Cultivating a Brand Identity in the Digital Marketing Age

Employ Online and Mobile Marketing Techniques Thoughtfully

These days, everyone is jumping into the online and mobile marketing bandwagon but not everyone is doing so carefully or professionally, negatively impacting their brand identity. If your digital marketing efforts look amateurish then potential customers will assume that your business is as well and they will move on to competitors who have a sleeker marketing snaps.

It’s not enough to have a business webpage, you need to make sure your online marketing efforts reflect more than your services, they also need to reflect a sense of the culture behind your business. In other words, be dynamic and have a brand personality.

Content is one way to convey brand identity and personality but remember that true branding starts with consistent design across all marketing channels.

Optimize Your Logo

Your logo is often the first thing people think of when they think of your business. You’ve probably spent a lot of time and money on getting it just right, too. So make sure you have copies of it in various sizes and formats so that it is not distorted when uploaded to social media, blogging or other networking sites. You never want it to appear pixelated or deformed.

Don’t forget to make sure that if your logo contains words that they are readable, no matter the size. In some cases, it might be advisable to have two versions of your logo, one with messaging and one without. The latter is best for social media avatars and profile images. You can incorporate your messaging into your bio or other header images.

Use Color

Did you know that people are more responsive to bold colors like orange, hot pink and certain shades of red? Using dynamic shades for your logo and call to action buttons can increase lead generation but make sure these colors reflect your brand identity and naturally incorporate into your overall brand color scheme.

Choose 1 or 2 main colors for your brand and about 2 accent colors. Use your accent colors sparingly. Color is important but too much of it can confuse the eye and the consumer.

Remember to be consistent with your color choices. They are as integral to your brand as your logo. Use the same palette on your social media sites, blog, advertisement and mobile apps.

It’s In the Name

Unless your name is part of your company brand name, don’t list your personal legal name on your social media sites. You’d be surprised how many business owners make the mistake of using their name instead of their brand name as their Twitter handle or even as a Facebook page. Personality is an important factor in cultivating modern customer relationships but it is a good idea to have separate social media accounts for yourself and your brand.

Likewise, do not use numbers or special characters in your social media usernames. Not only do they look unprofessional and immature, they make it difficult for customers to find your business online. Your brand name might already be in use by another company or even an individual. If your company name is trademarked, then contact customer support for the network. They’ll make sure your rights are protected.

If your name isn’t trademarked, be very thoughtful about the username you choose. Abbreviations can look just as amateurish as numbers and be equally as difficult to remember. As an example, consider using @businesstweet, instead of @bus1n3ss. Adding short words like ‘wire,’ ‘talk,’ ‘tweet,’ ‘now,’ or even ‘connect’ to the end of your brand name is appropriate for social media sites. Those words reflect the meaning behind social media and are snappy enough to be remembered by potential customers without sacrificing brand integrity.

If your company is developing a mobile app, make sure that the app name is consistent with your brand identity

Details Matter

Social media sites use what are called shortlinks to compress urls into a smaller number of characters. This especially important on sites such as Twitter where posts are limited to a certain number of characters.The only problem is that shortlinks disguise the destination, so your potential customer has no idea where that link will take them. People don’t click on links they don’t trust.

However, there are many sites, like Domai.nr, that provide custom shortlinks that incorporate all or part of your brand name.

Customized shortlinks are a subtle but effective way to increase brand identity and prevent your social media content from looking like spam.

Whatever you do in the digital marketing sphere you always want to make sure that all actions harken back to your core brand identity. You can build a solid brand through words, color, or design but remember that the key to making your brand memorable is to be clear and to stick to core messaging. That repetition will keep your brand in the minds of your customers, ensuring that they’ll turn to your company and not the competition.