If you are just starting out in the business world, you are certainly aware how important branding can be. As we move further into the digital era, standing out from the crowd is becoming ever more difficult. Having a groundbreaking product is no longer enough. You need to be able to sell it.
However, with so many things on your plate, branding can sometimes be lost in the shuffle. If you view yourself as the mastermind of the entire operation, you will want to have a hands on approach to branding, but may find yourself lacking the time to do so. To free up some of your schedule, why not leave some of the tasks that every business has to deal with to the professionals. The good people at Accountant Online can take care of your books, your payroll and your taxes for you, so you can jump right in to the branding portion of the program.
Bear in mind that the more work you put into your brand initially, the less you will have to stress about it later. One mistake in the early stages however can cost you dearly down the line.
Here are some of the mistakes that can kill your online marketing efforts.
Aiming to Please
While you may be focused on making the lives of your customers’ easier, you should not be focused on them all. By all, I mean don’t try to please every voice on the market, especially not every online voice. You need to find your select target audience, research them very carefully, and try to sell your products and services to them. If someone pops up who does not fit your buyer persona profile, but are very loud, you still don’t have to change either your vision or your products for them.
Craft your brand with your ideal customer in mind – again, don’t make it all about yourself, either. You may not be the best person to target either.
Getting Lost in a Sea of Others
There is more to building a brand than having a unique logo and coming up with a cool name. These are the things that will make you stand out, but if you don’t relate them to your company message and what you are actually about, they won’t make that much of a difference.
You need to stand for something online, and that something needs to relate to the above mentioned target audience. You need to be clear about who you are, and what you stand for, and have your visitors relate to that. If you are no different than anyone else, your products will not do much to attract the attention of the right eyes.
Tailor all your content to this message and brand voice. Learn which types of content can best communicate your views, and utilize them as best you can. Choose your color pallets wisely. And again, don’t try to please every single critic out there.
Failing to Communicate your Message
While we are talking about messages – don’t leave any room for misinterpretation. Don’t expect your visitors to be able to guess your meaning. Be very clear about your products and services, and what makes them better than the rest. If you fail to get your message across, you will fail to arise trust in your customers, and if they can’t trust you, they won’t be coming back.
If you are not an expert on digital marketing, you can leave this part of the job to the professionals as well. You can be the one who comes up with the vision and brand identity, naturally, but how to sell it can be a daunting task, especially if you are just starting out. There are freelancers and companies out there who can do a lot to help you.
The Power or Rebranding
Finally, if you see you can do something more to get your brand where it needs to be, don’t be afraid to rebrand. The online world never sleeps, and you need to be able to adapt to change in order to make it big. Don’t change who you are and what you stand for, but do listen to the latest trends, and try to tweak your campaigns a bit to accommodate the shifting landscape.
You don’t need to be reinventing the wheel – even the slightest of tweaks can sometimes help you reach more eyes, expand your digital reach, and ultimately, reach for the stars.