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Building Online Brand Equity

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Brands.  We know, love, hate, buy, eat, feel, and see them almost every second of our day. Strong brands are what make corporate megaliths like Pepsi, Apple, Ford, and McDonald's. A strong brand can help grow a company and a weak one can sabotage success. In uncertain economic times a strong brand experience can keep a company ahead of the game.
Most companies can see the importance of a strong brand in today's marketplace - they build awareness and engage loyalty.  So it's surprising to see how many companies fail to implement strong brand identity across their corporate communications and customer interactions. There are many reasons why this happens but a key is that both B2C and B2B companies need to think of branding as much more than a logo and some letterhead. A brand includes intangibles like the experience customers have when they buy from a company, the emotions they have when they think of a company, their expectations and how they are met. Once these intangibles are defined, logos, brochures, billboards, and web sites can be used as tools to communicate the brand.

So how do you build brand? And how do you use your brand to make customers value you and what you offer?

A good place to start is your company web site. It's one of the first places a customer can be introduced to, and keep in contact with, your brand. Whether you sell ball bearings, t-shirts, soda, or health care services people will look for you on the web and your web site says a lot about you. It gives clients, vendors, and potential employees a window into your company's personality.

How can you leverage the strength of your brand on the web?

  • Understand your customers, their needs, tastes, and what they'll look for on your site. Put yourself in their shoes. How will working with you benefit them?
    • Does your site provide answers to that question? If not, it should.
  • Make your site easy to use and navigate. Remember it's all about a positive user experience.
  • Sometimes, less is more. Not every site needs a talking head to reinforce its value. Informative, purposeful content will position you as the expert.
  • Communicate consistently with repetition of color, images, and graphics. This will quickly communicate your brand and can generate an emotional connection. Remember, buying is emotional.  People don't buy a GPS; they buy the security of knowing they won't get lost. 
  • Consistently update your content to generate return visits and more opportunities to connect with your customers. People visit CNN every hour because it changes every hour. Change your content once a year and suffer the consequences.
  • When in doubt about whether something should be on your web site, let these questions be your guide:
    • Does it make our message clear?
    • Is it easily understood and relevant?
    • Is it positive?
Creating a positive brand relationship with customers on the web can lead to recognition, loyalty, and increased sales, market share, and referrals. It's important that you take steps to define your brand or others will start defining it for you, including your competitors.