.

You should incorporate these standards when you look at the branding of your website. They will make it look modern, fresh, high quality, and built-for-the-web. That last point is important. For the vast majority of businesses, online branding is as important as offline branding. For some businesses, online branding considerations should come before offline considerations.

The Look

The first thing to think about is the look of the website.

  • Colors – don’t just pick colors that you like. Color stimulates emotions as well as presenting an image. So research the colors that most appeal to your ideal customer.
  • Consistency – make the colors, fonts, images and structure of your website consistent. And carry this consistency through to other platforms. For example, create a proper version of your logo to use as a Facebook profile picture, rather than a poorly resized version of your main logo.
  • Logo – speaking of the logo, make it big enough so that it is easily recognizable. But it should not take up too much space either. Most logos are positioned in the top left corner of website pages.

The Message

Your message is just as important as the design. Users want personal, friendly and authentic brands. Here are some tips to help you achieve this:

  • Fun icons and characters – using light-hearted icon or logo designs can add character to a brand.
  • Emotion – the text, images and videos should show users what you and your team feels passionate about.
  • Get to the point – make the message of your website clear and succinct. Your visitors will probably speed read so use short sentences and easy-to-read fonts. And include a short (less than 10 words) summary of what your business is about in a prominent position at the top of the page. Look at iPage as an example – right beside the logo there is a nine-word description that sums up the business.
  • Get the tone right – the correct tone of voice will differ depending on the nature of the business and the industry. You should understand what your customers want and deliver that. In particular this means being friendly and personal when appropriate, and more formal when a businesslike tone is more suitable.
  • Avoid jargon – always
  • Establish trust – do this through publishing testimonials and including information about awards or other formal recognitions.
  • Offer value – users on the internet often respond better to soft selling tactics rather than hard sells. You can achieve this by offering value – an informative blog, how-to videos, and slimmed-down free versions of your product.

If you follow these guidelines the brand of your business or website will evolve alongside the internet as it matures and develops.

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